Boone, Iowa — Saturday’s finals sessions will be split and spectators will be ticketed through qualifying participants due to capacity restrictions at this month’s IHSAA & IGHSAU State Track & Field Championships in Des Moines.
The three-day co-ed meet will remain at Drake Stadium on its previously announced dates: Thursday, May 20, and Friday, May 21, with finals on Saturday, May 22. Current attendance limits from Drake University and Polk County Health Department allow for two tickets per qualifying participant in the session in which they compete. Any remaining tickets in each session will be made available to participating schools.
Class 2A and Class 3A boys and girls will compete in early sessions each day. Class 1A, Class 4A, and Wheelchair boys and girls competitors will be in the later session each day.
The final day of the state co-ed Track and Field Championships at Drake Stadium will be split into two sessions. Class 2A and 3A competition will be in the early session followed by 1A and 4A. Chris Cuellar of the Iowa High School Athletic Association says it is an extension of the schedule for the first two days of the meet.
Cueller says it allows them to adhere to spectator limitations set by Polk County and Drake University.
Cuellar says each participant will get two tickets to the state meet.
Cuellar says it is the best option to make the state meet look as normal as possible.
The meet runs May 20th through the 22.
Spectators and participants will be required to clear the facility after each of the six sessions, including Saturday’s finals. Seating will be unassigned with spectators required to use socially-distanced pods and wear masks at Drake Stadium, per recent CDC guidance on crowds at outdoor events. Available seat locations inside Drake Stadium will be identified with stickers on bleachers. Spectators for shot put and discus competitions will be allowed ticketed access to the fields immediately north of the stadium.
The IHSAA and IGHSAU will work through member school administrators following State Qualifying Meets on May 13 to arrange initial ticketing procedures for qualifiers and their alternates. Once available, digital ticketing will be conducted through HomeTown Ticketing participant promo codes via the IHSAA website. Qualifiers out of preliminary events on Thursday and Friday will be ticketed for Saturday finals once results are finalized.
Further event-specific protocols for all attendees (teams, spectators, media, etc.) will be announced once they are finalized through IHSAA, IGHSAU, Drake University, and local officials.
STATE MEET SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 20
9:00 a.m. — Class 2A & Class 3A, boys and girls
3:30 p.m. — Class 1A & Class 4A, boys and girls
Friday, May 21
9:00 a.m. — Class 2A & Class 3A, boys and girls
3:25 p.m. — Class 1A, Class 4A, Wheelchair, boys and girls
Saturday, May 22
9:00 a.m. — Class 2A & Class 3A, boys and girls
2:00 p.m. — Class 1A, Class 4A, Wheelchair, boys and girls
