IESA Headlines

2014 IESA Class A State Track and Field Meet Preview

For the 15th consecutive year, the EastSide Centre in East Peoria will host the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) Class A State Final Track and Field Meet. A total of 2,700 athletes will participate in the two-day meet this Friday and Saturday (May 16-17). East Peoria Robein Grade School serves as the host school.

The IESA state series in boys track and field began in 1932 and the girls state series began in 1972. This will be the 83rd year for the boys and the 43rd year for girls. A total of 262 member schools entered the 2014 Class A state series and 247 of those schools will be represented at this year's state meet. The sectional qualifying meets were held last Saturday, May 10. The following link will list all qualifiers:

http://www.iesa.org/activities/tr/qualifiers_State_A.asp?Year=2014

There are 14 events in each of the four classes (7th grade girls; 7th grade boys; 8th grade girls; 8th grade boys). There will be a grand total of 56 events. Field event competition begins Friday at 12:00 noon. In the field events, the preliminaries and finals are conducted on the same day that the respective event is held.  Some field events are held on Friday and some are held on Saturday. The running events get under way Friday at 1:15 p.m. with the preliminaries and semifinals of the hurdle event.  The finals for the hurdle event are held on Saturday morning starting at 9:00 a.m.  Only the hurdle event and the 100-meter dash are held with preliminaries and semifinals. In all other running events, timed finals is the format. The best times from all the heats or sections in a respective running event determine final places in that event.

Competition on Saturday begins at 9:00 a.m. with the finals of the hurdles and the 100-meter dash. Running events will run continuously throughout the day.  Field events will also get started at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and will also continue throughout the day. The event is expected to conclude around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. The complete time schedule for the weekend is available at the following link:

http://www.iesa.org/activities/tr/IESA-TR_Schedule.pdf

Results will be updated continuously throughout the weekend and all results should be available by 7:30 p.m. Saturday evening on the IESA home page www.iesa.org.

Single-session tickets will be on sale at the stadium each day. Tickets are priced at $8.00 for adults and $4.00 for students K-8 and seniors. Gates open to the general public at 10:30 a.m. Friday and at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.

Gates for the competitors and teams will open at 10:00 a.m. on Friday and 7:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Parade of Athletes will take place on Friday at 11:15 a.m. and at 8:20 a.m. on Saturday. The parade is a chance for the competitors to walk the track with their team amidst applause, music, and cheers from coaches, parents, family, and fans. At the conclusion of the Parade of Champions, the Athlete Oath will be read by four athletes who will be competing in this year's meet. 

On Friday, Erika Furbeck from Heyworth JHS and Emilio Rivera from Illini Central Middle School will read the Athlete Oath. In 2013, Furbeck placed first in the seventh grade girl's long jump while Rivera placed first in both the seventh grade boy's 800 and 1600 meter dash.

On Saturday, Tina Martin from Johns Hill Magnet School and Cody Miller from Bismarck-Henning will read the Athlete Oath. Martin took home first in both the seventh grade girl's 100 and 200 meter dash a year ago, while Miller earned gold in the boy's seventh grade discus throw.

All athletes who place 1-8 in their respective event will be recognized on the infield after the conclusion of their event. The time schedule has periods built into it for presentation of the medals to the individuals and relay team members.

Fans are encouraged to visit the FanZone icon on the IESA home page for information that spectators should know regarding the meet.

For more information, please contact IESA Assistant Executive Director and Track and Field Administrator Julie Cochran at julie@iesa.org.