Resources & FAQ

Straight answers to the questions members, parents, coaches and officials ask most.

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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. 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, and one calendar year is the shortest option. Members get partner and travel discounts, and many youth clubs offer scholarships or reduced club fees.
Use the Help and support link at the bottom of any page in your Connect account, or watch the tutorial videos.

Apply through USATF club membership. USATF Oregon reviews the application, and once approved your club is active and eligible to compete.
Club memberships end December 31. Renewals open November 1. Start your renewal, 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 unattached with a current USATF membership and a verified birth date.

Your age group is based on your age on December 31 of the competition year.
- 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
Upload a birth certificate, passport, certified baptismal certificate or state-issued ID in your Connect account. Documents mailed or emailed to the national office are returned unprocessed.
Hit the qualifying mark at the Oregon Junior Olympic Championships to advance to Region 13, then qualify there for the National Junior Olympic Championships. Exceptions can be requested ahead of time at youth@oregon.usatf.org.
No. Athletes compete only in their own age division, including relays and team events.
USATF sets a window for Association and Regional Junior Olympic meets. We pick dates inside it that avoid the state high school championships and major meets at Hayward Field whenever we can.
Yes. Regular meets are open to everyone. For an Oregon championship meet, submit an Association transfer request in your Connect account.

USATF masters competition starts at 25 with no upper limit. Some meets set their own minimum, often 35.
Yes. Some of the largest are Portland Masters Track Club, Bowerman Track Club Masters, Team Red Lizard and Oregon Track Club Masters.
The older records are out of date, so record keeping restarts with the 2026 season. Questions go to masters@oregon.usatf.org.

Complete the online portion at your own pace, then attend a two-day in-person seminar. Find a course and register.
If it's still current, complete continuing education. If it has lapsed, retake Level 1 in the hybrid format.
Level 2 is hybrid too, with a two-and-a-half-day seminar. Dates are on the calendar of schools.

Certified officials get year-round training, mentoring, and liability and accident insurance. Certification is required for USATF championships, and other meets usually pick certified officials first.
Email officials@oregon.usatf.org to get set up on RefTown, where schools, clubs and meet directors post paid assignments.
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.
No. USATF accepts only the National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI) check, renewed every two years.

First become a USATF certified official. Then choose one or both paths, each starting with a rules review:
- 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.
Questions go to racewalking@oregon.usatf.org.
Yes, for Association, regional and national race walk competitions, and to be eligible for awards.
Oregon and Washington races are on the race walking page and the events calendar. For the national schedule, see USA Race Walking.

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. Adult athletes on teams with athletes under 18 too.
1. Hold a current USATF membership.
2. Pass an NCSI background check.
3. Complete the SafeSport online course each year.
Yes, with limits. The waiver is for casual volunteers at Association and Regional meets with no authority over athletes and no regular contact with them, up to three times per calendar year.
Look them up on the compliant list, or search the Centralized Disciplinary Database.
Report to local police or child protective services, to USATF Oregon, and to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, which investigates.

The directory lists who handles what, with a direct email for each.

A USATF membership covers you at every sanctioned meet in the country. Join today and you’re covered through December 2027.