How do I sign up my school for the track meets?
Your athletic director needs to pay the EVAA zone fee to join the EVAA (email Kerry Taylor by going to the ABOUT US tab at the top and then clicking on “Board”).
Note - your track team needs to be registered with BC School Sports by April 10, and your roster finalized by April 24. Make sure your athletic director has met these deadlines.
What if I just want to send one or two athletes to one or two meets? Is the fee cheaper?
Sorry, no. To run a league successfully all the schools must share in both the costs and the labour. We need everyone to be fully involved so that we have enough officials to run the meets. Every school is needed to contribute a teacher or parent to help run an event (no experience necessary). This is not a sport like basketball where we can hire a couple of referees and away we go. A track meet requires a lot of adult involvement, and so these meets are only for schools that are willing to contribute both athletes and volunteers. There is no other way to make this work. If you are new to these meets, do not worry, you will be given something easy to do! A list will be created of officiating jobs and sent out before the season starts. You will likely share a job with another school, and do the same task each week.
But I am just bringing one or two athletes!
The majority of schools involved are small, and even some of the bigger teams only have one coach. So we need everyone to pitch in to make the season logistically possible.
Do I need to pre-register my athletes online for the three league meets?
These meets are “show and go.” That means that you just show up with your team and the athletes just go to the events they want to compete in. They can do as many events as they want at the three league meets. Athletes will need stickers (the rectangular ones that go on file folder tabs), and they will need to have neatly written their name, section, and school on the tab (eg. Bill Smith, Sr. Boy, Valley High). One sticker is needed per event.
I am a middle school. Can I bring Grade 7’s?
These meets are meant to prepare athletes for qualifying for the BC Championships. Grade 7’s are not eligible under BC School Sports to compete. However, if you want to bring a few select grade 7’s to the first three league meets to compete against the grade 8’s or fill a relay team that is okay. Just make sure they know how to do block starts!
My child is homeschooled. How can they compete?
Please consult the BCSS handbook, particularly these sections:
822.0 ONLINE LEARNING AND ALTERNATE SCHOOL STUDENT-ATHLETES
822.1 Online and alternate school student-athletes may compete in BCSS competition provided that:
822.1.2 INDIVIDUAL SPORTS A student-athlete enrolled at an online or alternate school must compete for the school they are registered at, in those BCSS activities identified as individual sports (Aquatics, Cross Country, Skiing, Snowboarding, Wrestling, Mountain Biking, and Track and Field). If the student-athlete does not reside in the same zone where their online or alternate school is located, the student-athlete must qualify through the zone they reside in and it is the responsibility of their school to register them for zone championships.
Can I skip the three league meets and just come to the Abby Invite and EVAA Championship?
If travel to Rotary is a burden (for some middle schools) we can accommodate that. Secondary schools are expected to attend all meets in order to do their share in making the season run successfully. Please be aware that all schools/athletes need to be at the Abby Invite because it is the qualifier for the EVAA Zone Championships. It would also be to the benefit of your athletes to be at the three league meets to get used to the facility and the competitors in your area.
How do I register athletes for the Abbotsford Invitational and the EVAA Championship?
Registration is done in MileSplit and whoever registered your school or team in MileSplit will get the invitation via email to register.
What is the expectation for qualifying to attend the Abbotsford Invitational?
Athletes need to be registered in BC School Sports and they need to have competed in one or more of the previous league meets or the equivalent where there is electronic timing.
What is the expectation for qualifying to attend the EVAA Zone Championship?
Athletes need to compete in the Abbotsford Invitational and qualify by placing in the top 24 in their event.
How many athletes qualify for the BC Championships?
Our zone has three berths in each event (three Junior berths, three Senior births) for entry into the BC's. Athletes who place top three at the EVAA Championship earn those berths. If one of these athletes scratches from the BC's (by the deadline) the fourth place athlete will be inserted.
How do Gr. 8's qualify for BC's?
Grade 8's are officially "invitational" sections at the BC's and not all events are represented (eg. no racewalk, steeplechase, pole vault, hammer or discus). The top 24 grade 8's in the province in each event will qualify. Coaches will apply to get their athletes in using MileSplit and need a time/distance from a meet from this year that used electronic timing.
My elite athlete is injured and cannot attend the qualifiers. Can they still go the BC's?
Maybe. There are a few empty or "open" spots (minimum two) at the BC's for each event (the number varies because not all zones fill their berths). Coaches can apply to have their athletes grab one of those "open zone" spots using MileSplit and a time/distance from this year and from a meet with electronic timing.