TSSAA: How and Where to Start
Getting Started in TSSAA Track & Field
We get a lot of questions from families new to Tennessee about how high school track and field actually works here, so here's a plain-language rundown of TSSAA, how the season is structured, and how to get your athlete connected.
What TSSAA Is
TSSAA is the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association — the governing body for high school sports across the state, including track and field. If your athlete is running or throwing for a public or member private high school in Tennessee, TSSAA is who sets the rules: eligibility, season dates, how many meets a team can run, how the postseason works, all of it.
When the Season Runs
Track and field is a spring sport in Tennessee. First practice typically opens in early-to-mid February, with the first meets starting in early March. Teams are capped at 11 regular-season meet dates. From there it moves through region meets, sectional meets, and finally the state championships, which are held at Tom Black Track on the University of Tennessee's campus in Knoxville in mid-to-late May. Divisions and classifications (Class A, AA, AAA, etc.) determine which state meet an athlete competes at.
The exact dates shift slightly year to year, so the best source is always the official TSSAA calendar:
Basic Eligibility
A few of the core rules that trip up new families most often:
The athlete has to be enrolled and in regular attendance at the school, carrying at least five full courses.
Academic eligibility is based on credits earned the previous year (or the prior semester, for spring sports like track), not just current grades.
There's an age cutoff — a student who turns 19 on or before August 1 is not eligible for high school competition.
Athletes get eight semesters of eligibility total, starting in ninth grade.
Transfers have their own set of rules, and typically require a genuine change of residence to be immediately eligible at a new school. If your family has moved recently, this is worth checking early, not after tryouts.
These are the general rules — every situation has its details, so if anything about your athlete's enrollment, transfer status, or age is even slightly unusual, it's worth confirming with the school's athletic director before the season starts rather than after.
How to Actually Get Connected
Getting a kid into track and field in Tennessee isn't like signing up for a club sport — there's no central registration through TSSAA itself. Here's the real path:
Start with the school. Your athlete's middle or high school is where this begins. Reach out to the athletic director or the track and field coaching staff directly. Most schools post tryout or first-practice dates well ahead of time, often on the school's athletics page or through the athletic department's communication platform.
Get the physical done early. TSSAA requires a physical exam and parental consent form on file before an athlete can practice. Schools usually host physical days in the weeks before the season opens — don't wait until the week of first practice to schedule this.
Know your athlete's events. Track and field covers a wide range — sprints, distance, hurdles, relays, jumps, and throws. A first-time athlete doesn't need to know exactly where they fit; coaches typically evaluate speed, strength, and interest in the first couple weeks and help place kids in events. Athletes are limited to three events per meet, so there is some strategy involved once the season gets going.
Check eligibility status. Schools file eligibility and rosters through the TSSAA online portal before the season's filing deadline. This is handled by the school, not the family, but it's worth confirming with the coach that your athlete has actually been filed once tryouts wrap up.
A Few Notes for Families New to This
If your athlete is coming from another state, homeschool, or a different school system in Tennessee, get in touch with the new school's athletic office as early as possible — transfer and non-traditional student rules are specific, and getting ahead of them avoids a scramble in February.
MileSplit is the site most Tennessee track families use to follow results, rankings, and postseason qualifying — worth bookmarking once your athlete starts competing.
If your family is weighing where to enroll, or trying to figure out what a realistic path into track and field looks like for your athlete, reach out to us. We've worked with plenty of families getting started in TSSAA track and field and are happy to point you in the right direction.
