2008 Tom Botts Invitational

Meet Information

Meet Info in PDF Format

12th Annual Tom Botts Invitational
April 11-12, 2008 * Audrey J. Walton Stadium

ENTRY INFORMATION

ENTRY INFORMATION -- ALL ENTRIES WILL BE SUBMITTED ONLINE.
Entries will only be accepted online via the Direct Athletics web-site at www.directathletics.com.  Please read all of the following meet information.  Questions regarding entry instructions should be emailed to support@directathletics.com.

Each coach must have a Direct Athletics username and password for his/her school.  If you don't know your username and password, you will be able to create one or retrieve your existing account by following the instructions below.  You will use the same account to enter all meets run through Direct Athletics.

If you already have a Direct Athletics account for your Track team, then proceed as follows:

• Go to www.directathletics.com
• In the login box, enter your user name and password and click Login.  (Password is case sensitive!)

If you do not know your username and password, proceed as follows:

• Go to www.directathletics.com
• Click on the link "New User? Click HERE".
• Follow onscreen instructions.  You will be able to create a new TEAM account online or retrieve forgotten information for an existing account.

Note About Direct Athletics Accounts:
Most coach accounts control a school's Men's and Women's team.  You control only one gender at time, so you will complete the below steps for your Men and then switch to your Women's team and repeat the process (or vice versa).  The team you are controlling is listed on the blue navigation bar across the top of your account.

Important Notes Regarding Online Entries:

• For each relay squad, you must enter at least 4 and up to 8 relay athletes (4+4 alternates)
• You must enter ALL athletes online in order for them to compete.  This includes relay only athletes and relay alternates.
• All schools (colleges/junior colleges/ high schools) must enter athletes through a TEAM account.  No unattached athletes may be entered through a TEAM account.

Relay Event Entry Procedure
For Bib Number assignments; an athlete that is running a relay only (does not compete in an open event) must be entered into the system without an entry. This will ensure the athlete shows on your roster and is assigned a big number.

Packet Pick-up - at the Southeast corner of Audrey J. Walton Stadium
Friday              11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday           7:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

ENTRY DEADLINE

Entries for all divisions must be submitted between February 15th and April 11th.  You may edit and update your entries online anytime before the entry deadline.  Once entries close there will be no additional entries accepted.  All submitted entries to Direct Athletics by the Aprilth deadline will be considered FINAL.  Please be sure to print a copy of your team's entries and bring it to the meet as confirmation.  There will be NO additions or substitutions on the day of the meet, only scratches can be made. 

A participation list will be posted on www.mutigers.com prior to noon on Thursday, April 12th. 

TOM BOTTS, 'A MISSOURI LEGEND'

A native of Mexico, Mo., Botts coached track and field at MU from 1947 to 1972. Under his direction, MU won the 1965 NCAA Indoor Track Championship, one of only two national titles in the school's history. His teams also won eight conference championships - four indoors (1947-48-64-65) and four outdoors (1947-48-49-51). He coached 48 individual conference indoor champions, 48 individual conference outdoor champions, five individual national champions, two U.S. Olympians and 23 al-Americans. Botts was inducted into the State of Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1977, the Drake Relays Hall of Fame in 1979, and the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1983.

You can take the man off the track, but it's hard to take the track out of the man. Thomas Warfield Botts - track competitor, coach and fan - guided the University of Missouri track and field teams for 31 memorable years. After retiring, he continued to volunteer his time as an honorary official at meets throughout the Midwest. And Botts was on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Audrey J. Walton Track and Field Stadium. A gentleman coach all of his years at Missouri and a man of quiet dignity, he produced his share of winners on the track; more importantly, the high-principled coach left a positive impact on the countless athletes who competed for him.

Statistically speaking, the athletic achievements of M.U. track teams under Coach Tom Botts run long. His track teams compiled a 135-56-2 dual meet record. During his tenure as head coach (1946-1972), Missouri won eight conference titles, four indoor and four outdoor; two Big Eight cross country titles; and the 1965 national indoor track championship, one of two M.U. national title (the other being the 1954 baseball squad under Coach John "Hi" Simmons). Following the 1970 cross country team's Big Eight title and sixth-place national finish, Botts was named the university division Cross Country Coach of the Year.

