Blue Ridge Classic
             Saturday April 4th, 2009 AC Reynolds High School, Asheville, NC

                             LAST MINUTE QUESTIONS?
             Co-Meet Director Bill Abromitis: School: 828-298-2500
                                                                Cell: 828-280-4862
                                                                Home:828-686-8281
                                                                Email

                      Athlete Bios
Email Meet Announcer with highlights of star athletes you are entering so we may recognize their accomplishments. Include Name, PR's, Mark or Time, Place, State or National Titles (including year) and Events.

ENTRY INFORMATION: $6.00 per athlete per event, $60 maximum per single team, or $90 for both boys & girls teams.

ENTRY LIMITS: Three (3) individual entries per event per team. Four (4) events maximum per athlete (including relays). One (1) relay entry per event per team. Relay team members, including alternates, must be registered.

ENTRY PROCESS & DEADLINES: All entries must be made online at Direct Athletics (www.directathletics.com) by 12:00 Midnight, Tuesday March 31st, 2009. No exceptions. All entry fees must be received by mail the day before the meet.  Make checks payable to ACRHS and mail to: Blue Ridge Classic, A.C. Reynolds HS, 1 Rocket Drive,  Asheville, NC 28803. You will receive an email confirmation of your entries from Direct Athletics.

CHANGES TO ENTRIES: No changes to your entries can be made after the online entry deadline.

PERFORMANCE LISTS, SEEDING & HEAT SHEETS: Performance lists, (including final heat assignments) will be posted on this website Thursday before the meet. All first round events (prelims) will be random seeded. All sections vs. time events will be seeded from slow to fast, with the slowest sections first.. Declaration of athletes prior to competition by coaches will not be required.

INCLEMENT WEATHER: The meet will not be cancelled due to inclement weather. We will adhere to the NFHS rules regarding lightning (30 sec and 30 minute rules).

ELIGIBILITY & SANCTIONS: We have requested sanctions from the National Federation of State High School Associations for North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia. Only member high schools can attend. It  is your responsibility to confirm that your state association has sanctioned this meet. Postgraduate students who have completed the 12th grade cannot compete. Participants must be certified and eligible to compete in their state associations.

QUALIFYING STANDARDS: There are no qualifying standards or minimum opening heights. The Blue Ridge Classic is an early season meet, and entries will be determined only by team coaches.

TICKETS & MEET ENTRANCE: Tickets for the general public are available at the gate for $6 per person. Children under 5 are admitted free. The only entrance to the meet for teams, coaches and paying spectators is from the upper parking lot in front of the stadium.

UNLOADING & PARKING FOR TEAM BUSES: Team buses can unload and pickup directly in front of the meet entrance gate. Parking for buses is in the lower parking lot in front of the high school.

PACKET PICKUP: In the Administration Tent located on the baseball field side of the track beginning at 7:00 A.M. Your packet will have wristbands for your athletes, two meet programs (with heat sheets), and miscellaneous other information related to the meet. Food Hospitality Badges for team coaches will be issued also at that time.

IMPLEMENT WEIGH IN: All throwing implements (shot put and discus) must be weighed in at the Staging Tent from 7:30-9:00.

COACHES MEETING:  None. This document is the meeting. All NCHSAA and NFHS rules, and the jewelry headwear, electronics and uniform rules as outlined below, shall be enforced.

FACILITIES:  Eight-lane latex MaxFlex track surface.

TIMING: Fully Automatic Timing by Slip Stream Timing. Athletes must wear hip number on their right hip.

SPIKES & STARTING BLOCKS:  Maximum spike length is 1/4". Starting blocks will be provided.

WARM UPS: The tennis courts have been set aside as the primary warm up area. No spikes or food will be allowed in this area. Coaches will be allowed in this area. Runners may also warm up on the track until 8:45 and for the first 45 minutes of the one hour break  Field event warm-ups will be allowed at the field event venues only when an event official is present.

SCHEDULE: The meet will follow a rolling schedule for track events. Finals in the running events will begin one hour after preliminaries end. Field events times are posted on the schedule. There will be a one hour lunch break and the afternoon finals will begin one hour after the preliminaries have completed. The track will be open for warm ups and will close 45 minutes after lunch break begins.

TRACK EVENTS CHECK IN: There will be 3 calls for each event, at 15, 10 and 5 minutes. Track competitors must check in at the Clerk Tent. From there they will go to the Staging Tent to wait for escort to the starting line. Once they enter the Staging Tent they will not be allowed to leave. No coaches will be allowed in the Staging Tent area.

HIP NUMBERS: Hip numbers, handed out in the Clerk Tent, must be worn on the right hip.

FIELD EVENTS CHECK IN: Competitors in the field events should check in at the field event venue at the designated time or they will be scratched from the event. Each competitor will receive three attempts, with nine competitors advancing to the finals. All competitors should stay at the venue until the finalists are announced.

