By: Ellie Moore

At a normal track meet only 8 out of 24 runners score but at a True Team track meet all racers score. Getting last place will only score you 1 point but your points still count. The point of these true team meets is to find which team has the best depth throughout the team. You may be able to win normal meets because you have 1 or 2 runners constantly in the top 3, but to win a true team meet you have to have all your runners placing high.

There are only 3 True Team meets in the track season: True Team Conference, Sections, and State. In order for your team to make it to state you need to be one of the top teams in the section, so not every team gets to race at True Team State.

Unlike normal track state, to qualify for True Team Track State you need to qualify as a team. You can’t qualify as an individual.

Saint Paul Public Schools have a disadvantage when they compete in the True Team Section meet. Since SPPS doesn’t have the insurance for pole vaulting, we automatically get 0 points for it, starting us up to 40 points behind the rest of the schools.

Conference True Team took place at Central High School on Wednesday May third. Central took first place with 644.5 and Highland got second with 538. Como Park was third with 413 points.

The Section True Team meet was May ninth at Mounds View where Highland Park competed against Edina, Minneapolis South, Minneapolis Southwest, Minneapolis Washburn, Mounds View, North St. Paul, Roseville, St. Louis Park, and St. Paul Central.

Mounds View ended up winning with 1141.5 points with Roseville coming in second with 1115 points. Highland Park got fifth with 623 points.

State will be May twentieth and twenty-first at Stillwater High School. The top team from each section will move on to state and compete against each other to see who has the most depth on their team.