Starting pistol under the gun at U.S. high school track program

A high school in Seattle, Wash., is aiming to lead a movement in track and field by advocating for the elimination of starting pistols from high school and university-level track meets.

In November 2022, a shooting inside the hallways of Ingraham High School resulted in the tragic death of a 17-year-old and left teachers and students traumatized. Now, the school’s track coach and athletic director, Mike Wentzel, is looking to make a change. 

According to Seattle’s NBC K5 News, Wentzel recognized that the starter pistol used for track and field meets, which fires high-calibre blanks, could potentially be traumatizing for the young athletes. “The idea that we would fire off a gun over and over during the track meet, which can be heard throughout the entire campus and neighbourhood, to me is just unacceptable,” said Wentzel.

Wentzel and Ingraham High School are urging every high school in their district and state to adopt an electronic starting system that triggers a tone and flashes lights instead of firing pistol blanks. The cost for one system per school is estimated to be around USD $7,000.

“The electronic starting systems are such that at the time you push the button that triggers the tone, it also starts the timing system, so the timing would be precise,” Wenzel explained to NBC K5 News.

The electronic system plays a simulated gunshot sound broadcasted through speakers. While World Athletics and the Olympics have been using electronic systems since 2012, most U.S. high school and NCAA collegiate meets still use starting pistols. The Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) and B.C. School Sports transitioned to electronic starting systems nearly five years ago. 

Wentzel, along with Ingraham High School students, are actively raising funds to have the new system in place across the district by spring. They have currently raised $7,000 of their $27,000 goal.