Resources & FAQ

Join or renew online. You get your membership number and a confirmation email right away.

Fees depend on the membership type and length. See the current options on the USATF membership page.

December 31. Memberships run on the calendar year.

If you join on or after November 1, your membership covers the rest of that year and all of the next. Multi-year memberships end on December 31 of their final year.

No. Every athlete needs their own membership. Members do get partner and travel discounts, and many youth clubs offer scholarships or reduced club fees, so ask your club.

No. One calendar year is the shortest membership. If you are joining late in the year, wait until November 1 and your membership will also cover all of next year.

Use the Help and support link at the bottom of any page in your Connect account. These short tutorial videos cover the most common tasks.

Use the map on our clubs page, or search by zip code in the USATF club finder.

Apply through USATF club membership. USATF Oregon reviews the application, and once approved your club is active and eligible to compete.

December 31. Club memberships run on the calendar year.

Renewals open November 1 each year. Start your renewal here, or turn on auto-renewal in your club account.

In your Connect account, open the Membership tab, click Actions, and choose Transfer. The request has to come from the athlete, or from a parent if the athlete is under 18. Coaches cannot submit it for you.

Yes, but you can represent only one club at a meet. You choose which one when you enter.

No. You can enter as unattached. You still need a current USATF membership and a verified birth date.

Use the Help and support link at the bottom of any page in your club account. These club tutorial videos walk through the common tasks.

Upload a birth date document in your Connect account. This video shows how.

Upload it yourself in Connect. Documents mailed or emailed to the national office are returned unprocessed. If the upload fails, contact USATF for help.

A birth certificate, passport, certified baptismal certificate, or state-issued ID.

Your age group is based on your age on December 31 of the competition year, so everyone born in the same year competes together all season.

For 2026:

• 8 and under: born 2018 to 2020
• 9-10: born 2016 to 2017
• 11-12: born 2014 to 2015
• 13-14: born 2012 to 2013
• 15-16: born 2010 to 2011
• 17-18: born 2008 to 2009

The birth years move up by one each season.

No. Athletes compete only in their own age division, including relays and team events.

Compete and hit the qualifying mark at the Oregon Junior Olympic Championships to advance to the Region 13 Championships. Qualify there to advance to the National Junior Olympic Championships.

Athletes competing at the USATF U20 Championships or certain international meets can ask for an exception ahead of time. Email youth@oregon.usatf.org.

Each year USATF sets a window when Association and Regional Junior Olympic meets must be held. We pick dates inside that window that avoid the state high school championships and major meets at Hayward Field whenever we can.

Yes. Regular meets are open to everyone, so just follow the entry instructions. To compete in an Oregon championship meet, submit an Association transfer request in your Connect account.

USATF masters competition starts at 25 and has no upper limit. Some meets set their own minimum, often 35.

There are Association, regional, and national championships in track and field, cross country, road racing, race walking, and para athletics. Clubs and other groups around the state also host masters meets, all-comers meets, and Senior Games. Check the events calendar.

Dates and locations are posted on the events calendar and emailed to members. Oregon is also part of the Northwest masters region, which holds a regional championship every year.

Questions: masters@oregon.usatf.org.

Yes. Some of the largest:

• Portland Masters Track Club
• Bowerman Track Club Masters
• Team Red Lizard Running Club
• Oregon Track Club Masters

The older records are out of date. We are restarting record keeping for masters meets beginning with the 2026 season.

Level 1 is a hybrid course. Complete the online portion at your own pace, then attend a two-day in-person seminar. Find a course and register.

If your certification is still current, complete continuing education to keep it active. If it has lapsed, retake Level 1 in the new hybrid format.

Level 2 is now a hybrid course too, with a 2.5-day in-person seminar instead of the old week-long school. Dates are on the calendar of schools.

Email Scott Phoenix, our Certification Chair, at sandcphoenix@gmail.com. He will walk you through the steps.

You can also read about certification and the new officials FAQ.

Certified officials get year-round training, mentoring from experienced officials, and liability and accident insurance through USATF. Certification is required to work USATF championship meets, and high school and college meets usually pick certified officials first.

Email Officials Chair Gibby Reynolds at officials@oregon.usatf.org to get set up on RefTown, the assigning site where schools, clubs, and meet directors post meets that need officials. Those assignments are paid.

The current USATF Competition Rules are free online.

Apply when the window opens. Openings are announced in the monthly National Officials Committee newsletter, and the application is on the NOC dashboard.

Officials work closely with young athletes and have a duty to report suspected abuse. The yearly refresher keeps you current on what to look for and how to report it.

No. USATF uses the National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI) check, which searches two multi-jurisdiction criminal databases and several national watch lists. Many other checks are narrower, so USATF accepts only NCSI. It is renewed every two years.

First become a USATF certified official. Email Scott Phoenix at sandcphoenix@gmail.com to get started.

Then choose one or both race walk paths. Both begin with a rules review using the USATF Rule Book and the Race Walk Handbook.

• Race walk official: shadow experienced officials as card runner, disqualification board operator, penalty zone operator, and recorder.
• Race walk judge: shadow experienced judges as judge, chief judge, and chief judge assistant.

Either way you move from apprentice to Association level as you gain experience. Questions go to Marie VerMeer, Race Walk Chair: racewalking@oregon.usatf.org.

Yes, for Association, regional, and national race walk competitions, and to be eligible for awards. Join here.

Oregon and Washington races are on our race walking page and the events calendar. For the national schedule, see USA Race Walking.

A program from the U.S. Center for SafeSport, adopted by USATF in 2014, that works to prevent abuse, bullying, hazing, and harassment in our sport.

Anyone with authority over athletes or regular contact with them: coaches, club leaders and board members, officials, trainers, medical staff, chaperones, event staff, and club volunteers. It applies at practices, meets, team meetings, travel, and overnight stays.

Yes, if you are 18 or older and on a team with athletes under 18.

1. Hold a current USATF membership.
2. Pass an NCSI background check.
3. Complete the SafeSport online course each year. The course depends on your role, such as coach, parent, or medical provider.

How to recognize misconduct, abuse, bullying, hazing, and grooming, how to prevent them, and how to report.

If you suspect something, report it to local police or child protective services, to USATF Oregon, and to the U.S. Center for SafeSport. The Center investigates.

Yes, with limits. The waiver is for casual volunteers at Association and Regional meets who have no authority over athletes and no regular contact with them. A volunteer can use it up to three times per calendar year, and a multi-day meet counts as one.

Look them up on the SafeSport compliant list.

Search the Centralized Disciplinary Database.

The USATF SafeSport page, the SafeSport Handbook, and the Center's training and education resources.