USATF Dakotas Association Junior Olympic Championship

Join us in Fargo for the Association Championships and a chance to quality and move on to regionals. 

Age Divisions and Eligibility Requirements:
8 & under (born 2018 +)
9 - 10 (born 2016-2017)
11 - 12 (born 2014-2015)
13 - 14 (born 2012-2013)
15 - 16 (born 2010-2011)
17 - 18 (born 2008-2009; athletes born in 2007 are also eligible if they do not turn 19 on or before 7/27/2026)

Individuals: Only U.S. citizens, aliens living in the United States and foreign exchange students are eligible to compete in these Championships. See the USATF Rules for more information and exceptions. A competitor must compete in his/her age division only. There will be no moving up in any events,  including relays. Competitors in the 8 & Under, 9 -10 and 11 - 12 age divisions may compete in a maximum of three (3) events, including relays. Competitors in the 13 - 14, 15 - 16 and 17 - 18 age divisions may compete in a maximum of four (4) events, including relays. Combined events are not included in the event count. All athletes must be members of USATF in good standing for the current calendar year.

Relay Teams: Only USATF member clubs with registrations in the current calendar year may enter a relay team(s). All athletes representing the club must be affiliated with and members of that club as part of their USATF membership. Visit www.usatf.org/membership

Registration Fees:
Individual Entries: $10 per event
Relay Entries: $40 per relay team
Decathlon/Heptathlon: $20 per athlete
Triathlon/Pentathlon: $14 per athlete
Processing Fee: $3.75

Other Fees:
Spectators: $10 per person aged 6 and older (payable at the gate via cash, credit card)
Coaches: Free; must show their USATF membership card for the current calendar year and must be listed on the USATF website as being in good standing.

Club Administrators and Unattached Athletes should register online at Athletic.net by Friday, June 12th at 10am. Late entries will not be allowed. Online registration opens May 29th. Fees must be paid online by the
close of registration. Only credit cards and electronic checks will be accepted. Accuracy of data entered is the responsibility of each club and/or athlete. Para Athletes must have their classifications approved for participation. Please validate data within Athletic.net for accuracy prior to submitting entry. An instructional video on the online registration process may be accessed by visiting: https://support.athletic.net/article/2ngw43npwr-creating-your-account-on-athletic-net

Valid USATF Membership for the current calendar year and Proof of Birth is required for participation. Before registration, please ensure that you have uploaded to USATF Connect a copy of the athlete’s Proof of Birth (copy of birth certificate, passport, certified baptismal record, driver’s license or U.S. government identification). See Rule 300.1 (i) for further explanation. For further questions, please consult our FAQ page.

Waiver: All athletes who participate in the USATF Junior Olympic Program must complete the Junior Olympic Participant Waiver and Release form. This form is already integrated in the online entry system and can be completed electronically; it can also be obtained via your association. All forms must be submitted at the first round of the Junior Olympic series. For additional waiver information, please see below.

Awards: USATF Junior Olympic Ribbons will be awarded to the top three (3) individuals and the top three (3) relay teams in each event of each age division.

Heptathlon, Decathlon, Steeplechase, and Hammer Throw: Those events will NOT be contested at this meet – however athletes wishing to compete in those events at the Region 8 Championships MUST signup and PAY for those events for this meet as well. This is a national rule and failure to do so will result in you NOT advancing to the region meet.

Advancement to Regionals: The top 8 individuals and relay teams in each event of each age division will advance to the USATF Region 8 Championships.

Secondary Qualifiers: After all Association meets have been completed and all results have been uploaded to Athletic.net, each age group will be ranked by final result and the automatic qualifiers will be notified through athletic.net. If, in any event at any age group there are fewer athletes than there are qualifying spots from any association in the region, those qualifying spots may be filled by the next highest ranking non-primary-qualifier from the region at large.

National Junior Olympic Championships: The event will be held from July 27-Aug 2nd in Southern California at Cerritos College. The top 5 athletes at the Region Championships will qualify for the National Championships, in combined events the top 2 athletes will qualify. Information is available at: https://www.usatf.org/programs/youth.