START OF FINALS IN TRACK EVENTS: Finals in the running events will begin one after the preliminaries are completed. The exact time the afternoon finals begin will be announced.

ADVANCEMENT TO THE FINALS/TRACK EVENTS: The top eight times in the running trial rounds will advance to the finals. Running events that do not have trials and finals will be sections vs. times with the slowest sections always running first. The winners in these races will be the top eight performances overall.

ADVANCEMENT TO THE FINALS/FIELD EVENTS: The top nine marks in field event trials will advance to finals. All field events will be in flights with the weaker flights always competing first.

STARTING HEIGHTS: Pole Vault (6'6"), High Jump (4'2")

JUMPS & THROWS COMPETITORS IN RUNNING EVENTS: Jumps and throws competitors who must leave the jump or throw competition to check in for running events should wait until the 2nd call before doing so. They should first ask the Field Event Judge running their event if they can leave to run before doing so. Upon return they will be allowed any jumps or throws they missed. High jump and pole vault competitors, upon return to the competition, will have to reenter the competition at the current height.

RESTRICTED AREAS: Coaches risk the disqualification of their athletes if they violate the following
                                          rules.
         Track: Off limits at all times except for athletes during the designated warm up periods: 7:00-                       8:45 and for the first 45 minutes of the one hour lunch break.
         Jumps Area: Off limits at all times after 8:45, with the exception of the Pole Vault "Coaches Box"
               located in the Pole Vault area. One coach per team will be allowed to enter this designated area
               to assist their athletes if so desired.
         Football field and baseball facilities: Off limits at all times for everyone.
         Meet Official's platform located opposite the finish line: Off limits at all times for everyone.
         Staging Tent: Off limits at all times for coaches and spectators.

COMPETITION & RULES ENFORCEMENT: The Blue Ridge Classic Meet will run according to the rules set forth in the current National High School Federation Rules and Case Book. These rules will be strictly enforced. In addition to these rules, the following rules of competition will also be in effect:               
     1. The track and field competition areas are closed to all coaches and non-competing  athletes.
         Failure to comply will  result in disqualification. A coach's box will be provided in the pole vault area.
     2. Lapped runners in the distance races will be moved to lane 3.
     3. Athletes must provide their own throwing implements.
     4. Vaulters must  bring their own poles.
     5. Relay batons will be provided.

JEWELRY: No jewelry is to be worn during warm-ups or in competition (Medic Alert bracelets, and sports watches for the 1600M & 32ooM Runs are the only exceptions). This includes rings, studs. earrings and bracelets. You cannot cover jewelry with tape or a band aid. Jewelry also includes tongue and naval rings. We will not require athletes to open their mouths or lift their shirts; however if a meet official sees these items during the competition, it falls under the jewelry rule.

HAIR ACCESSORIES & HEADWEAR: No headwear, metal or hard accessories is to be worn during warm-ups or in competition. These include do-rags, bandanas, skullcaps, hats or headbands. If you have an athlete that must wear headwear for religious reasons, please inform the Clerk of Course. Soft objects may be used to restrain hair (for both men and women).

ELECTRONIC DEVICES: No cell phones, ipods or other electronic devices are allowed in the competition or warm up areas.

RELAY UNIFORMS: Relay team member's uniforms must match exactly. Each team member shall wear the same color and design school uniform (jersey and trunks). When other apparel is worn under the jersey, or leotards or body suits worn under the trunks by more than one team member, that apparel must be the same single solid color if worn by more than one team member.

UNIFORM RULE: The top portion of the uniform must be tucked into the bottom portion. Removal of any part of the team uniform, excluding shoes, while in the area of competition is illegal. This shall lead to a warning and if repeated, to disqualification from the event. If the incident recurs, the athlete shall be disqualified from further competition in the meet.

RELAY EXCHANGE ZONE ACCESSORIES: Tape only.  Batons will be provided for relays.

TEAM TENTS: Tents will not be allowed only on the sides and top rows of the stands.

FIRST AID/TRAINER: First aid and trainer services will be provided by Mission Rehab & Sports Clinic. This tent is located in the "Blue Ridge Village" area. Free taping, icing and consultations and injury diagnosis for all athletes and team coaches.  A professional sports trainer will be on site.

POSTING OF RESULTS & FINALS QUALIFIERS: Names of the 8 finalists for the 100, 110 & 300 M Hurdles, and 100, 200 & 400 M Dashes will be posted during the lunch break. There are two results boards for the convenience of coaches: one on the fence to the left of the home concession stand, and the other next to the Administration Tent.

ONLINE RESULTS: Sunday following the meet: Dyestat, NCMilesplit, NCPrepTrack.net & WNCPrepTrack Results will also be posted on meet website the following week.

TEAM SCORING: Team scoring will be through 8 places using the 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 scoring system

PROTESTS: Protests must be made to the Protest Clerk located in the Administration Tent. A $50 cash protest fee must be paid at the when a protest is filed. The Games Committee will then meet to hear properly registered protests, and the decision of the committee on these matters is final. The fee will be refunded only if  the protest is upheld. 

