SJTFA Rule Book

The South Jersey Track and Field Alliance (SJTFA) unites youth and scholastic track & field programs across South Jersey under one set of competition standards. The purpose of this Rule Book is to ensure fair, safe, and consistent competition for every athlete, coach, official, and club in the alliance.

1.1 Governing Rules

These rules govern all SJTFA-sanctioned meets and events. Where a situation is not specifically addressed, the Referee shall rule using standard track & field competition practice, and the ruling shall be final subject to the protest procedures in Section X.

1.2 Governance

SJTFA operations are administered by the SJTFA Board/Meet Committee, who appoint Meet Directors and certify officials for each sanctioned meet.

• The Referee has final authority over competition conduct during a meet, including disqualifications, protests, and event rulings.
• The SJTFA Board reviews this Rule Book annually before the season; changes are published in meet notices and take effect when announced.

2.1 Who May Compete

• Athletes must be members of an SJTFA member club (or registered as unattached where permitted by the meet notice) and must satisfy the age division rules.
• All events are open to male and female competitors unless noted otherwise (e.g., heptathlon, decathlon).
• Relay team members must meet the relay division age grouping in Section 2.4.
• Guest athletes from outside SJTFA member clubs may compete in invitational meets only, at the Meet Director's discretion.

2.2 Age Divisions — Determined by Year of Birth

An athlete's year of birth determines the division for the entire season.

2.3 Proof of Age

Proof of age may be required at any SJTFA meet and whenever challenged.

• Acceptable: original birth certificate (or notarized copy), U.S. military identification, unexpired passport, or valid U.S. driver's license.
• Not acceptable: school letters, park & recreation department letters, or any other secondary documentation.

2.4 Relay Divisions (Combined Age Groups)

2.5 Division Integrity

• No athlete may compete in a younger or older division in individual events.
• Relay participation follows the combined relay divisions; no athlete may compete in a relay division outside the one covering their age.

3.1 Event Limitations Per Athlete

• The limit includes relays (entry as a runner or alternate counts).
• Multi-events (triathlon, pentathlon, heptathlon, decathlon) do not count toward the limit.
• Exceeding the event limit results in dismissal from that event and disqualification from all events competed at the meet.

3.2 Entries & Fees

• Entries close as published in each meet notice; late entries forfeit seeding rights.
• Meet entry fees are published per meet; there is no extra charge for additional events or relays.

3.3 Seeding & Heats

• Contestants are seeded from the performance list, fastest first; athletes without valid marks are placed in random order at the end.
• Heats are assigned alternately; unequal distribution of teammates is adjusted.
• At minimum, three athletes advance from each heat to the next round.
• At least half of qualifiers to a succeeding round in distance events shall qualify on time.
• 1500m: heats if more than 20 report  ·  3000m/2000m steeplechase: heats if more than 24 report; finals capped at 12.

4.1 Officials & Authority

The Referee resolves all disputes during a meet. The starter, lane/finish judges, field-event judges, and the games committee operate under the Referee's oversight. SJTFA certifies officials for each meet.

4.2 Uniforms

• Clothing must be clean, non-transparent (even when wet), and non-objectionable. Bare midriffs are not allowed.
• Two-piece uniforms: the top must be tucked in or cover the waistband when standing erect. Tops must be the same color front and back.
• At championship meets, all team participants wear tops of the same color and shorts of the same color.
• Footwear is required on both feet; racing flats/spikes conform to standard equipment rules for the event and division.

4.3 Electronic & Outside Assistance

• Electronic communication devices (phones, headsets, etc.) are prohibited in the competition area.
• An athlete may not leave the immediate event area to receive coaching during competition.
• Infield athletes may not cross to the outside of the track mid-competition.

4.4 Medical Clearance

Athletes competing with a known medical condition must satisfy SJTFA waiver/medical-clearance requirements published by the Meet Director. There are no injury waivers.

5.1 Authorized Running Events by Division

5.2 Relay Events by Division

5.3 Starts & Lanes

• Events up to and including 400m are run entirely in lanes.
• 800m / 4×800m: 1-turn stagger, lanes through the entrance of the following straightaway; max 16 per heat.
• 4×400m: 3-turn stagger; first leg in lanes, second leg free at the marked break line.
• 1500m and longer: waterfall (curved) start so all runners cover the same distance; alleys optional.
• Inadvertent lane departure on a straightaway or to the outside lane on a curve is not a violation if no one is impeded and no advantage is gained.

5.4 False Starts

5.5 Starting Blocks

Starting blocks are optional for all divisions except 15–16 and 17–18, who must use blocks for the 100m, 200m, 400m, hurdle races, and the first leg of relays where that leg does not exceed 400m.

5.6 Hurdle Configurations (Outdoor)

5.7 Relay Rules

• Team composition: four (4) runners plus up to four (4) alternates (8 total), declared at entry, all within the relay division's age grouping.
• Substitutions: only from declared alternates of the same relay division; a replaced athlete may not return to that relay in the same meet.
• The baton must be passed within the take-over zone — position of the baton is decisive, not body position.
• Throwing the baton after finishing disqualifies the team.

