In May/June 2026, there are two USATF track and field meets that are open to all kids in the program. These are totally optional and represent an extension of the season for the athletes who want to participate in them. In each case, you will need to register your child for the meets. Below is detailed information about the meets and links to the meet websites.
You will see that the June 1 meet is developmental in nature, i.e., it is not a qualifier for later meets. The June 13-14 junior olympic meet is a qualifier for a northeast regional meet, which could lead to qualifying for the USATF junior olympic national meet.
Dates
May 31: USATF-NE Invitational, Wenham, MA (USATF membership required–see below)
June 13-14: USATF Junior Olympic Meet, Wenham, MA (USATF membership required–see below)
USATF Age Groups
USATF athletes compete in age groups. The age groups (7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18) are determined by the child's age as of December 31, 2026.
May 31 Developmental Meet
Participating in this meet requires advance sign-up and becoming a member of USATF, if your child is not already a USATF member. May 28 at 11:59 pm is the deadline for signing up for the May 31 meet. There are 3 steps. Please keep in mind that the age verification step for membership is not instantaneous, so you should start this three-step process several days before May 28. USATF's deadlines have no flexibility. See below for details on USATF membership.
Wenham Meet website:
https://newengland.usatf.org/events/2026/2026-usatf-ne-youth-spring-invitational
Click below for the May 31 Meet registration on athletic.net. Please note that you will be registering your child as "unattached" because Longmeadow Parks and Rec is not an official USATF club.
https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/meet/644058/info
June 13-14 Junior Olympic Meet
The USA Track and Field (USATF) Junior Olympic New England Association meet is on June 13-14 (click on the meet website below for the event schedule) in Fitchburg, MA. The USATF association meet brings together runners from MA, RI, NH, and VT.
Participating in this meet requires advance sign-up and becoming a member of USATF, if your child is not already a USATF member. June 9 at 11:59 pm is the deadline for signing up for the June 13-14 meet. There are 3 steps. Please keep in mind that the age verification step for membership is not instantaneous, so you should start this three-step process several days before June 9. USATF's deadlines have no flexibility. See below for details on USATF membership.
Here is the link for information about the USATF June 13-14 meet:
https://newengland.usatf.org/events/2026/2026-usatf-ne-junior-olympic-track-field-champions
You will see on this page that there is a June 25-28 Region I meet in Wenham, MA. There is also a July 27-August 2 USATF National Junior Olympic Championship at Cerritos College, Norwalk California. The top 8 finishers in each event at the June 13-14 meet in Wenham will qualify for the Regional I meet. The top 5 finishers at the Region I meet will qualify for the national meet. There are NO qualifying standards for the June 13-14 meet, and that meet is open to all.
In past years, kids from the Longmeadow track and XC programs have run in the USATF association meet, and some have gone on to the regional and national meets. To be frank, the competition is keen at this meet, but it is a great opportunity to run a personal best against talented competition and to be part of a professional meet with running clubs from four of the six New England states.
Here is the link on athletic.net for the June 13-14 meet. Please note that you will be registering your child as "unattached" because Longmeadow Parks and Rec is not an official USATF club.
https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/meet/644059/register
USATF Membership
If your child is not already a USATF member, becoming a member involves two steps, including an age verification step that is not instantaneous. Only after you have completed these two steps can you register for a USATF meet on athletic.net.
1. Make your child a member of USATF, if he or she is not already a member. If your USATF membership has expired, it will need to be renewed. It is $35 for the year, and it allows your child to participate in fall XC meets through USATF. Here is the link for USATF membership:
https://www.usatf.org/home/top-utility-nav-content/membership
2. Once your child is a USATF member (you will get instant email confirmation once you register online), you will need to verify your child's age. Here is the USATF video that explains how to do that.
https://vimeopro.com/user44435707/usatf-connect-member-tutorials/video/403329154