The Pennsylvania Track & Field Coaches Association's indoor state championships has been called by a number of coaches the only true state championship for high school athletes. There is a lot of truth in that statement.

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association does not have anything to do with the meet -- which, strangely enough -- is what makes it a true state championship. The PIAA breaks down all of the sports it oversees into classifications, depending on a high school's size.

There are four classifications in football and basketball, three in soccer, two in cross country.

But, there is no classification breakdown for the indoor track championships, and an athlete does not have to attend a school that is a PIAA member.

"That's what makes it so unique," Baldwin High School track and field coach Ed Helbig said. "All you have to do to compete is meet the qualifying standard for an event at one of the indoor meets held during the winter."

The PTFCA indoor state championship has grown over the years. It is to the point now where finishing first there is almost as prestigious as winning a gold medal at the PIAA championships at Shippensburg University at the end of May.

The PTFCA indoor championships begin this year at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Ashenfelter Multi-Sports Facility at Penn State University.

Many schools have athletes who participate in indoor track because they are not playing a winter sport, such as basketball or swimming. They want to get in shape or stay in shape for the outdoor season that begins March 26.

Indoor track does not get a lot of attention, and the atmosphere at meets is more relaxed. More and more schools and coaches, however, are becoming serious about the indoor season. In Western Pennsylvania, Penn Hills, Baldwin and Canon-McMillan do not take a causal view of the indoor season.

"We train hard," Penn Hill coach Lee Zelkowitz said. "We don't have as many people participate as we do during the outdoor season, but the kids take pride in what we've accomplished."

At the Tri-State Track Coaches Association indoor championships this past Saturday at the GaREAT Sports Complex in Geneva, Ohio, the Penn Hills girls' team won its seventh consecutive Tri-State Coaches indoor team title, while the boys' team captured the title for the second year in a row.

Penn Hills will have three boys' relay teams -- 800 and 1,600 meters and the distance medley relay -- compete at the indoor state championships along with two girls' relays -- 800 and 1,600 -- plus assorted individuals.

The Penn Hills girls' 1,600 relay that is made up of Iman Wilkerson, Deshaun Squires, Jordon Lee and Christina Roberson has the top qualifying time of 3 minutes, 52.49 seconds. The same four also run on the 800 relay and have the second-fastest seeded time (1:41.17) behind West Catholic.

In the distance medley, which has legs of 1,200, 400 and 800 meters and a mile, the Baldwin boys are seeded first (10:26.78) with Penn Hills third (10:32.09).

"You can't run the DMR and the 3,200-meter relay," Zelkowitz said. "Our guys decided to run the DMR because that's an event they don't get to run outdoors. Plus, we've been competing against Baldwin in that all winter. It's developed into a friendly rivalry."

It is no coincidence that WPIAL teams that do well in the spring are also ones who take indoor track seriously. That might be especially true this year with all the snow the area and the state has received.

In past years, with normal weather conditions, a school's middle-distance and distance runners could layer up and go outside for training runs. Doing that has been tough this winter with a foot of snow covering sidewalks.

"It really hurts a lot," Helbig said when asked if all the snow has hindered workouts. "Myself and [assistant coach] Rich Wright brought in a couple of snowblowers and went around the inside lanes of our track at Baldwin to make a path for our runners. But most people aren't as crazy as we are."

With the opening of the indoor track facility at the GaREAT Sports Complex, and old standbys at Robert Morris University and Pitt, the Tri-State Coaches Association was able to conduct six indoor meets this winter not counting the championships. Another meet at GaREAT was postponed because of the big snowstorm. Plus there were a couple specialty meets -- Butler High was the host for a pole-vault meet.

"You get quality times from running in quality meets," Zelkowitz said. "We'll go up and try to do well at the [indoor] state championships, then take a couple weeks off and get back at it for the outdoor season and try to get everybody peaking at the right time for the [PIAA] championships."

Zelkowitz said his boys' team could have a shot at the team title Saturday because of the number of entries it has. Sprinter Brandon Ifill is seeded No. 3 in the 200-meter dash. But Zelkowitz said the quality of the competition at the PTFCA state meet is outstanding.

Some other area athletes who have high seeds for the state indoor championships are: Shakeil Carter, Bethel Park, No. 2 in the 60; Dennis Logan, Baldwin, No. 5 in the 800; Ryan Gil, North Allegheny, No. 7 in the mile; Rad Gunzenhauser, Mt. Lebanon, No. 1 in the 3,000; Mike McClelland, Trinity, No. 3 in the high jump; David Humphrey, North Allegheny, No. 3 in the triple jump; Taylor Doaty, Oakland Catholic, No. 7 in the 60-meter hurdles; Amber Valimont, Hempfield, No. 5 in the mile; Elaina Balouris, Hampton, No. 3 in the 3,000; and Rachel Serafin, Hempfield, No. 2 in the shot put.

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.