Overcompeting in Track and Field

Many high school track athletes are encourage by the very structure of their competitions to overcompete almost every week during their competition season.  This becomes a problem for young athletes because racing in more than one event is always a compromise because of nervous system fatigue.  Many coaches take taxing of the nervous and nueromuscular system for granted.  I always hear this from coaches;  "Oh they are young they can get over it" or "whatever it takes, we need to win this meet".  An athlete pays a price for overcompeting.  For example, if an athlete competes on a given day in a 100m, 200m, 400m, and long jump they will have significant nervous sysetm fatigue for at least four days.  That's right FOUR DAYS!!!!  The only way this can be minimized is by choosing minimal events or "taking it easy" in some of the events.  But, if the athlete takes it easy the athlete could risk the chance of losing their ability to focus with enough determination in a high quality event.  Awards for young athletes that reward maximum points earned in a given meet or season (that are earnd through overcompetition) are counterproductive to the goal of maturing young athletes.