Case Study (Updated): Track Surface Tension in Tennessee

On the Surfaces:

Did the coach from Unicoi County have a point? In short, yes. There is an undeniable correlation between enrollment and having a rubberized track surface as a resource at your campus. This creates many challenges when preparing to compete at the highest levels. Coach Webb of North East elaborates:

"Not having a track definitely makes you become more creative in your training. I have measured off roughly 100m and we use that as our "track". The girls have learned to jump, hurdle, throw, and run on these hallways. I found a part of an old PV mat and I use that as a landing pad for jumpers and cheer mats for bounding. Some people joke that maybe we should not get a track since we have been so successful w/o. I laugh, but I then think of my girls with shins splints or that some suffer from their knees hurting. This is when my frustration grows. Not having a track definitely makes you hungrier when competing for that ultimate goal of winning, so in that way that is our advantage to those that have tracks. That is what I stress to the girls."

As unfortunate as it is that over half of the public high schools in the state do not have a rubberized surface, it is not the responsibility of the TSSAA to regulate and fund athletic resources. Nevertheless, it is their responsibility to govern. Article I Section 3 of the TSSAA Constitution states "The mission of the TSSAA is to serve its members by providing... equitable opportunities."

As this research pertains to classification and circling back to my initial article mentioned on page 1, I lobbied aggressively for the Board of Control to reconsider the "Two Classes Divided Evenly" classifications and overwhelmingly most readers agreed. 4.5% voted to leave it the way it is, 76.8% voted for three classes, and 18.6% voted for Two classes with a higher enrollment cut line.

Here is how a Three Class System would look with this research:

Three Classes, including non-participating schools, Divided Evenly

Three Classes, omitting non-participating schools, Divided Evenly

A two class system with a higher cut line can be estimated using the "Raw Numbers" page. Most coaches I've talked to have settled around 1000. 

So what is 'equitable' in this case? Combining Class AA and A as they were before where only 20-25% of schools have rubberized surfaces? Creating a stand-alone Class A where seemingly every school is practicing on asphalt and in parking lots? It is truly disappointing that for a sport that is as inclusive as Track and Field is, where any athlete, be they of speed, power, endurance, or acrobatics, can find a niche, opportunity is directly tied to geography. 

Ultimately, the Board of Control will set classifications based solely on enrollment but hopefully this research illustrates the challenges and inequity some schools in Tennessee Track and Field face beyond just having two to three times less students than those they are competing against.