It's important to look good in your uniform, but it's more important to make sure you're following the rules.
As the old saying goes, "practice makes perfect!" In truth, only perfect practice makes perfect - if you practice something wrong, you just learn how to do it wrong. For that reason, NCRunners encourages every athlete and parent to learn the uniform rules, and every coach and meet official to enforce the uniform rules all season. The worst case scenario is when an athlete is DQ'ed from the regional meet for doing something he or she was allowed to get away with all season. In the end, the rule book places the responsibility for uniforms on the coach - so remember, if you get disqualified, it's not the official's fault!
This is the second article focused on the things that commonly get athletes disqualified; check out Tuesday's article about sportsmanship. Tomorrow we will discuss rules for jewelry and similar items.
The Uniforms Themselves
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Uniforms must be the outermost garments - you can't put anything over them.
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Uniforms must be school-issued - you can't ear your own shorts or your favorite running top.
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Track uniforms are required - they can't be from any other sport (like football t-shirts)
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Only one manufacturer's logo can be on the outside of each garment (top, bottom, or one-piece speed suit)
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The manufacturer's logo can only be 2" by 1" or smaller in size - no walking advertisements!
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Uniforms must be worn as the manufacturer intended - no rolling down the waistband of shorts or tying knots in the back of jerseys, for example.
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The uniform top must reach the top of the uniform bottom when standing normally - no bare midriffs.
Visible Undergarments
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Items that are meant to be worn under the uniform and also meant to be seen (tights, sleeved shirts) - does not include socks, gloves, boxers, sports bras, etc.
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If they stop above the knee or elbow, they are considered foundation garments, and they can be of any color or design (this is a new rule for 2014).
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If they extend below the knee or elbow, they are visible undergarments, and they must be a single solid color (though the stitching color is not regulated).
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In either case, there can only be one visible manufacturer's logo on the outside of the garment.
Special Rules for Relay Teams (also apply to cross country teams)
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Uniforms worn by all teammates must have the same design (color scheme, school logos, screen printing, etc).
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Uniforms can be of different styles (for example, one girl wears open-leg shorts while the other three wear tight-fitting shorts) as long as they are the same design.
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Visible undergarments AND foundation garments (if visible) must be solid color, must match if worn by more than one athlete.
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Like uniforms, athletes can wear visible undergarments or foundation garments of the same design (all the same color) but different styles (one wears short tights, another wears long tights).
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Both uniforms and visible undergarments can be from different manufacturers, as long as they are the same design.
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Athletes don't HAVE to wear visible undergarments just because their teammates are wearing them - 1, 2, or 3 runners can wear matching tights, for example, while the fourth just has a uniform.
It's important to look good in your uniform, but it's more important to make sure you're following the rules.
As the old saying goes, "practice makes perfect!" In truth, only perfect practice makes perfect - if you practice something wrong, you just learn how to do it wrong. For that reason, NCRunners encourages every athlete and parent to learn the uniform rules, and every coach and meet official to enforce the uniform rules all season. The worst case scenario is when an athlete is DQ'ed from the regional meet for doing something he or she was allowed to get away with all season. In the end, the rule book places the responsibility for uniforms on the coach - so remember, if you get disqualified, it's not the official's fault!