OFSAA cross country


The OFSAA Cross Country Championships are the Ontario high school cross country championships, held annually in varying locations around Ontario, usually on the first Saturday of November. Approximately 1600 runners compete in six races, making it the largest OFSAA meet of any sport.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, OFSAA announced that all fall and winter championships would be cancelled meaning that the 2020 cross country championships was not held.

Participation

Athletes may qualify to compete in the championships as a team or individually. Each of the eighteen Regional Associations under the OFSAA umbrella host their own qualifying event to select participants for the provincial championships. The top two teams and top five individuals in each age and gender classification from eighteen of the Regional Associations qualify for OFSAA. The host association is able to send a second set of qualifiers to the OFSAA championship. Each qualifying team may enter five runners into the competition. This qualification structure results in a maximum of 285 competitors in each event of the championships.

Event classification

The OFSAA championships consist of seven separate races, one for males and one for females in each of three age categories, plus one race for the para athletes which gets divided into separate results for the type of disability and gender.:Novice: individuals who were less than 14 years of age on the first day of January of the year in which the competition is held and who are enrolled in the ninth gradeJunior: individuals who were less than 15 years of age on the first day of January of the year in which the competition is heldSenior: individuals who were less than 19 years of age on the first day of January of the year in which the competition is held and whose first date of entry into the ninth grade occurred within five years of the date of the competition

Date and schedule

All events of the championship are held on the first Saturday of November unless extraordinary circumstances dictate a change.
The order of events is normally:
  • novice girls' race
  • para race co-ed
  • novice boys' race
  • junior girls' race
  • junior boys' race
  • senior girls' race
  • senior boys' race
  • awards ceremony
The course is open the day before competition for athletes and coaches to walk or run the course. Once races have commenced, the course is closed to all persons excluding those competing in the specific race underway. Any persons infringing upon this rule may cause their school's entire team to be disqualified from competition.

Course location and specifications

The championships are moved around the province on a regional rotation such that they take place in central Ontario one year, followed by one year in Toronto, one in eastern Ontario, one in northern Ontario, one in southern Ontario and one in western Ontario. The host Association and exact location for each championship are determined no later than at the OFSAA Annual Meeting held in April of the school year prior to the event.
As cross country is an off-road event, the competition is normally held on a golf course or in a conservation area or other park. Course terrain is uneven and may include steep hills. Ground cover is commonly short grass or dirt but courses may also include sections of sand, gravel and other surfaces.
OFSAA regulations stipulate the following course lengths for each event :
  • novice girls - 4000m
  • para race co-ed - 3000m
  • novice boys - 4000m
  • junior girls - 5000m
  • junior boys - 5000m
  • senior girls - 6000m
  • senior boys - 6000m
The course starting line must be 50 metres in width and include a separate starting box for competitors from each regional Association. Each starting box must measure 2.5 metres wide and four metres deep.

Scoring and awards

Team scores are determined by summing the finishing places of the top four runners on each team, with lower numeric scores indicating a higher placement for the team. Ties are decided in favour of the team whose fourth runner finished first.
Medals are awarded to the top three teams and top three individuals in each event. Ribbons are awarded to individuals and teams who finish fourth through tenth. A banner is awarded to the school represented by the first place team in each event.
As of 2014, medals are awarded to the top three teams and individuals in each event, with ribbons awarded for all other individuals and teams in the top 10.