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.

By: Ellie Moore

While deciding the hardest track event is opinion based, many people believe the 400m is the hardest event, but each event requires a unique set of skills and presents its own set of challenges.

One event that is often considered to be the hardest track event is the 400m hurdles. This event combines the speed and endurance of a 400m race with the technical skills required to clear ten hurdles. It requires a lot of coordination, balance, and timing to maintain a consistent pace while jumping over the hurdles without losing speed or rhythm.

Another hard event is the 800m dash, which needs a balance of speed and endurance. It is considered middle-distance, and athletes must maintain a fast pace while conserving enough energy to finish strong. The 800m race is a tactical race, because athletes have to carefully plan their strategy to conserve energy for the final stretch while still staying in the lead.

The 1600m dash is another super hard event that requires both speed and endurance. It is considered a long-distance race, but it’s not long enough to just pace the entire thing. Athletes must maintain a fast pace while conserving enough energy to finish strong and avoid being outpaced by competitors in the final stretch.

Finally, the 100m dash is considered by many to be the most challenging event because of the extreme explosiveness and power required to cover the distance in mere seconds. Athletes need to have a perfect start from the blocks and continue to have good form throughout the race.

Every track event has many challenges, but the 400m hurdles, 800m dash, 1600m dash, and 100m dash are often considered to be the hardest track events.