Shot Put
World Record
Men: Randy Barnes, USA - 23.12 m (75'10¼"), 1990
Women: Natalya Lisovskaya, Soviet Union - 22.63 m (74'3"), 1987
National Record:
Men: Randy Barnes - 23.12 m (75'10¼"), 1990
Women: Ramona Pagel - 20.18 m (66'2½"), 1988
High School Record:
Men:
Women:

The shot put is the event where athetes throw, or "put", a heavy sphere as far as they possibly can, as long as they stay within a specified circle and do not foul. Depending on the type of competition, athletes will have anywhere between 3 and 6 attempts. The distance is measured from inside the circumference of the circle, which is 7' in diameter, to where the shot first hits the ground. A foul can occur if the athlete does not leave the from the rear half of the circle, steps out of the circle before the judge calls mark, somehow touches the top of the toe board or the top or outside of the circle, the shot lands outside of the throwing sector, or throws the shot like a baseball. In high school boys use 12 lb shots, while girls use 4 k shots.

Discus
World Record
Men: Jürgen Schult, GDR (former East Germany) - 74.08 m (237'4"), 1986
Women: Gabriele Reinsch, GDR (former East Germany) - 76.80 m (251'11"), 1988
National Record:
Men: Ben Plucknett - 72.34 m (237'4"), 1981
Women: Powell-Roos Suzy - 67.67 m (222'0"), 2007
High School Record:
Men:
Women:

The discus throw is the event where athetes throw a heavy disc as far as they possibly can, as long as they stay within a specified circle and do not foul. Depending on the type of competition, athletes will have anywhere between 3 and 6 attempts. The distance is measured from inside the circumference of the circle, which is 8' 2 1/2" in diameter, to where the discus first hits the ground. A foul can occur if the athlete does not leave the from the rear half of the circle, steps out of the circle before the judge calls mark, somehow touches the top or outside of the circle, or the discus lands outside of the throwing sectorl. In high school boys use a 1.6 kg disc, while girls use 1 k..

Pole Vault
World Record
Men: Sergey Bubka, Ukraine - 6.14 m (20'1¾"), 1994
Women: Yelena Isinbayeva, Russia - 5.01 m (16'5¼"), 2005
National Record:
Men: Jeff Hartwig - 6.03 m (19'9¼"), 2000
Women: Jennifer Stuczynski - 4.88 m (16'0"), 2007
High School Record:
Men:
Women:

The pole vault is the event where athletes use a long, flexible pole to leap over a bar suspended over soft mats. Athletes run with the pole toward the mats, plant the end of the pole into a metal box between the ends of the mat, and will continue to run and then jump through, allowing the pole to bend and propel the athetes up and over the pole. Athletes have 3 attempts at clearing each height. Athletes can pass on a height to conserve time or energy, but must be able to get over a height to be credited in competition, as the bar will not be lowered (except in the event of a tie-breaker). A scratch occurs when the athlete goes under the bar, hits the bar over when trying to clear, or does not make an attempt within the specified amount of time. If an athlete receives three consecutive scratches on the same height, then the athlete is eliminated and the height with the best clearance by the athlete is the number recorded for the athlete. Rule Change for 2008: As long as an athlete does not break the plane made by the bar and going straight down to the ground, the athlete will not be given a scratch, even if the athlete makes an attempt and leaves the ground.

Long Jump
World Record
Men: Mike Powell, USA - 8.95 m (29'4½"), 1991
Women: Galina Chistyakova, URS - 7.52 m (24'8¼"), 1988
National Record:
Men: Mike Powell - 8.95 m (29'4½"), 1991
Women: Jackie Joyner-Kersee - 7.49 m (24'7"), 1994
High School Record:
Men:
Women:

The long jump is the event where athletes run down a runway and leap as far as they can into a sand pit. Athletes accelerate toward and leap from the takeoff board, usually a painted line or wooden board, into the pit and are measured from the edge of the board nearest to the pit to the mark made in the pit by the athlete closest to the board. The athlete must take off before crossing over the edge of the board nearest the pit. Depending on the competition, athletes will have between 3 and 6 attempts. A foul occurs if the athlete starts their jump with any part of their foot in front of the board. Fouls can also occur if an athlete does not make an attempt in a set amount of time or if an athlete does not exit the sand pit away from the runway. If they walk back toward the takeoff board through the pit, this is a foul. A foul is counted as an attempt in competition.

Triple Jump
World Record
Men: Jonathan Edwards, England - 18.29 m (60'0¼"), 1995
Women: Inessa Kravets, Ukraine - 15.50 m (50'10¼"), 1995
National Record:
Men: Kenny Harrison - 18.09 m (59'4¼"), 1996
Women: Tiombé Hurd - 14.45 m (47'5"), 2004
High School Record:
Men:
Women:

The triple jump is the event where athletes run down a runway and "hop, skip and jump" as far as they can into a sand pit. The "hop, skip and jump", along with various other names, is used to describe the action in the event. Athletes accelerate toward and leap from the takeoff board, usually a painted line or wooden board, toward the pit and are measured from the edge of the board nearest to the pit to the mark made in the pit by the athlete closest to the board. The foot the athlete first jumps from is the foot they must land on in the first cycle, then the athlete jumps again and lands on the opposite foot, then leaps into the pit. The athlete must take off before crossing over the edge of the board nearest the pit. Depending on the competition, athletes will have between 3 and 6 attempts. A foul occurs if the athlete starts their jump with any part of their foot in front of the board. Fouls can also occur if an athlete does not make an attempt in a set amount of time, does not make it into the pit, or if an athlete does not exit the sand pit away from the runway. If they walk back toward the takeoff board through the pit, this is a foul. A foul is counted as an attempt in competition.

High Jump
World Record
Men: Javier Sotomayor, Cuba - 2.45 m (8'0½"), 1993
Women: Stefka Kostadinova, Bulgaria - 2.09 m (6'10¼"), 1987
National Record:
Men: Charles Austin - 2.40 m (7'10½"), 1991
Women: Louise Ritter - 2.03 m (6'7¾"), 1988
High School Record:
Men:
Women:

The high jump is the event where athletes attempt to leap over a bar suspended over soft mats without the aid of any impliments. Athletes often run toward the mats in a "J-Curve", describing the path taken on the run. Athletes must take off of one foot in attempting to clear the bar. Athletes have 3 attempts at clearing each height. Athletes can pass on a height to conserve time or energy, but must be able to get over a height in order to be counted, as the bar will not be lowered (except in the event of a tie breaker). A foul occurs when the athlete goes under the bar, hits the bar over when trying to clear, breaks the plane connecting the bar straight down to the ground, or does not make an attempt within the specified amount of time. If an athlete receives three consecutive fouls on the same height, then the athlete is eliminated and the height with the best clearance by the athlete is the number recorded for them.