Most people think of high school track as more of an individual sport than a team sport.

The three relay races, however, require a team of four runners to not only run fast, but they must also be able to make seamless handoffs of the baton.How important are the three relay races to the outcome of a track meet?"You get no points for coming in second in a relay," said Palmerton track coach, Jeff Minnich. "The first place team gets five points so winning all three relays nets a team 15 points to none for the opposition."A relay runner usually participates in other track events where he relies on his individual ability to have success, but positioning and chemistry come into play when he runs a race with three other teammates."Positioning the runners is an important strategy," said Marian coach John Boyle. "Your starter has to be your best off the block. Then you have the second and third leg in which runners run the curves of the track so you want kids who can lean in and stay on the inside of the lane. Your anchor, like your starter, is often your fastest or second fastest runner who has a nose for the finish line."Another key component of the relay is the baton pass. The first runner only hands off, the last runner only receives, but the second and third runners have to hand off and receive."We make the baton a priority," said Boyle. "When practice begins we work on hand offs twice a week, but during the last month of the season, we practice the baton every day. Even when the runners are jogging, they have batons in their hands."Minnich explains that baton strategy depends upon the length of the relay."In the 4x100, (four runners one complete track circuit) the receiver does not look back and makes a blind transfer, otherwise it will slow him down. He can map out a zone. He counts off 12 steps and makes a mark on the track as to when he should begin his sprint. The runner who hands off can yell, 'stick!' and then pass the baton with both runners ideally in full stride."Palmerton makes baton practice fun and competitive."We line up in the gym against the girls' relay team. The runners begin by swinging their arms until the command 'go!' is given. The team that passes their baton and the fastest wins," said Minnich.He believes that although a very fast relay team can overcome sloppy passing, if teams are of equal talent, then the difference will come down to baton transfer efficiency."It's like in football when the quarterback practices handoffs to his backs, you can never practice baton passing enough," he said. "And the bigger the race, like a district, invitational, or state relay, even experienced runners can mess up the pass because of the pressure."Minnich has seen baton passers collide because the receiver stops for the pass. He has also seen batons dropped onto the track, where consequently, the team is disqualified unless the baton falls into their running lane and then it can be retrieved.Another important consideration for a relay team selection is the positioning of the runners. Both Boyle and Minnich believe that the starter has to be "good off the block.""He doesn't necessarily have to be your fastest runner, but he has to get off right with the gun," said Boyle.Boyle contends that some runners are better in the straightaways, (first and last legs) and some are good in the curves where shoulder dips are important to stay tight to the inside of the running lane."For our team, the anchorman has to be fast, but also extremely competitive. He needs to have a nose for the finish line," said Boyle, whose 4x100 team comprised of Sam Tomlin, Chris Bruno, Dom Mussoline, and Nick Scully broke the Marian school record a year ago, were the 2014 Schuylkill League champions, finished third in District 11 and qualified for states. "In the districts, our anchor (Scully) caught two runners to have us finish third rather than fifth where he started from."Marian's 4x800 relay team was the 2014 district champ, and this season the Colts have set their sights on winning medals in the 4x400 as well.Palmerton's 4x100 team of Austin Shupp, Gerald Pereira, Harley Applebaum and Tre Nelson also broke a school record a year ago, finished second at districts and placed sixth at states. The 4x400 team, which included Applebaum and Pereira, along with Mike Stasko, and Sean Dougherty, broke the District 11 record and finished third in the states.Both coaches say that chemistry between runners is very important."It's something you can't really coach, but you can watch and see it develop during practices when two kids just have a natural connect with each other that results in seamless baton passing and receiving," said Minnich.Of course, injuries can trash the best made plans for chemistry, baton handoffs, and runner positioning. That is why coaches will prepare at least six runners in case one of the relay starters is injured during his individual event.Relay races can play a major role in the outcome of a track meet. In addition to the 15-0 scores that can be achieved if a team wins all three relays, a meet in which the score between both teams is very close can be decided by the final event the last of the three relay races."The 4x400 relay is always the final event," said Minnich. "If one team is way ahead of the other, that coach may opt to either forfeit the points or run his "B" team. If the score is within five points, however, this race can decide which team will win the meet."Though it may not occur often, the outcome of a track meet might come down to the final leg of the final relay race. That's another example of how track in general and relays in particular really are a team sport.