Para Athlete Advancement: The top number individuals and relay teams in each event of each age division will advance to the USATF Region #8 Championships. The Para Pilot program does not advance to the National Junior Olympic Championship.

Date of Birth Verification Policy: (revised 4-21) USATF National Championships require that event registrants shall be date -of-birth verified. Members are required to upload/submit their birth date verification
documents while completing their membership profile on the USATF Connect system. There may be other competitions that require birthdate verification. Check event eligibility requirements carefully when registering for an event.

Document Submission Deadline: Documents submitted for birth date verification will be processed within five (5) business days of submission (excluding holidays). It is the responsibility of the registrant to assure
submission in a timely manner to meet entry deadlines.

How to Submit Documents: Birthdate verification documents must be uploaded through USATF Connect. If you are experiencing trouble uploading these documents, please contact the USATF National Office for assistance. Be advised that birthdate verification documents will not be accepted or uploaded by the National Office. Procedures for uploading these documents in the USATF Connect system must be adhered to and there will be no exceptions. Documents sent to the National Office will be returned and the verification will not be processed.

If a document is illegible, it will be invalidated and will not be processed. Invalidated documents will not result in an extension of the submission deadline. No extension will be granted for invalidated documents that require re-submission. The processing period will remain in effect.

Waiver: All athletes who participate in the USATF Junior Olympic Program must complete the Junior Olympic Participant Waiver and Release form. This form is already integrated in the online entry system and can be completed electronically; it can also be obtained via your association. All forms must be submitted at the first round of the Junior Olympic series.

8 and under Age Group: 8 and under age division athletes must be at least 7 years of age by December 31 of the current year to be eligible to compete at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championship. Athletes younger than 7 as of Dec. 31 of the current year may compete at the association and region meets (if qualified from association) only.

Track Event Check-in: Track athletes will check in near start line.

Field Event Check-in: Field athletes should report 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the field event at the field event venue but not later than the scheduled start. Athletes may be permitted to check-in after the scheduled start while an event is still in the preliminary stage but will not be permitted to take warm-up attempts after the event has officially started. Crossbars will not be lowered in the high jump or pole vault for late arriving athletes. If an athlete has not checked in at the point all other athletes have completed preliminary
attempts, a late arriving athlete will not be permitted to compete.

Long Jump/Triple Jump: Athletes must check in with the event officials and work with the officials to get jumps completed before leaving for other events or communicate with officials about event conflicts. Officials will attempt to work with athletes to manage track and field event conflicts or field and field event conflicts by providing for jumps out of order in preliminaries or consecutive jumps. The top 9 athletes from preliminaries will advance to the finals During the finals, athletes will jump in reverse order (9th best going first, 1st competing last) and will be called to jump by the official. During the finals, athletes must be present to jump when called and must compete in the order assigned. If an athlete is not present when called during finals, the athlete will be marked as having passed the attempt and will not be permitted to take a passed jump later. Athletes may request to take consecutive jumps in preliminary rounds or finals.

Implement Weigh-in: Shot, discus, javelin weigh-in and inspection will take place near the Shot-Put venue beginning at 10:00 AM Saturday for all age divisions. Only implements inspected will be allowed into competition. Pole vaulters may be required to be weighed prior to competition by meet officials and may only use poles rated for their weight on the day of competition. See the implement table below for specifications for each age group event. There will be USATF implements available at all the throws.

Competition Bib Numbers: All competitors must wear their assigned bib numbers during competition and on the front of their jerseys only. If an athlete loses the bib number, a replacement can be purchased for a fee of $5. Bib numbers will be distributed to athletes at the southeast entry to the track. Coaches may pick up an entire team packet of bibs provided the coach is listed in good standing as a coach with USATF for the current calendar year.

Spikes: Only ¼” pyramid spikes (or smaller) are permitted on the track. Improper spikes will not be permitted.

