State Track:

Missouri does three classes one weekend and two classes the next. The last weekend is always graduation weekend for kids who go to the high school across the street and also the weekend those kids participate, so people get done with their track meet and run over to graduate.

 

Kentucky does a Friday-Saturday for all three classes. Prelims and selected field finals on the first day, finals the second day.

State was held at a Lexington high school last year instead of at the University of Kentucky, but a lot of people preferred the high school because of better parking, more seating, more room, more restaurants close by and the media work area was indoor and air conditioned instead of outdoor under/in a tent.

I think it is moving to the University of Louisville's track facility in the next 2-3 years, which is an easy 45 minute drive for me.

 

Re: State Track

New Jersey brings everybody to one site on one day, but there have already been two rounds of "prelims."

Groups is over Memorial Day weekend at what seems like a zillion different sites. (My little paper has to cover eight meets at four schools on those two days!)

The following weekend, three public classifications go to one site near Atlantic City, and the other public classification (which one changes every year) and the two parochials go to another. I think the top three finishers from each group advance, but I've basically blocked out track season so I might be mistaken.

Chef, you're dead to me for bringing up track season three weeks early!

 

PD is close on the NJ set-up:

Sectionals (4 sections each for boys and girls, 4 public school groups in each section) are at 8 sites the first weekend (Fri & Sat)
Top 6 each event from each section make it to group championships the following week (3 Groups in AC area, 3 groups in Trenton area -- six groups because Catholic schools don't have sectionals)
Top six from each group in each event plus "wild cards" based on time/performance go to State Meet of Champions, on the following Wednesday night.

 

SC and Ohio do the same thing.

Ohio's is three divisions, but over three days, I do believe. Like someone said above, nothing like seeing Teddy Ginn run a 10.2 (I'm guessing) and seeing a white kid from NW Ohio in D-III run a 12.4 the next day.

Can't remember SC's classifications, but I think they do AAAA, AAA and combine AA & A into one.

 

Which high school in Lexington has the facility to host it?

 

Mississippi's state meet is over two days. They usually do Classes 1A and 3A on Friday, then 2A, 4A and 5A on Saturday, although they do mix them up every couple years. Its boys and girls, both days, so it's basically 10 state meets in two days. Fortunately, there's no prelims and only one heat of each event.
Pearl High School, near Jackson, built a track-only facility a couple years ago and it hosts the state meets now. It's nice and open, which makes access easy but leads to horrible sunburn if you're not careful. Gets mighty hot down here in early May, and the Saturday meet usually goes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

 

Ohio is two days. Big clusterfuck. Smallish stadium.

 

Nope, SC now has four classifications for boys and girls track. They do some field events and relays on Friday night and then they go all-day Saturday. I love covering the state track meet ... I like to keep busy. Only problem is it always rains for a bit on Friday or Saturday, so you almost have to expect a delay of some sort. Last year it rained on Friday night and it was delayed about an hour and a half.

 

I will second the opinion of those talking about the magnitude and impressiveness of the Texas track meet. They also hold APSE state conferences in the area at the same time.

 

Usually the Sunday-Monday following the Friday-Saturday UIL meet. (Which always seems to fall on Mother's Day for some reason.)

 

I used to do Clerk of Course work for that event, usually in the smaller classes.

Missed running in it twice, by one spot each time.