Instructions for Walk Officials

• Walk Officials must report to the Officials Coordinator before the commencement of the program to:
  • sign in
  • receive equipment
  • obtain name tag
  • obtain officials tag
• Equipment
  • Walk Jackets - Each Centre should have enough numbered walk jackets to be able to conduct two consecutive walk races. Jackets may be of one colour with sequential numbering, or two different coloured sets also sequentially numbered.
  • Individual Judging Pads - Each walking judge should be issued with an individual judges pad for recording of cautions and reports. Individual slips should be handed to the Chief Judge at the conclusion of the race for recording in the Chief Judges Master Sheet.
  • Chief Judges Master Sheet - Each race requires a Chief Judges Master Sheet. An example may be obtained from the VLAA office. The Chief Judge is responsible for completing appropriate details including the number of reportable infringements for the competitor, based upon reports received from judges. The completed Chief Judges Master Sheet indicates the numbers of competitors disqualified. Having signed the sheet the Chief Judge forwards numbers of disqualified competitors to the recorders after checking reports against the Master Sheet.
• Definition
  • Race Walking is a progression by steps so taken that the walker makes contact with the ground, so that no visible (to the human eye) loss of contact occurs.
• Walking Rule
  • The walker must never have both feet off the ground at once. (CONTACT)
  • The leg must not be bent at the knee from when the foot first makes contact with the ground until it is directly under the body (KNEES)
• Breaches of Walking Rules
  • Either or both of the following constitutes a breach of the walking rules:
    • Failure to have the advancing leg straight
    • Loss of contact with the ground.
• Methods of cautioning and reporting
  • In Little Athletics, judges give verbal cautions. Verbal reports are given to Under 10 and under. Non verbal reports are given to Under 11 to Under 15.
  • Examples
    • Number 25, Caution "knees"
    • Number 86, Report "knees not straightening"
    • Number 35, Caution "contact"
    • Number 47, Report "loss of contact"
• Disqualifications
  • The maximum number of judges for a track event is seven (7). The following should apply.

  Number of Judges on Panel	Number of Reports for Disqualification of a Competitor
  2 or 3	2 Reports
  4,5,6 or 7	3 Reports

• Note
  • The Chief Judge is normally the highest graded judge officiating.
  • The Chief Walk Judge must instruct competitors on the basic rules of walking, and conduct of the event, before the event (on the day).
  • Judges should be placed for maximum coverage of the track.
  • Due to walk judging requiring officials to focus extremely hard on the children to establish contact, numerous occassions have occured where the officials have accidentally interfered with competitors in other track events. Due to heavy track use at NLAC meetings, it is requested that walk judges stand on the inside of the track.  It is understood that this is not the best position to judge for contact, but it is the best solution to the problem.
  • Judges must not pre-judge competitors.
  • Each judge may caution a competitor once for a "loss of contact" infringement and once for a "bent knee".infringement.
  • If a judge adjudicates that a competitor has infringed for a second time, then that competitor is put on report for that infringement and this recorded on their Individual Judging Pad.
  • Each judge can only report a competitor once.
  • Judges must not confer with each other regarding their opinions (reports) of competitors.
  • At NLAC, the above table applies to athletes in Under 9 to Under 15. There will be no disqualification of children in the Under 6 to Under 8 age group as we do not wish to discourage them. Instead, a group of 4 parents organised by the age group manager will walk around the track with the children to let them know if they are running, and to slow the child down. Children in this age group need to do the event for exposure, but they should not be expected to perform to standards of older children. By the time they make it to Under 9's they will have done the event enough times to be better at it. They will be officialed as normal by the judges, but they will not be disqualified. The Under 6 and Under 7 children perform this event unofficially as part of On-Track and Play Training.
  • A child in the Under 6's to Under 8's cannot be granted a Centre Record in the event, if under normal rules they would have been disqualified.
  • The Chief Judge is the ONLY judge who informs the children of their disqualification or time penalty.  The child must be told of the infringement so that they have a chance to rectify the problem before the next walk event.

• Please note that NLAC's policy is for the children to have fun, and children do not see being disqualified as being fun, so for NLAC events, please use your discretion on disqualification rules by keeping atune to the spirit of the moment, and other competitors thoughts.
• This Centre has a good record in the walk events and we wish to build upon this, so under all circumstances please ensure that the child leaves the event with a good impression of the event, willing to learn, and willing to try again next time.
• The Age Group Manager and any Centre Coach or Committee Member can remove a child from the track if they consider the child to not be trying in the event, and causing a delay to the program. The performance will not be recorded.