A familiar question
Friendsand acquaintances who know my track background frequently ask me, "Howdo I get my child started in track & field?"Because track & field programs are not as ubiquitous as soccer orbasketball programs, it may not be as easy as going to the nearestrecreation center or Boys & Girls club. Yet youth track &field, or age group track & field, as it is called in the sport, isa thriving activity nationwide and most communities have track clubsfor kids. It's just a matter of knowing how to find them.
No right age to start
National age group track andfield competition starts with the Primary age group (8 and under inAAU-Amateur Athletic Union meets). But, while there are many childrenthat train and compete seriously from this age, track is a veryforgiving and flexible sport: Kids who get a later start are notmissing out on crucial skill-building years as they are in othersports. A latecomer to some sports has a very difficult time ofcatching up on sport-specific skills, whereas much of track & fieldis doing what kids do every day anyway, which is running, jumping andthrowing.
My husband played a lot ofbaseball and basketball as a child and did not join a track team untilhigh school. Several years later he received a full scholarship andeventually went on to the Olympic Games. Thus, parents don't have torush to sign up their youngster to participate in an organized track& field program. It is accommodating to newcomers of all ages.
While there is no minimumage at which a child can begin, he or she should be old enough tounderstand basic rules of competition, such as staying in her own laneor not going beyond the take-off board in the long jump. Of course ayoung child will be limited in the number of events that areappropriate for him. Hurdles, long distance events, and most of thefield events would not be recommended for a small child. But a child ofalmost any age might enjoy the 100 meter dash and the long jump.
Kids' fun runs: a great place to start
A great way to begin the sport isto look for kids' fun runs that are often held in conjunction withlocal road races. The distance might be as short as a quarter mile andparents can often accompany their child on the course. All-comers meetsare also excellent starters. These are relaxed track & field meetswhich have events for competitors of all ages. Oftentimes,pre-registration is not required and you can sign up when you getthere. Check the websites of local running clubs (try www.rrca.org,the website for the Road Runners Clubs of America, for a link to yourlocal RRCA club which could be a good resource for kids' fun runs andprovides links to other local running and track clubs) and track &field clubs to find out if there are any all-comers meets in your area.They are a great way for a child to find out if they enjoy competing inthe sport before deciding whether to make a commitment to join a club.
