TOPEKA, Kan. - During their January meeting, the KSHSAA Executive Board voted for the first time in history to include events for wheelchair-bound student-athletes at the 2020 KSHSAA State Track and Field Meet. Competitions will be separated into a girls and boys division competing in the 100 meters and 400 meters.

“The rich history of Kansas high school track and field will become even more significant with the inclusion of events for our wheelchair student-athletes,” said Executive Director Bill Faflick. “The participation of all athletes competing throughout the year is appropriately expanded with the addition of wheelchair events at the State Track & Field Championship Meet which results in a true win for our member schools.”

There will be one classification for the four exhibition events. The 100m and 400m events will feature two boy’s heats and two heats for the girls with qualifiers from regular season, member school-sponsored track and field events. The events at the state meet will be competed as finals only, medaling the top eight individuals. Athletes will be recognized on the infield for their accomplishments, but the result will not compute towards a team score.

Schedule: The 400m event will take place Friday at 1:45 p.m. with the girls competing first followed by the boys. The 100m event will take place Saturday after the conclusion of the 6A boys 100m dash. Full 2020 State Schedule.

Qualifications:

Each event will have 16 qualifiers that are taken from the top 16 times achieved in that event at a school meet this spring. All times will need to be submitted by 8:30 a.m, Saturday, May 16. Schools will email Mark Lentz with qualifying time, date of competition and location of the event immediately after each competition.

All athletes must be a bona-fide student of the school they attend and follow all KSHSAA Handbook rules for eligibility. The events are for athletes with a permanent, physical disability. All athletes will compete in a school issued uniform.

Equipment:

Track Chair: The track chair shall have two rear wheels and one front wheel. The track chair frame shall not extend in front of the center of the front wheel hub. The track chair may have no mechanical gears or levers that would propel the chair. The steering must be hand operated. No electronic steering is allowed. No part of the track chair or frame may protrude past the furthest point of the rear wheel. Athlete’s lower limbs must be secured to the track chair. Any touching of the ground by the lower limbs results in disqualification from the event. Competitors are responsible for the proper functioning of the track chair. No event shall be delayed for equipment failure prior to an event.

Wheels: The maximum diameter of the rear wheel and inflated tire is 70cm.The maximum diameter of the front wheel and inflated tire is 50cm. Each rear wheel may have one hand rim. Athletes may only propel the chair forward by pushing on the wheels or hand rims.