Frequently Asked Questions

What age may participate, and what are the age groups?

The age groups used in competition are based on year of birth. For  the 2024 Track and Field and Cross Country seasons, they are:

*** formerly called "Sub-Bantam"  Those born in 2016-17, usually called 8 & under, but at one or two meets there is also a separate  6 & under (born in 2018-present)
*** formerly called "Bantam" Those born in 2014-15, usually called the 9-10 age group.
*** formerly called "Midget"  Those born in 2012-13, usually called the 11-12 age group.
*** formerly called "Youth"  Those born in 2010-11, usually called the 13-14 age group.
*** formerly called "Intermediate" Those born in 2008-09, usually called the 15-16 age group.
*** formerly called "Young Men/Women" Those born in 2006-07, usually called the  17-18 age group.

Our program of instruction is designed for ages 9-14, but we don't want to exclude, for example, younger siblings who want to follow along. Ages 8 and under will have more limited opportunities in terms of meets and events. The USATF Junior Olympics official age groups begin with the Bantam (9-10) division, but they have 8&under through the regional meet.  Most local races have a 6&under group for many events

We have a reduced-fee program for high school-age athletes to supplement their respective high school team participation. Typically, one would join our club practices after the high school season ends in order to train for the Junior Olympics.

Do I have to do the meets?

No, you can do all or none of the meets.  Some require pre-registration, like the USATF meets.  Most meets you sign up for the day of the meet.

Do I have to be a resident of the Town of Vienna?

No. Our members come from many areas of the county. We even have had members from Bethesda, MD and Fauquier County, Virginia! It all depends on your willingness and ability to get to the practice and meet sites.

What events can my child participate in?

For Track & Field, all age groups may participate in sprints and distance track events of appropriate distance. Generally, the event offerings are fewer and the more basic for the younger age groups. More technical events and longer distance events are introduced with older age groups. All ages participate in relays, shot put, long jump, and running events from 100 to 800 meters. Ages 9 and up add racewalk, high jump, javelin, 1500 meters, javelin and multievent. Ages 11 and up add 3000 meters, hurdles, and discus throw. Age 13 and up add intermediate hurdles, pole vault and triple jump.

We can make special arrangement for pole vault and hammer throw (age 13 and up), which require additional equipment expense and approval. We currently do not have steeples for steeplechase practice, but members age 15 and up may participate in the Junior Olympics steeplechase event.

For Cross Country, 8-under usually run races of 1 mile or 2km; 9-12 run 3km, 13-14 run 4km, and 15-18 run 5km.  6&under run about 1km when that age group race is held.

What are the fees?

Full program membership fee for Grades 1-8 is $85. After the first week of practice, there is a $10 late fee.

The high school supplemental program is $55 including VYI uniform or $30 without uniform.

In addition, a parent is expected to volunteer by helping out in fundraising, logistics, practices, or meets. If no parent wishes to volunteer, there is an additional $25 non-volunteer fee.

Any meets the team goes to as a group are covered through the membership cost, like the FPYC, CYA, PVTC all-comer meets,  and  USATF Junior Olympic qualifying meets (Prelims/Association/Regional/National) are covered in the membership cost.  Other meets or road races are not covered in the membership fee,

Are there any family discounts or other discounts?

A second child in the same family still has to pay $85 (plus additional $10 late fee, if applicable); however, there is only one volunteer obligation per family. That is, the volunteer effort does not double with a second member, and a second member does not require a second $25 non-volunteer fee. Essentially, this serves as the family discount.

A member who participates in consecutive seasons of both track & field and cross country will not need to buy a new USATF membership each season. You must notify us of your membership number so that we can use it to enter the JO qualifying meet.

Finally, a member can receive a discount equal to the approximate cost of the team shirt and/or shorts ($15 each, or $30 both) if he/she already has a properly-fitting uniform from a previous season or from a friend/sibling hand-me-down.

What do I get for my membership?

Membership includes:
Team practices,
our VYI uniform to keep (orange shirt or singlet top and black shorts), and
Permission to proudly wear the VYI uniform at meets both on and off our calendar.

Membership includes entry into USATF meets each season (you buy the USATF card and we cover the entry fee for each round you go to. )   

For more information on USATF membership, please see http://www.usatf.org/membership%3Eusatf.org/membership.

How is the money spent?

The membership money covers the cost of the uniform (shirt(or singlet) and shorts), most meet registration fees, and equipment and supplies. Membership money may also go to coaches for travel expenses as described below; however, VYI coaches volunteer their time and do not receive any payment for their time or coaching services.

$15 of each membership goes to Vienna Youth, Inc. for administration and overhead. $10 of each membership, plus late fees and non-volunteer fees, go to a separate travel fund which may be used for reimbursement of coaches' travel expenses at select meets. Select meets are those meets in which less than 50% of the average club non-select meet attendance qualify for. Additional travel expenses for select meets must be raised through fundraising. The remainder goes toward equipment, supplies, and misc. expenses.

What do I bring to practice?

Wear running shoes, flexible warmups, and a top and bottom underneath your warmups. Bring along track shoes, spikes, throwing shoes and/or sneakers if you have them. Bring a water bottle. Flexible warmups mean either sweatshirt and sweat pants or athletic jacket and pants that will allow you a full range of motion in your hips when running and stretching.

My other sport overlaps with the track & field/cross country season. Can I compete in both?

Many participants join this sport to improve their conditioning for other sports. In fact, some participants play other sports whose seasons overlap with track or cross country. Our program is designed to be accommodating to athletes that may be participating in multiple sports. Practices are not mandatory so you can miss an occasional practice to participate in some other event but we strongly encourage your maximum participation so that you will get the most out of our sport.

If you are not participating in another sport or physical activity, we encourage the parent and child to do additional workouts outside of club practice. Whether or not you are participating in another sport, the coaches can help you set up a weekly training program appropriate for your event and abilities.

Why do you have that bright orange uniform? I thought VYI colors were red, black, and white.

The bright, orange shirts and singlets were chosen because they are easy to spot in a crowd. This has particular advantage in cross-country meets where runners can easily see the position of their teammates. Our singlets are made of a high-performance CoolMax Lite fabric.

While other track clubs in the DC area wear red and black, no other club wears solid orange. Although VYI uses black, red, and white on their logo and website, they have no official colors. (Other VYI sports have different colors because they have multiple teams, and they can't all wear black, red, and white.)

Where do we practice?

This will vary from season to season Check the track page for up to date info. Generally cross county (fall) meets at Nottoway Park and Track (spring) has met at Pederson Park or Marshall HS or Madison HS (when the track is available.)

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