5.8 Steeplechase

The 2000m steeplechase (15–16 & 17–18) uses 18 hurdle jumps and 5 water jumps (barriers 30" girls / 36" boys). Where no water jump exists, the meet committee may substitute standard barriers per SJTFA facility-equivalence practice.

5.9 Race-Walk

Race-walk events (1500m, 3000m) are judged under the standard definition: continuous contact with the ground, and the advancing leg straightened from first contact through the vertical plane. Three judges' caution cards result in disqualification.

5.10 Timed Events

Meets use fully automatic timing (FAT) where available; hand-timed meets are noted in the meet program. Events of 200m or longer may be run as timed finals, with heats only when the entry count exceeds the guidelines above.

6.1 Authorized Field Events by Division

6.2 Implement Weights

6.3 Competition Format

• Championship meets: three (3) preliminary attempts followed by three (3) final attempts ("3+3"). 8 or fewer competitors receive six (6) total trials.
• Finals order is reverse order of preliminary best; each competitor is credited with their best of all attempts.
• All competitors take the first trial, then all take the second, etc.
• Regular-season meets may use 3+3 or a total of four (4) attempts at the Meet Director's discretion.

6.4 High Jump & Pole Vault

• Passes are permitted; three consecutive failures eliminate the competitor.
• Pole Vault safety: competitors must use poles rated at or above their body weight (verified at the vault area); poles must carry the manufacturer's contrasting rating mark. Coaches/parents are responsible for matching each vaulter to a legal pole.
• An athlete who has passed three consecutive heights after competition begins may take one warm-up jump (no crossbar) at a height change, upon request.

6.5 Check-In

Field-event athletes must report to the event chief official no later than 30 minutes before the scheduled start; failure to report before the completion of the first attempt of their flight forfeits the event.

Combined events are encouraged by SJTFA and may be scheduled separately from the main meet. Multi-events are not counted toward the three-event limit.

Triathlon — 9 & 10 Year Olds

Pentathlon — 11 & 12 Year Olds

Pentathlon — 13 & 14 Year Olds

Heptathlon — 15–16 & 17–18 Girls

Day 1: 100m Hurdles (10×33") · High Jump · Shot (4 kg) · 200m

Day 2: Long Jump · Javelin (600g) · 800m

Decathlon — 15–16 & 17–18 Boys

Day 1: 100m · Long Jump · Shot (12 lbs) · High Jump · 400m

Day 2: 110m Hurdles (10×39") · Discus (1.6 kg) · Pole Vault · Javelin (800g) · 1500m

8.1 Meet Types

• Regular-season meets — SJTFA sanctioned competition, including FAT-timed meets, open to eligible member athletes.
• Championship meets — the season-ending SJTFA championship; qualification (if any) is published in the championship meet notice.

8.2 Awards — Medals

8.3 Team Scoring

• Ties split points equally; disqualified athletes score no points.
• Team champions are determined per division (girls, boys, combined) as announced by the Meet Director.

8.4 Records

SJTFA meet and season records may be established at any SJTFA-sanctioned meet when timing and measurement meet certification standards (electronic timing preferred; three certified timers minimum where hand-timed).

Qualification standards and advancement criteria for the Championship meet are published in the Championship meet notice each season. The meet notice governs qualification requirements, event caps, and seeding procedures specific to the championship.

10.1 Zero Tolerance & Unsportsmanlike Conduct

SJTFA is a zero-tolerance program. Unsportsmanlike conduct — disrespect toward officials, fighting, taunting, criticism of competitors, profanity — is prohibited for athletes, coaches, parents, and club personnel.

• Taunting designed to embarrass, ridicule, or demean others on any basis (race, religion, gender, national origin) is specifically prohibited.
• Violations may result in disqualification from the event and/or the meet; coaches/personnel may be removed from the meet.
• Further penalties (suspension, probation, warning, expulsion) may be imposed by the SJTFA Board.
• Tobacco, alcohol, and prohibited substances are banned at all SJTFA events.
• Electronic devices are barred from the competition area (see Section 4.3).

10.2 Protests

• All protests must be in writing and delivered to the Referee.
• Protests concerning eligibility/status may be filed at any time during the meet.
• Protests concerning a competition matter must be filed promptly — before the affected event's next round or within the protest window published in the meet program.
• Protests must be submitted by the athlete's coach or (for unattached athletes) the athlete or parent.
• A jury of appeals shall be posted at championship meets to hear appeals of Referee rulings.

10.3 Disqualification Criteria (Summary)

• Second false start (through 14 Year Olds) · any false start (15–16 & 17–18)
• Lane violation with advantage, or failing to finish in the assigned lane on a straightaway
• Throwing the relay baton after the finish
• Hurdle violations: trailing leg, wrong lane, deliberate knock-down
• Exceeding the three-event limit · competing in the improper age division
• Unsportsmanlike conduct · violation of uniform or equipment rules when enforced by the Referee