SELECTION PROCEDURES
GOALS
The Primary goal in determining relay team selection is to assemble the greatest number of teams likely to win a medal; the goal is the highest number of total medals, not the most gold medals. The Secondary goal is to involve as many Team USATF Masters athlete applicants as possible in the relays.
RELAY SELECTION PANEL (RSP)
The RSP shall consist of the USATF Team Leader, the Team Manager, the Assistant Team Managers, and the Active Athlete Representative. As needed, other athletes may be called upon to assist. The MTF Chair shall select the Chair of the RSP who will plan meetings. Those not fully participating will be replaced.
AUTHORITY
The RSP has complete responsibility and is the final authority for selecting Designated Relay Teams. The RSP will vary from the Guidelines below only if, in its opinion, the Goals can be more fully achieved by deviating from them.
GOVERNING RULES
Each WMA Member (country) determines how its relay teams are selected. There is no entry fee for the relays. The youngest person running determines the age group of the relay team. If an athlete is a designated team member (one of the first four listed), they cannot be an alternate on another relay team. An alternate can be an alternate on any number of teams but can only run on one team. The RSP shall follow the current WMA/WA Rules for relays recognizing that they quite often change from championship to championship.
MEET DEADLINES:
There are two deadlines that Team USATF Masters must meet when entering its teams.
1. Relay Declaration Deadline (RDD), is typically at noon on the day before the scheduled relay event. No additional athletes may be added to the relay team roster after the RDD. Only the 4 runners and the alternates listed on the form submitted by the RDD are eligible to run.
2. Final Relay Declaration Deadline (FRDD), which is typically one to two hours before the scheduled race time of any given relay. The four actual runners and their order may be changed up until the FRDD but no changes of any sort are permitted after the FRDD. Example: if one of the four designated runners gets hurt at the last moment, alternates cannot be moved in to replace the injured runner if it is after the FRDD.
**NOTE: these deadlines are subject to change by the championship Local Organizing Committee (LOC) but generally are published before the championship.
ELIGIBILITY
All Team USATF Masters athletes entered in the championships are eligible to run relays. Relay participation is entirely voluntary. Athletes MUST submit a relay application to a member of the RSP to be considered for selection to a relay team. If anyone discovers a mistake or oversight at any stage of the selections, they are encouraged to bring that to an RSP member’s attention as soon as possible.
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN RSP AND ATHLETES
All relay applications, initial selections, and final selections will be available on a Google Doc spreadsheet available to all Team USATF Masters athletes and administrators continually throughout the championship. The URL address of this spreadsheet will be in the “Team USATF Masters Championships Meet Information” that is sent to each Team USATF Masters athlete before each championship. It also will be sent out on various social media channels and will be circulated to all those on the Team USATF Championship WhatsApp group. Whenever possible, this spreadsheet will be updated at least each evening of the Championship. The spreadsheet is the key document showing the status of the relay teams at all times; first all those who apply and then the actual selections for teams.
TYPES OF RELAY TEAMS
DESIGNATED TEAMS (DT): Teams selected by the RSP from the overall pool of athletes that completed Relay Applications. The RSP strives to create as many DTs as possible.
VOLUNTEER TEAMS (VT): For age groups with no DT, VTs may be self-organized by athletes and will be officially entered by the Team Manager. A VT member must contact a member of the RSP to obtain the WMA Relay Team Declaration form. The VT will complete the form and return it to a member of the RSP prior to the Relay Declaration Deadline so it can be submitted. A member of the RSP will contact the VT should a DT be created in their age group. In the event a DT has been created for an age group after a VT WMA Relay Team Declaration has been submitted to a member of the RSP, that VT will be disbanded.
