NOTICE: New SafeSport Requirement for 18 year-old USATF Club Athletes
There is a new SafeSport rule. All Club athletes that 18 years old, or are 18 years old prior to the end of the Junior Olympic Progression, are required to complete SafeSport training. NOTE: If the training is not completed, no one on the Club team will be allowed to register until the 18 year-old athlete(s) complete the SafeSport training. Training is completed via the USATF Connect system, and there is no charge for the training.

USATF Junior Olympics

The USATF Junior Olympics is a progression-based program. USATF athletes register for the Association meet. Those that qualify are allowed to register for the Regionals. Those that qualify at the Regionals may then register for the Nationals. Per USATF rules, by not registering for the Association meet you are not eligible to register for the Regional meet.

Athlete Age

   Minimum Age

To compete at the Youth Athletics or the USATF National Junior Olympics, athletes must be either 7 years old or 8 years old.  A 6-year-old athlete may compete at the Youth Athletics or at the USATF National Junior Olympics provided that athlete turns 7 years of age by December 31 of the current year.

At the USATF South Carolina Association Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships, a 5-year-old athlete may compete, provided that athlete turns 6 years of age by December 31 of the current year. Though this athlete may be allowed to advance to the Regional meet, this athlete will not be permitted to advance to the National meet. This athlete will be allowed to participate in no more that 3 events at the USATF South Carolina Association Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships, however, the athlete may not participate in any race longer than 400m, and the athlete may not participate
in any relay.

A 5-year-old athlete may not participate in the USATF South Carolina Association Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championships. All athletes must be at least 6-years old by the day of the meet. Please note, a 6-year-old athlete who does not turn 7-years of age by December 31 of the current year, per USATF Competition Rules, shall not be able to participate at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championships. (Rule 300.1.c)

   Maximum Age

The maximum age of an athlete competing in the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships is 18.

For the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships,
an athlete that turns 19 by December of the current year may participate as an
18-year-old athlete provided that athlete does not turn 19 before the last day
of competition at the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships
ends. (Rule 300.1.d)

For the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championships,
the maximum age is 18-years-old, and no competitor shall turn 19 in the current
year. (Rule 300.1.d)

The USATF South Carolina Association follows the same maximum age rules used for USATF National Junior Olympic Championships. This means no athlete that turns 19 in the current calendar shall be allowed to register for the USATF South Carolina Association Cross-Country Championships as they would not be eligible for the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championships, or even for the Regional meet.

 Membership

A current date-of-birth verified USATF Youth membership is required to participate in the USATF Junior Olympics program. This includes at the Association, the Regional, and the National levels, for both Track & Field and Cross-Country

Date of Birth Verification

Date of birth documents must be uploaded into the USATF Connect system through the athlete’s account. Please note the following:

• Only the USATF National Office can approve a date of birth document
• The USATF National Office requires up to 5 business days to approve
• athletic.net will not allow registration without USATF DOB approval
• USATF Associations cannot bypass or circumvent this process

Waivers

Rule 300 Waiver

A Rule 300 Waiver, submitted via the USATF Connect system, is for athletes competing in a different Association.

Competition Waiver

All Athletes who require a waiver to the Region meet due to ACT/SAT Testing or extraordinary circumstances that will prevent them from participating in the  Association Championship, must notify the USATFSC Youth Chair in writing prior to the Association meet, and the Youth Chair will provide a meet-specific link for that waiver. All athletes requiring a waiver must be entered in, and pay entry fees for, the events in which they wish to advance prior to receiving the waiver link. ATHLETES MUST BE ENTERED IN THE FIRST ROUND OF COMPETITION IN ORDER TO ADVANCE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

Competition Waivers are not guaranteed. The USATF rule is that a waivered athlete cannot displace an athlete that qualified during the competition.