Info for new officials

Availability / assignments MTFOA.com's Availability page is where MTFOA and the many high school league commissioners/assigners alert officials to their needs for the winter and spring track seasons. 

The MTFOA commissioners assign officials to college, high school and other meets for which MTFOA has been contracted to provide officials. Both will post availability sheets that detail the meets for which officials are sought.

High school league commissioners assign officials to their individual leagues. For questions about individual high school league assignments, please contact the commissioners listed on the Availability page.

Attire

The uniform for officiating outdoor track meets consists of khaki/chino pants, and the MTOFA green polo shirt, the green pullover, the green fleece vest or the MTOFA yellow windbreaker. This apparel is usually available at MTFOA meetings, or call Dave Johns at 978-764-1880 or email him at davejohns@comcast.net.

The uniform for indoor meets consists of khaki/chino pants, the MTFOA green polo short, the green MTFOA pullover or the green MTFOA fleece vest. The MTFOA hat and yellow jacket are not proper indoor attire.

Equipment

Minimum equipment would be a clipboard, pen and pencils, a stopwatch, and the high school track rule book. If you do not have a stopwatch, MF's CEI 495 is a good choice. It is effective but not expensive at about $40. Another popular stopwatch in the same price range is Accusplit's AX602. You should get a stopwatch with 100 split memory, because it can be used to time finishes in track and cross country races.

Additional equipment, depending on the number and type of officiating assignments you get, would include the following:

  --  Measuring stick for marking the horizontal jumps and throwing events, with a 100-foot measuring tape that has metric on one side, and feet and inches on the other.

  --  Yellow and white official flags.

  --  A set of seven orange cones, 4.5-inch size, for marking lane breaks.

Equipment can be purchased from MF Athletic at 800.556.7464 or on the Web at www.everythingtrackandfield.com. MF delivers overnight. Tell MF you are a member of MTFOA, you may receive a discount and their catalog.

Scoring and lap counting sheets

A basic selection of field event and lap counting sheets is available in PDF format for downloading at our Resources page.

Email / SMS lists

You may sign up for weekly emails from MTFOA here. 

Website

The MTFOA website has a large assortment of useful information. You can start here at the "Info for new members" page, which also has links to resources and best practices elsewhere on the website. Be sure to read the Concussions page and become certified via NFHS. This an MIAA requirement for working high school meets. The online course takes about 20 minutes.

A few documents especially useful to new officials are attached at the bottom of this page. Other documents in the Resources page cover officiating throws, jumps and field events, working the finish line, umpiring, clerking, judging the finish line, and managing high school athletes.

The www.MIAA.net,  HighSchoolSports.net, National Federation of High School Associations, USA Track & Field Resources websites are also useful.

Meetings & clinics

Be sure to attend  the MTFOA meetings and clinics, and don't hesitate to ask for advice from your assigners and other certified officials