CIF California State Meet
Encyclopedia
The CIF California State Meet is the annual championship track and field
meet for the California Interscholastic Federation
. The meet was started in 1915 for boys and 1974 for girls. Every athlete in every high school in California
has a direct qualification path that can reach the state meet (except for five schools that compete in Nevada). In recent years a minimum of 27 athletes in each event reach this final meet of the official track and field season. Beyond those 27 who can qualify by placing in their individual section finals, at large standards have been established to allow additional competitors to make the field.
The meet and the organization has undergone some changes in format over the years. The city of San Francisco chose not to affiliate with the CIF until 1945, Oakland
, dropped out of the CIF between 1919 and 1940. No meet was held during World War II
1942-1945. Until 1962, it was a single day meet. Since 1963 it has been a two day meet, with a qualifying round held on the first day, a Friday, before the finals on Saturday, with the exceptions of 1983, 1984 and 1993 when different qualifying formats were tried. While the meet has had years of venue stability, it has also been moved around the various top stadiums throughout the state. Since 2009, the current venue of choice is the centrally located Buchanan High School
in Clovis, California
where it is slated to remain until 2014. Recently the venue had rotated between a southern venue at Falcon Stadium, Cerritos College
in Norwalk, California
(1981, 1986, 1988-1996, 1998-2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008) and the northern venue at Hughes Stadium, Sacramento City College
in Sacramento, California
(1979, 1982, 1985, 1985, 1987, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007). In 1984, the CIF California State Meet was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
as the test run for logistics before the 1984 Summer Olympics
at the same venue. Regardless of the location it has annually been the best, or among the best attended track and field meets in California, frequently with recorded attendance as high as 16,000.
Also winning gold medals as part of the 4x100 metres relay and 4x400 metres relay teams:
Not included in this list are California athletes
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
meet for the California Interscholastic Federation
California Interscholastic Federation
The California Interscholastic Federation is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. It mirrors similar governing bodies in other states; however, it differs from some of the others in that it covers most high schools in the state of California, both public and...
. The meet was started in 1915 for boys and 1974 for girls. Every athlete in every high school in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
has a direct qualification path that can reach the state meet (except for five schools that compete in Nevada). In recent years a minimum of 27 athletes in each event reach this final meet of the official track and field season. Beyond those 27 who can qualify by placing in their individual section finals, at large standards have been established to allow additional competitors to make the field.
The meet and the organization has undergone some changes in format over the years. The city of San Francisco chose not to affiliate with the CIF until 1945, Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, dropped out of the CIF between 1919 and 1940. No meet was held during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
1942-1945. Until 1962, it was a single day meet. Since 1963 it has been a two day meet, with a qualifying round held on the first day, a Friday, before the finals on Saturday, with the exceptions of 1983, 1984 and 1993 when different qualifying formats were tried. While the meet has had years of venue stability, it has also been moved around the various top stadiums throughout the state. Since 2009, the current venue of choice is the centrally located Buchanan High School
Buchanan High School
Dr. Floyd B. Buchanan High School, known as Buchanan High School, is a four-year public high school in Clovis, California, United States. The school is part the Buchanan Educational Center, which houses approximately 5,000 students at Garfield Elementary School , Alta Sierra Intermediate School ,...
in Clovis, California
Clovis, California
Clovis is a city in Fresno County, California, United States, northeast of Fresno. The population is estimated to be 97,218 as of September, 2011. Clovis is located northeast of downtown Fresno, at an elevation of 361 feet .-History:...
where it is slated to remain until 2014. Recently the venue had rotated between a southern venue at Falcon Stadium, Cerritos College
Cerritos College
Cerritos College is a public comprehensive community college founded in 1955 located in Norwalk, California. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a ranch that served prominently in the region in the 19th century...
in Norwalk, California
Norwalk, California
Norwalk is a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 105,549 at the 2010 census, up from 103,298 at the 2000 census, making it the 58th most populous city in California and the 255th nationally....
