True Team

The True Team format is meant to determine the top overall team, rather than individuals, in a track and field or swim and dive competition. In a True Team meet, each team has a given amount of competitors, with each competitor scoring at least one point (barring disqualification). Therefore, in a nine team meet with three competitors per event, the event champion would earn 27 points whereas the last place finisher would earn 1 point. The purpose of a True Team meet is to judge which team is the best overall, rather than which team has the most top finishers.

Minnesota

Minnesota began using a True Team format to determine the top high school track and field team in 1987. The meet has since expanded to three divisions. In 2005, Minnesota added a True Team State Meet for swim and dive. Both are sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association, rather than the Minnesota State High School League, which sanctions the individual state championships.

Minnesota True Team State Track and Field Format
* The teams are divided into eight True Team Regions, generally with nine teams per region
* Each team has three competitors per event and one team for every relay
* The top team from each region goes to the True Team State Meet
* A ninth wildcard team is added into the True Team State Meet by comparing the results of each region's second place team
* The True Team State Meet takes place on a 9-lane track, so there are three heats per running event with one competitor from each team in a heat

(NOTE: The format for Class A and AA is slightly different)

External links

* [http://www.mshsca.org/ "Minnesota State High School Coaches Association (Official Website)"]