Track and field is one continuously unbelievably hectic event. There is one order of design in the cosmos of the chaos in track: scoring. But then, as a tracklete, I realized, I didn’t even fully understand the scoring. So I had to dive deeper.
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Most track athletes are not competing to place in a scoring position. Track, rather than scoring for the athlete’s team, is more of an individual sport where the athlete is trying to individually improve by recording a personal record, or a PR. But some athletes are put into a scoring position.
There is a specific design in a track meet, rolling through the events in a state-set order. There are, in fact, two different scoring systems. Let’s dive into a small meet scoring system.
At a small meet, which is usually a 3-team meet, there is a very simple scoring system for all teams. This would be five points for the first-place person or relay team, three for second, and one for third. The more important and more commonly used is the large meet scoring system.
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The large meet scoring system, and the more common, is the much larger and more utilized scoring system.
So, amidst the chaos, there is design and order. There is a technical way for athletes to win an event. Cohen Carpenter, senior, said, “I love throwing the ball (shotput) far.” He is one of our main scorers.
You know, when I first began this story, I had no idea how scoring worked. The reason for this is because track is an individual sport; it does not matter if you win. Yes, it is nice to compete and win meets; however, setting a new personal record is good enough for most track and field athletes, and the social aspect brings the final piece, making people love the sport.