Junior Olympics

There are many track meet opportunities. You can run as in many or few as you desire. However, we strongly recommend both the AAU Circuit , USTAF Circuit  if you are seeking high levels of competition. 

 

AAU Circuit  (www.aauthletics.org)

The AAU Circuit is a meet progression format. You need to qualify to get to the next meet level.  We are in the New England District. This consists of the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.  All Athletes who compete an event at the district level will automatically qualify for the Area 1 National Qualifier.   The AAU Area 1 National Qualifier consists of all five New England States, New York, and Northern New Jersey. The top 4 athletes in each event  from the AAU Area 1 National Qualifier meet qualify for the Junior Olympics. As you move from a District to Area to Junior Olympics, the competition and atmosphere is more intense. District is fairly laid back, with quality runners but in a lower key atmosphere. The National Qualifier is more intense and you will see big difference in performances.  The 2009 Junior Olympics had 23,000 spectators and 11,000 athletes.  One other key aspect of the AAU Circuit is its Age grouping. It follows a single-age format. This means your child will only compete with athletes in the year they were born if they were born in 1996 or earlier.

 

AAU Age Groups

  • Primary               2003 & after
  • Sub-Bantam       2002
  • Bantam               2001
  • Sub-Midget         2000
  • Midget                 1999
  • Sub-Youth          1998
  • Youth                  1997
  • Intermediate        1996 - 1995
  • Young                 1994 - 1993

AAU Advancement Process:

  • AAU New England District - All Participants With Valid Mark Advance To AAU Area 1 Natoinal Qualifier
  • AAU Area 1 Natoinal Qualifier - Top 4 Advance to Junior Olympics
  • AAU Junior Olympics

USA Track and Field Circuit (www.usatf.org and www.usatfne.org)

This is similar to the AAU Circuit with a couple of key differences. The biggest one is the age groups. USATF uses a two year age group.

 

USATF Age Groups

  • Sub-Bantam       2003+
  • Bantam               2001 - 2002
  • Midget                 1999 - 2000
  • Youth                  1997 - 1998
  • Intermediate        1995 - 1996
  • Young                 1993 - 1994

The second difference qualification is the process. For USATF, only the Top 6 per event qualify from the USATF New England Association Meet to the Region 1 Championship. USATF New England consists of all the New England States (accept Maine and Connecticut).  The top 3 from the Region 1 Championship qualify for the USATF Junior Olympics. USATF Region 1 consist of New England, Maine, Adirondack, Metropoliatan (New York), Long Island and Connecticut.).

 

USATF Advancement Process:

 

  • USATF New England Association - Top 6 Advance To USATF Region 1 Championship
  • USATF Region 1 Championship - Top 5 Advance to Junior Olympics
  • USATF Junior Olympics
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