The boys’ state high school track and field meet is underway in Drake Stadium and this year’s event features a new scoring system. Beginning this weekend, the top eight place winners in each event will score points for their team. Previously, only the top six place winners garnered team points. Dave Anderson of the Iowa High School Athletic Association says the coaches advisory committee aske for the change. The relays are scored 10, eight, six, five, four three, two one for first through eighth place and the individual events are scored from eight points for first down to one point for eighth. Anderson says the change was requested by the state’s coaches.He says the coaches believe that anyone who makes the finals should score points for his team. Anderson says he doesn’t necessarily agree, as you could someday have a case where a team wins a meet with a kid walking to finish as race. With the relays garnering more team points, it is not uncommon for some runners to withdraw from an individual race and focus on the relay race. Anderson says this scoring change does not address that situation.The meet opened this morning with the finals of the 32-hundred meter run. After a second place finish a year ago, Kevin Balster of Monticello won the class 2A crown and says his only feeling after the race was that of being tired. Balster says he was thinking more about the time he wanted to run rather than where he might finish.