In 1961, Botts helped lead the U.S. track team through an undefeated tour of Europe.

Coach Botts had been bestowed with numerous accolades as well. He was inducted into the Missouri State Sports Hall of Fame in 1977, the Drake Relays Coaches of Fame in 1979, and the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1983, when he entered along with Lee Evans, Archie Hahn, Mildred McDaniel and LeRoy Walker. When the inaugural class for the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame was released, in 1990, it was no surprise to see Tom Botts' name on the list.

He has served as honorary referee at the Kansas, Drake, Texas, and Michigan State Relays, and in 1954, Botts received the dedication of the official program of the Amateur Athletic Union Championships. In 1955, he became a member of the University of Missouri's Mystical Seven honorary fraternity. When he retired in 1972, the university appointed Botts professor emeritus.
Perhaps of greater significance is the type of man and coach he was and is: dedicated, disciplined, practical, efficient, humble, generous, a humanitarian, proud of his athletes.

Former M.U. football coach Don Faurot, in a 1983 Columbia Missourian interview, said of Botts: "He's such a gentleman. A fine, moral individual. He's had a big influence on the kids and keeps in touch with them all."

Those "kids" held a deep respect for their coach. Many viewed him a father figure and fled compelled to give something back to the man from whom they had received so much. In 1966, track alumni surprised Botts with a new car. Six years later at the retirement, Botts was present with an all-expenses-paid trip to the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. At the same time, the annual Tom Botts Award was established.

"He put your schooling and your life ahead of athletics," said Jean Madden, who ran under Botts. "Athletics were only a means to an end - a way of developing discipline, spirit, and self-sacrifice."
Botts certainly led by example. Bob Arnold, another runner under Botts, described him this way in a Missouri Alumnus article: "There's an ascetic aura in the way he will stand for hours in the cold or in drizzling rain, timing workouts. He is encouraging the men who accept his challenge to do things for themselves they didn't know they could. He is helping them learn more about themselves in four years than they might otherwise learn in a lifetime."

Botts' belief in a life of service is encapsulated by his statement upon announcing his retirement: "I have no definite long-range plans, but I hope to keep reasonably active, doing someone worthwhile and useful."

Born March 28, 1904, on a farm near Mexico, Mo., Botts attended Westminster College in Fulton. He graduated in 1927 after competing as an outstanding hurdler. Botts trained under Coach Brutus Hamilton, and M.U. decathlete and Olympian who later coached the 1952 Olympic team. Westminster College presented Botts with an Alumni Achievement Award in 1957, and its track is named in his honor.

Botts earned a master's degree in history from the University of Kansas in 1931. He did further graduate work at the University of Iowa, where he was elected to Phi Epsilon Kappa, the honorary physical education fraternity.

Botts began his coaching career at Ruskin High School in Hickman Mills, Mo., where he spent three years. He then coached at Ft. Scott (Kan.) Junior College from 1932 to 1941. He joined the Missouri track staff as an assistant coach under Head Coach Chauncey Simpson. Botts assumed head coaching duties in 1946.

Other Botts activities of note: past president of the NCAA Cross Country Coaches Association; served on the NCAA track rules committee; volunteer at the Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital; served as president of the Boone County Historical Society; Rotary Club member; First Presbyterian Church elder.

'***'

Coach Botts died on March 1, 1999, at the age of 94. His wife, Virginia proceed him in death in 1994.

OUTSTANDING PERFORMER OF THE MEET

At the conclussion of the meet, a male and female will be selected as the Outstanding Performer of the Meet

Past Winners of the Tom Botts Outstanding Performer Award

GENERAL INFORMATION

Facility

• RESURFACED, FALL 2006
• Eight Forty-Eight inch lanes with a Martin ISS 1000 Embedded surface.
• Dual Long Jump/Triple Jump Runways - running North and South
• Full high jump apron with javelin runway.
• (3) Discus Rings - (1) N/NE Wind, (1) S/SW Wind, (1) W/SW Wind
• UCS landing pits and in-ground equipment.
• (2) Pole Vault Pits - running North and South
• Starting blocks will be furnished.

