INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 17, 2012) — New requirements for passing the baton in the exchange zone, and the penalty for wearing an illegal uniform highlight changes in high school track and field rules for next season. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Track and Field Rules Committee approved 16 rules changes at its June 6-8 meeting in Indianapolis. All rules changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors. Among the changes in rules for field events, the most significant perhaps is a revision in the pole vault. The standards or uprights shall be set to position the crossbar from 18 inches beyond the vertical plane of the top of the stopboard, instead of the previous distance of 15.5 inches. The maximum distance remains 31.5 inches. Outdoor track and field is the second-most popular sport for boys, with 579,302 participants, and most popular sport for girls, with 475,265 participants, at the high school level, according to the 2011-12 NFHS Athletics Participation Survey. The sport ranks second in school sponsorship with 15,954 schools sponsoring the sport for boys and 16,030 sponsoring the sport for girls more