Youth Cross Country, Track & Field, Race Walking
Today’s USATF Pacific youth athletes are tomorrow’s champions! As the #1 youth participatory sport, every child competes alongside their peers in 2-year age divisions, from age 8 & younger up to 18. Everyone trains and competes – no one is left on a bench! Track & Field events take place in the spring and summer; Cross Country events are held in the Fall; Race Walking competitions are held year round. All offer a variety of both competitive and fitness opportunities, and they lead up to regional, national and even international competitions. Only USATF members may participate in USA Track & Field’s Junior Olympic program.
The Pacific Association is the largest youth program Northern California, with nearly 4,000 young athletes competing each year. Success at the Junior Olympic level can led to college scholarships. Many of America’s top collegiate and post-collegiate athletes began their road to fame by competing in the USATF Junior Olympic programs. They include stars such as Amber and Ashton Purvis, Javid Best, Jordan Hasay and Olympians such as Jeremy Wariner, Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards, and Lauryn Williams.
JOIN USATF today and make your Olympic dreams come true!
Latest Youth News
► YOUTH USATF Youth Travel Grant Deadline is April 6!
USATF is happy to announce the Mark Springer Travel Grant Program for the 2018 season. This program has awarded over $650,000 to more than 450 youth clubs over the past 18 years. These funds are awarded for travel expenses associated with the USATF Youth and National Junior Olympic Championships in an effort to allow young athletes the opportunity to compete amongst the best in our sport.
The grant award is up to $750.00 and must be used as a part of your club’s participation in one of the following 2018 USATF National Championship events:
March 9-11: USATF Hershey National Youth Indoor Champs, Staten Island, NY
June 26 – July 1: USATF Youth Outdoor Champs, Rochester, NY
July 23-29: USATF Hershey Junior Olympic T&F Champs, Greensboro, NC
December 8: USATF Junior Olympic XC Champs, Reno, NV
Application Deadline is April 6, 2018
For program history and complete grant provisions, visit the 2018 Mark Springer Travel Grant Page.
We wish every USATF member club the best of luck this year and look forward to seeing you at our Youth and Junior Olympic Championships!
► PA Tues, 20 March Board of Athletics meeting details
Tuesday’s BoA meeting schedule:
5:30-6:00pm: Open deli dinner (remains open through meeting)
6:00-7:15pm: Association Awards Presentations:
– Association Service Award-John Shirey
– Coaches Legacy Award-Will Pittman
– Tom Moore Award-Rob Dewar, Leroy Milam
– Hall of Fame Inductees- Stacy Dragila, Marion Irvine, Magdalena Lewy, Joan Ottoway, Ian Reed, Charlie Sheppard, Bob Shor (posthumously)
7:30-9:00pm: Strategic Planning
9:00-9:50pm: Abbreviated BoA meeting
► YTF Fall 2017 Pacific Association Youth Committee Meeting
Pacific Association Youth Committee:
You are invited to attend the Fall 2017 Pacific Association Youth Committee Meeting to be held on October 28, at 10:00 AM at Logan High School in Union City. All interested parties are encouraged to attend. Lunch will be provided. If you plan to attend, please R.S.V.P to: [email protected]
The Pacific Association Championship schedule and the Club-Hosted Track and Field meet schedule will be voted upon at this meeting. If your club is interested in hosting a meet, please send an e-mail to the Youth Vice-Chair, Carl Bryant [email protected]
Meeting Agenda click HERE
► PA Bob Shor, longtime PA Coach, Volunteer, Official passes
Memorial Services Announced.
The memorial services for long time Track & Field and Cross Country Youth Coach, Starter and Official, Bob Shor has been set. Services will take place on Saturday September 16th beginning at 2pm at Santa Rosa High School ( 1235 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, Ca)
Click HERE to view the obituary published in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat
► YOUTH Mike Hammerquist, long-time PA Youth Coach/Volunteer, Memorial Service is August 12.
Service: August 12th at 3pm, Covenant Worship Center, 2622 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley CA
Known throughout the USATF, college, high school and youth circuit as a throws coach who cares, it was a sad day in history when it was discovered that Mike Hammerquist’s spirit had fled this earth on Tuesday, July 18. While his earthly body may no longer be present with us at track & field meets, the many memories of a man who cared deeply for each and every athlete he trained will stay with us for many years to come.
As a die-hard 3M Track Club coach, Mike not only serviced the throws coach needs for his own club but he kindly spread his wealth of throwing knowledge to any youth athlete in need. As an active contributor to the Pacific Association (PA), USATF for nearly 3 decades he still found time to train at local high schools in our area. Although his health was dramatically deteriorating in the last year, he still found the inner strength to continue in his is most recent coaching stint was at Berkeley High School through the 2017 season.
Mike also fulfilled roles on the PA youth Board of Athletics as the first ever Treasurer and then our Field Chairperson for several years. Mike contributed in so many ways it will be impossible to remember them all. We ask that you consider replying with a Mike story of your own. How did he touch your world?
In sport,
Joanne Camargo, Pacific Association Past Youth Chair
P.S. A request from his son Kyle; if you have any pictures of Mike Hammerquist, please forward them to his son Kyle Hammerquist at [email protected].
► OTF Watch nation’s best athletes at Stanford Thursday!
Want to see more of our nation’s top athletes at Stanford Thursday, 29 June?
click here on the Thursday, 29 June TrackTown Series info which includes an all-comers, kid’s lap and other community events.
► YTF Youth Race Walk Clinic/Officiating Info for 7/1 & 7/8 Meets
There will be a clinic on race walking technique for the athletes this Saturday, July 1, starting at 8:00 a.m., an hour before the first race walk. We have folks coming from South Carolina (who were at the Junior and Open USATF Championships last weekend) to help with the clinic and with the Pit Lane, which will be used this coming Saturday and on July 8 at the Region 14 JOs. Please distribute the attached document about the Pit Lane. We’ll use it for both the 1500-meter and 3000-meter race walks. What it means is that if an athlete gets red cards from 3 judges, they have a 30-second penalty. If they then get an additional, 4th, red card from another judge, they are disqualified. This should mean fewer disqualifications. The Pit Lane will also be used at the National JOs.
We will combine girls and boys in the 1500-meter race, and we will combine girls and boys in the 3000-meter race. The race walkers need to have hip numbers on both the front and back of their shirts.
Beth and Jon Price will officiate the entire time at both the PA JOs and the Region 14 JOs. They will umpire as well as judge the race walks. They can also serve as Referees (recognizing that we can’t serve as a Referee regarding an umpire’s call that one of them would make – the other one could be the Referee in that case).
Jon Price
Race Walk Chair