Craig Wise of the Central Florida Gliders Club in Orlando wants to help revive a couple things that he feels have been missing in the Florida high school track & field season. That's why at this year's Gliders Classic on May 10-11 in Altamonte Springs, one of the largest summer club meets in Florida, he will be adding two new areas of competition aimed at the high school aged athlete.
A two day multi-event division will be added to the proceedings on Saturday and Sunday morning. The boys will compete in the decatlon which consists of the 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 meters, 110 hurdles, discus, javelin, pole vault, and 1500 meters. The girls will compete of the heptathlon with its events of 100 hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 meters, long jump, javelin, and 800 meters. Many consider these events as the ultimate test of athleticism and that it truly crowns the best all around athlete in track & field (and possibly period) in that it tests so many different disciplines and skills.
Wise hopes by bringing this opportunity to the state that it will help create and revive interest in multi-events and eventually lead to more college scholarships being awarded to Florida athletes.
In a more ambitious move (and one that will no doubt spark more conversation, both positive and negative), Wise plans to introduce a "Race of Champions". For this division, he will be sending invitations only to those athletes who finished in the top three in their classification at the high school state meet. In the first year as a trial run, the Gliders Classic will only host select events: 100m, 200m, 1600m, 100/110H, long jump, high jump, shot put, and pole vault. If things go well it may be expanded to include all events.
The big question about the race of champions is will the athletes show up? It would be a really exciting follow-up to the state meet to see all of the bests square off. However, whether the athletes and coaches will opt to travel another weekend in a row and attempt to extend their peak another week is yet to be determined.
Being that Florida's state meet is so early compared to the rest of the country, it puts Florida athletes at somewhat of a disadvantage for the post-season meets which happen a month or more after the Florida state championship. So should this idea prove successful, it would give Florida athletes another chance to shine at their true peak and gain national spotlight. And perhaps it would give them one extra week of sharpening their racing skills before laying off a couple of weeks before the national post-season begins. Kudos to Craig Wise and the Central Florida Gliders for giving this concept a chance and for giving our athletes more opportunities!
RACE OF CHAMPIONS SCHEDULE
No prelims – 4 throws
FIELD EVENTS
2:00pm Shot Put – Girls Long Jump – Girls
3:00pm Shot Put – Boys Long Jump – Boys
4:00pm High Jump – Girls Pole Vault – Girls
6:30pm High Jump – Boys Pole Vault – Boys
RUNNING EVENTS Start at 6:30pm, then a Rolling Schedule
100m hurdles – Girls
110 meter hurdles – Boys
100 meters – Girls
100 meters – Boys
400 meters – Girls
400 meters – Boys
1600 meters – Girls
1600 meters – Boys
MULTI-EVENTS SCHEDULE
The next multi-event starts exactly 30 minutes after the last competitor in each event.
Competitors may use their own implements which will be weighed before the event.
Saturday Heptathlon- 8:45 AM (Approx)
100m hurdles
High Jump
Shot Put – 4 kg
200 meters
Sunday – Heptathlon – 10:00 AM
Long Jump
Javelin – 600 grams
800 meters
Saturday – Decathlon – 11:30 AM (Approx)
100 meters
Long Jump
Shot Put – 12 lbs.
High Jump
400 meters
Sunday – Decathlon – 10:00 AM
110m Hurdles
Discus – 1.61 kg
Javelin – 800 grams
Pole Vault – must be certified for the athlete’s weight
1500 Meters