PIERRE, S.D. – The State High School Track and Field meet will be taking upon a new look in a couple of years when it goes to a one venue location and expands to a 3 day meet. The South Dakota High School Activities Association Board of Directors made that change at their meeting last week via teleconference. Now the first day of the State meet is held at 3 separate venues. SDHSAA Assistant Executive Director John Krogstrand there was a situation he points to last year that makes the call for the change.
Another reason that Krogstrand gives in doing away with the preliminary sites is that fact of those sites, will those schools want to host a class preliminary meet that their home school doesn’t compete in or have any athletes competing in.
A third reason Krogstrand states is that the move to one facility would widen the experience of the athletes competing.
The move to a 3 day and one central location meet would not go into effect yet next year when the meet is scheduled to be centered out of Rapid City, but the following year so officials could work on the logistics of a larger meet in one location.
Unfortunately, Krogstrand says make the State Track meet a 3 day meet in one location means there are only two sites that can handle the number of athletes and the crowds.
That is Rapid City and Sioux Falls. The first 3 day meet would be held in Sioux Falls in 2022.