Spikes
Spikes with one-quarter (1/4") will be allowed.

Track Markings
No permanent markings will be permitted on the surface of the track. (Athletes who violate the no permanent marking rule will be disqualified from the meet and the school will be assessed a fine).

Track Clerk
Athletes in running events will pick up hip numbers 30 minutes prior to their even at the Pavilion on the Northwest corner of the track.

Timing
Fully Automatic Finishlynx Timing System -- Delta Timing Group

Field Event Check-in
Field event athletes are to report to the head official of the event 45 minutes prior to the start of the event. Pole Vaulters, please report to the head official 90 minutes prior to the start of the event.

Implement Weigh-ins
All throwing implements must be weighed and measured at the shed located at the southeast corner of the throwing field. No implements will be processed less than one hour prior to the start of the event.  Our weigh in officials will accept implements for the entire weekend beginning Thursday afternoon.

Bib Numbers/Hip Numbers
All athletes are to wear their bib numbers on the front of their uniforms, with the exception of the pole vaulters, who can wear it on the back of their uniform.

Heat Sheets and Results
Heat sheets will be posted under the stadium. Results will be posted following each event under the stadium.  Results will also be posted as they are completed on our website www.mutigers.com .

Meet Conduct
NCAA rules will be used for this meet, except where conduct of the meet necessitates changes.  There will be no jury of appeals and the decision of the meet referee is final in all cases where he shall be called upon to rule. 

Relay Cards
This is voluntary. For the enjoyment of the crowd, and our announcer, any advance warning on who is going to be in your relays would be appreciated.  We will accept orders in the pressbox until 15 minutes prior to a relay, or anytime before (you can even email them to LewisTV@missouri.edu ).  We are attempting to have the winning relay members in our results.  Thank you in advance for your help!

PLEASE BE INFORMED OF THE FOLLWING NCAA REGULATIONS:
THE USE OF PERSONAL STEREO DEVICES AS WELL AS CELL PHONES ARE PROHIBITED IN THE OFFICIAL WARM-UP AND COMPETITIVE AREAS.  VIOLATIONS CAN RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION FROM THE MEET.  THESE AREAS INCLUDE ANYWHERE INSIDE OR ON THE TRACK.  DEVICES MAY BE USED IN THE BLEACHERS OR ANYWHERE OUTSIDE THE TRACK FENCE.

HOTEL INFORMATION, DINING AND DIRECTIONS

Hotel Information
There are a variety of places to stay in Columbia.  To find a hotel, follow the instructions below:

• Go to http://mutigers.cstv.com/travel/miss-travel.html.
• Click on the Lodging link at the top of the Travel page.
• There will be a list of recommended hotels in the Columbia area.

Dining
Columbia offers a wide variety of options for meals.  There are many national and regional restaurant chains as well as many local restaurants to choose from.  A list of places to eat can be found by:

• Go to www.midmodiningguide.com.
• Click on the Select a City drop box and choose Columbia.
• Choose from a list of dinning options in the Columbia area.  You can also narrow your search by selecting a certain type of food in the drop box.  

Driving Directions
From Hwy. 63:  Exit onto Stadium Boulevard (740). Take a left on Providence (163). Turn right on to Research Park Drive.
From Interstate 70:  Take Exit 124 onto Stadium Boulevard (740).  Go South for three miles, turn right onto Providence (163).  Turn right onto Research Park Drive. 

Parking
Parking is available on the South end of the facility.  Parking is free of charge and open to the general public. 

Team Bus Parking
Team buses are to drop athletes off at the southeast gate of the facility and then proceed down the bus parking lot located at the bottom of the hill.

Athlete Entrance
For the assistance of our ticket takers, all athletes, coaches and staff are asked to enter the facility at the southeast gate.

Admittance to Meet
Athletes: Bib Numbers
Coaches and Staff: Passes

Additional Questions/Comments?
Contact Brett Halter
Phone:  573-882-9323
Email:  HalterB@missouri.edu
Website:  www.mutigers.com

AUDREY J. WALTON STADIUM RECORDS

MEET RECORDS

MuTigers Track & Field Home

 

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