PROCEDURES
APPLICATIONS
To be considered for a relay, each athlete MUST submit a signed paper Relay Application Form for each relay on which the athlete desires to run to a member of the RSP during the Championship anytime up until 5 PM the evening before the Relay Declaration Deadline. These application forms will be available at every daily Team Meeting and from the members of the RSP at any time. It also will be available for download once it is available (after relay deadlines are published). The application is an agreement that the athlete (including alternates) will practice for the relay and compete to the best of their ability if selected. Each athlete selected for a DT is not competing on an individual basis but is competing for Team USATF Masters which means that such athlete is working towards the goal of maximizing total relay medals, not just going for “guaranteed” gold medals.
WITHDRAWAL
Athletes may withdraw from consideration for selection up to the start of the RSP meeting. Athletes who are not selected as DT relay members or alternates are released when final selections are published and are immediately eligible for a VT. In the event a VT consists of an athlete who was previously designated as an alternate on a DT and that alternate is then required to be used for such DT, that VT may be disbanded, if the VT does not have sufficient alternates listed for that VT.
PRACTICE
The Team Manager will plan relay practice and communicate this information online and at every Team Meeting. 4×100 and 4×200 designated runners and first alternates MUST practice (attendance will affect the final selection decision). Practice for 2nd and 3rd 4×100 and 4×200 alternates and all 4×400 runners is encouraged but optional. 4×400 runners will select their Captain, plan, and practice their visual handoffs during their warm-ups. An RSP member will brief all teams on the current relay rules and relay best practices during the practice session as international relays are run differently than common US practice.
SELECTION PROCESS
1. The relays and the related events that will be considered in order for each DT are:
a. 4×100 – 100/200/400/Short Hurdles/Long Hurdles
b. 4×200 – 200/400/60/60 Hurdles/800
c. 4×400 – 400/Long Hurdles/200/800/100/Short Hurdles
* Results from races conducted as part of combined events shall be considered equivalent to those from individual races
2. Performances achieved at the current championships in the individual events listed above will be given primary consideration, including performances in Combined Events.
a. Finalists in each event, in the order listed, will be considered as first choices for the relays in their age groups, followed by semi-finalists, followed by those who rank in the top half of the preliminary round.
b. When a relay competes prior to the end of a WMA or NCCMA Championship, the RSP shall first consider the results from events already competed during such competition, and then shall consider times from other competitions which have concluded no more than 8 weeks prior to such relay, provided, however, that such other competition was sanctioned by an official governing body (e.g., USATF, NCAA, NCCMA, etc.) and such performance is verifiable by MastersRankings or an official posting of online results.
c. The RSP will consider moving athletes down from an older age group but only if the RSP feels that the move would contribute to achieving the overall goals of the RSP.
3. Relay experience (recent preferred) will be an important consideration for selection of 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams and will be a question on the relay application form.
4. The RSP shall have the discretion to consider other factors (e.g., injuries, extreme performances in events listed lower in order set forth above, etc.) if the RSP feels that such considerations would impact achieving the overall goals of the RSP.
ALTERNATES
All those selected as alternates to Relays MUST be available and ready on relay competition day with their equipment and competition uniform. Alternates are sometimes needed at the very last minute on relay competition day, so it is crucial that they be close to call room/warm up area and can be immediately reached by phone.
SANCTIONS
Any athlete selected for a relay team who does NOT compete, or any athlete who does compete but does not exert honest effort, will be precluded from participating on a relay team (both DT and VT) for the next two WMA and/or NCCMA championship meets in which that athlete competes. After the championship, the Team Manager will notify athletes who are sanctioned, and maintain the list of sanctioned athletes. An athlete may appeal a sanction, in writing, to the MTF officers within 60 days of notification of such sanction.
INJURIES, ILLNESSES, AND SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
The RSP will attempt to consult with all pertinent parties when injuries, illnesses, or other special circumstances arise to make adjustments to the team makeup as needed. The RSP will make the final decision whether or not to replace a relay member with an alternate prior to the FRDD. Timely reporting of injuries, illnesses, and special circumstances to a member of the RSP may preclude sanctions at the discretion of the RSP.
*Adopted by the MTF Committee December 1, 2018; revised by the MTF Executive Committee on September 29, 2022, and by the MTF Committee on December 2, 2023.