(1981, 1986, 1988-1996, 1998-2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008) and the northern venue at Hughes Stadium, Sacramento City College
Sacramento City College
Sacramento City College is a two-year community college located in Sacramento, California. SCC is part of the Los Rios Community College District and had an enrollment of 25,307 in 2009. Sacramento City College is officially accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges , offering...
in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
(1979, 1982, 1985, 1985, 1987, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007). In 1984, the CIF California State Meet was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
as the test run for logistics before the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
at the same venue. Regardless of the location it has annually been the best, or among the best attended track and field meets in California, frequently with recorded attendance as high as 16,000.
Alumni
Alumni from the CIF California State Meet have won Olympic gold medals in:- Men's 100 metres100 metresThe 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
: 1920, 1968 - Men's 200 metres200 metresA 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
: 1968, 1992 - Men's 400 metres400 metresThe 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
: 1968, 1988, 1992 - Men's 400 metres hurdles400 metres hurdlesThe 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...
: 1988, 1992-current World Record, 2004 - Men's Long JumpLong jumpThe long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
: 1948, 1972 - Men's High JumpHigh jumpThe high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
: 1936, 1956 - Men's Pole VaultPole vaultPole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
: 1948, 1968 - Men's Shot PutShot putThe shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
: 1924, 1952, 1956
- Men's Discus throwDiscus throwThe discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
: 1924, 1928 - Men's DecathlonDecathlonThe decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
: 1948, 1952, 1960 - Women's 100 metres: 1988, 1992, 1996
- Women's 200 metres: 1984, 1988-current World Record
- Women's 400 metres: 1984
- Women's 100 metres hurdles100 metres hurdlesThe 100 m hurdles are an Olympic track and field athletics discipline run by women . For the race ten hurdles of a height of 83.8 cm are placed evenly spaced along a straight course of 100 meters. They are positioned so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner...
: 2004 - Women's Discus throw: 2008
Also winning gold medals as part of the 4x100 metres relay and 4x400 metres relay teams:
- Men 4x100 1920, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1968, 1972, 1984, 1992
- Men 4x400 1964, 1968, 1976, 1988 (2), 1992 (2), 1996
- Women 4x100 1984 (2), 1988 (2), 1996 (2)
- Women 4x400 1984 (3), 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 (2)
Not included in this list are California athletes
- Mal WhitfieldMal WhitfieldMalvin "Mal" Greston Whitfield is a former American athlete, a double winner of 800 m at the Olympic Games...
, who could not compete because the meet was cancelled during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(2 Gold medals at 800 metres800 metresThe 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...
, 1948, 1952) - Mel PattonMel PattonMelvin Emery "Mel" Patton is an American track and field athlete, who won two gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics.-Biography:...
, who could not compete because the meet was cancelled during World War II (2 Gold medals 1948, 200m and 4x100 relay) - Sim InessSim InessSimeon Garland Iness was an American discus thrower and Olympic gold medalist....
because the Discus throwDiscus throwThe discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
was not held while he was in high school, it re-started the year after he graduated (Discus Throw, 1952) - Evelyn AshfordEvelyn AshfordEvelyn Ashford is a retired American athlete, the 1984 Olympic champion in the 100 m. She has run under the 11 second barrier over 30 times and was the first to run under 11 seconds in an Olympic Games.As a 19-year-old, Ashford finished 5th in the 100 m event at the 1976 Summer Olympics...
, who was in high school just before girls were allowed to compete (100 metres 1984, 4x100 relay 1984, 1988, 1992) - Marion JonesMarion JonesMarion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...
, who won 3 gold medals in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x400 metres relay at the 2000 Olympics, but she was subsequently disqualified - Calvin HarrisonCalvin HarrisonCalvin Harrison is an American athlete. He won a gold medal in the Men's 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He is the twin brother of fellow Olympic medalist Alvin Harrison...
and Alvin HarrisonAlvin HarrisonAlvin Harrison is an American athlete. He won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay at both the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics and a silver medal in the 400 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He is the twin brother of fellow Olympic medalist Calvin Harrison...
who won gold medals in the 4x400 metres relay at the 2000 Olympics, but the team was later disqualified