Event Results: Results will only be posted online at http://www.herostiming.com and on the scoreboard. No printed results will be available.

Awards: USATF Ribbons will be awarded to the top three (3) individuals and the top three (3) relay teams in each event of each age division.

Advancement to Finals:
Track Events: Will be ran as timed finals.
Field Events: Athletes will be given 4 Jumps/Throws no finals

Rules - Conduct and Facility: Coolers ARE allowed. No glass bottles or containers permitted. No grills permitted. No alcohol or tobacco permitted on school property. No pets permitted. All participants and spectators are expected to show proper conduct towards others and the facility. Meet administration reserves the right to have individuals removed from the facility for behavior deemed unacceptable. No refunds.

Directions and Parking: West Fargo Sheyenne High School the address is: 800 40th Ave E West Fargo, ND 58078. Parking will be in the main lots (no parking fee).

Volunteers Needed: Staging track meets requires many people. No prior experience necessary for many positions. Please contact the meet director if you can help for even a half day
.
Drones: Drone and other aerial devices are NOT allowed. Failure to adhere to this will result in your immediate removal from the facility.

No Animals Permitted at the Track Stadium or Field Event Venues: Exception made for service animals for individuals with disabilities.

Closed Field and Warm-up Area: The football field will be open for warm-ups. The track is closed for all warm-ups once the meet begins.

Protests: There will be a $100 cash fee for all protests. Protests must be submitted to the Referee at once and not later than 30 minutes after a result has been announced. The protest fee will be refunded if the protest is upheld.

Contact:
Name: Jake Kish (Meet Director and Youth Chair)
Phone Number: (520) 444-0131 (text only)
E-mail: Youth@Dakotas.usatf.org

Meet Schedule
Steeplechase, Combined Events, and Hammer Throw will NOT be contested. - In order to be waived into the region meet for these events - you MUST sign up and pay for those events in the association championships.

Saturday
10:00 am Gates open to athletes and spectators

Long Jump
11:00 am 11-12, 13-14 Boys and Girls
11:45 am 15-16, 17-18 Men and Women
12:30 pm 8 & under, 9-10 Boys and Girls

Triple Jump
1:30pm 13-14, 15-16 Boys and Girls
2:15pm 17-18 Men and Women

Shot Put
11:00 am 8 & under, 9-10 Boys and Girls
11:45 am 11-12 Boys and Girls
12:15 pm 13-14 Boys and Girls
12:45 pm 15-16, 17-18 Men and Girls

High Jump
11:00 am All Age Groups (Girls)
11:00 am All Age Groups (Boys)

Pole Vault
2:15 pm All Age Groups (Girls)
2:15 pm All Age Groups (Boys)

Discus Throw
11:00 am 15-16/17-18 Boys and Men
11:00 am 15-16/17-18 Girls and Women
11:00 am 11-12/13-14 Boys and Girls

Javelin Throw
1:30 pm 15-16/17-18 Boys and Men
1:30 pm 15-16/17-18 Girls and Women
1:30 pm 11-12/13-14 Boys and Girls

Mini/Turbo Javelin
2:15 pm 9-10 Boys and Girls
2:15 pm 8 & under Boys and Girls

Track Schedule
11:00 am 1500m Race Walk (ages 9-10, 11-12) Timed Final
11:00 am 3000m Race Walk (ages 13-14, 15-16, 17-18) Timed Final
11:30 am 3000m (ages 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18)
11:50 am 80H/100H/110H ages 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18)
12:20pm 4 x 800 relay (ages 11-12, 13-14, 15-16,17-18)
12:40 pm 400m finals (ages 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18) Timed Final
1:20 pm 100m (ages 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18)
1:50 pm 800m finals (ages 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18)
2:20 pm 4 x 100 relay (ages 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18) Timed Final
2:40 pm 200H/400H (ages 13-14, 15-16, 17-18)
3:00 pm 200m (ages 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18)
3:30 pm 1500m (ages 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18) Timed Final
4:00 pm 4 x 400m relay (ages 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18)