AWARDS: Awards for the Blue Ridge Classic provided by Mission Rehab & Sports Clinic. Athletes and coaches should report to the awards stand in the middle of the field once the award has been announced.
      Individual awards: Custom  medals will be awarded to places 1-3., ribbons to places 4-8 
      Meet Awards: Meet MVP Men and Women Field, and Men and Women Track plaques.
                              Gold and pester oval award plates  will also be presented to meet MVP Men and
                                     Women Field, and Men and Women Track.
                              Plaques will be presented to Men and Women most outstanding performer in
                                   - Hurdles
                                   - Sprints (100, 200 & 400M dashes)
                                   - Distance (800, 1600, 3200M Runs)
                                   - Jumps
                                   - Throws
     Team Awards: Silver cup trophies will be awarded to the top two Men and Women's teams.

CONCESSIONS: The high school concession stands on the home team side of the stadium will also be open during the meet. Healthy "Athlete's Special" lunch choices will be available as well as Sports Drinks and fruit.

COACHES HOSPITALITY: We go to great lengths to provide the best food hospitality of any meet for visiting team coaches. Breakfast for coaches, meet sponsors, meet officials and volunteers will be available at the Hospitality tents next to the Tennis Courts beginning at 7:00 am and lunch for coaches, meet sponsors, meet officials and volunteers  will be provided  beginning at 1:30.  Do not send your athletes to the food tent, only coaches having a Hospitality Badges provided  at Packet Pickup will be eligible for breakfast and lunch. Coaches are welcome to visit the the Hospitality Tents anytime during the day for drinks and snacks.

MEET T SHIRTS: Top quality multi-colored commemorative meet T shirts, both long and short sleeve, will be sold by Tom Decker Track Apparel. $12 for short sleeve and $15 for long sleeve.

TRACK SUPPLIES: Foot RX Running, a local running store will have a booth at the meet. Spikes, shoes, runner's apparel, power bars and other track supplies will be available.

MEET HOST LODGING: Comfort Inn River Ridge, 800 Fairview Road, Asheville, 828-298-9141. $79. Use the group code Blue Ridge Classic when making your reservations.

MEET HOST SCHOOL:  A.C. Reynolds High School, Asheville, NC.

MEET COORDINATORS: Lee Pantas and Buck Buchanan.  For questions regarding meet staffing, planning, organization or vendors contact Coach Pantas 828-779-1569.

MEET DIRECTORS:  Bill Abromitis (AC Reynolds HS) & Pam Bolton (Hendersonville HS).
For technical questions, meet details and other issues relating to scheduling, standards, entries or results contact Coach Bill Abromitis 828-280-4862.

                                                              Schedule
Packet Pickup Starting at 7:00 am at Administration Tent
Implement Weigh-In 7:30-9:00 am at Clerk Tent
There will be no coaches meeting. This document is the meeting.
Track Open for warm-ups from 7:00 to 8:45 am and the first 45 minutes of the one hour lunch break.
Running Events follow a rolling schedule
Finals will begin one hour after the preliminaries are completed.

Directions To A.C. Reynolds High School, Asheville, NC:
From Eastern North Carolina: Take I-40 west to Asheville and get off at Exit 53A. Take Highway 74A south towards Fairview, Bat Cave and Lake Lure for approximately 1 1/2 miles and turn right at high school sign. Dalton Stadium is above the high school. Turn left beyond the school buses.
From the Charlotte area: Take I-85 west from Charlotte and get on Highway 74 west at Exit 10. Take 74 to I-26 north to Asheville. Get on I-40 in Asheville at Exit 46. Take I-40 east and get off at Exit 53A. Take Highway 74A south towards Fairview, Bat Cave and Lake Lure for  approximately 1  1/2 miles and turn right at high school sign. Dalton Stadium is above the high school. Turn left beyond the school buses.
From South Carolina: Take I-26 north from South Carolina to the intersection of I-40 in Asheville at Exit 46. Take I-40 east and get off at Exit 53. Take Highway 74A south towards Fairview, Bat Cave and Lake Lure for  approximately 1 1/2 miles and turn right at high school sign. Dalton Stadium is above the high school. Turn left beyond the school buses.
From  Knoxville Tennessee area: Take I-40 east from Tennessee and get off at Exit 53 in Asheville. Take Highway 74A south towards Fairview, Bat Cave and Lake Lure for  approximately 1 1/2 miles and turn right at high school sign. Dalton Stadium is above the high school. Turn left beyond the school buses.
From Kingsport Tennessee area: Take I-181 south to 19-23 and take 19-23 to Asheville. In Asheville take I-240 east and get off at Exit 9.  Take Highway 74A south towards Fairview, Bat Cave and Lake Lure for approximately 2 miles and turn right  at high school sign. Dalton Stadium is above the high school. Turn left beyond the school buses.