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Ahead of upcoming USATF Championships, members are reminded to verify their standing on the USATF Coaches Registry List. All requirements must be completed to be eligible for a coach credential at USATF Championships. If your name no longer appears on the public list, login to your membership profile on USATF Connectto update the lapsed requirement(s) [Learn More]

USATF Level 3 Program for Endurance or Sprints/Hurdles/Relays Now Open Through November 1, 2024

• Registration for the USATF Level 3 Program for Endurance or Sprints/Hurdles/Relays, December 1-4, 2024 at IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL is now open through November 1, 2024. The Level 3 Program is the highest level of the USATF Coaching Education Program and features some of the world's best sport scientists, elite coaches, and offers personalized instruction from event advisors throughout the athlete capstone project that ensues post meeting dates.

In Person Option for Level 1 Event Specific Schools Resuming in December 2024

• The USATF Level 1 Program re-launched in a brand new format in May 2024. USATF members will have additional options for completing the event specific training associated with the course with the first in person event specific training scheduled for December 14-15, 2024, at St. John’s School, Houston, TX. Watch for additional in person event specific schools to be added to the Calendar of Schools - tentative other locations include St. Louis, MO, Naperville, IL, Charlotte, NC, and more. Registration for an in person event specific school is $290, includes a hard copy of the Level 1 textbook and instant access to the online self-paced modules that must be completed prior to check in. Zoom based Level 1 Event Specific Trainings will continue to be offered monthly. Learn more about how to purchase, access, and complete the new Level 1 format here.

Next USATF Marathon Specialist Course Date Announced for January 17-19, 2025

• The next USATF Marathon Specialist Course will be offered January 17-19, 2025, on Zoom. The course will be instructed by Kathy Butler, OLY, Run Boulder AC and 2024 World Cross Country Senior Staff Women’s Coach, and Chris Lundstrom, PhD, Team Minnesota Elite Head Coach, who guided Dakotah Lindwurm to a 10th place finish at the 2024 Paris Olympic Marathon. Watch for registration to open on the USATF Calendar of Schools in November.

Online Coaching Race Walking Course Coming Soon to USATF Campus

• Dr. Christine Brooks, the USATF Coaching Science Instructor, and Ian Whatley, a Team USA athlete and coach specializing in race-walking, collaborated to create Coaching Race Walking, a new self-paced course coming to USATF Campus in late fall 2024. It offers essential knowledge for coaches aiming to help athletes progress from novice to early-stage advanced race walkers. The course also covers the topic of power walking, which is particularly popular among athletes in the masters age groups. Depending on the depth of your review, it will require approximately 6 hours to complete the online training. The course includes lessons on walking techniques, race walking teaching progressions, technique correction steps, and fundamentals of race preparation.

USATF Level 1 Recertification Application Opening Soon for 2024 Expiring Certificates

• Members with a Level 1 certificate expiring on December 31, 2024, will soon be invited to access the recertification application. Members must hold a current USATF membership, current SafeSport Training, complete an eligible USATF continuing education course, and submit application (registration) and fee to renew their Level 1 certificate for an additional four calendar years. Members who elect to retake the USATF Level 1 Program in lieu of one of the continuing education courses above do not need to complete the recertification application. USATF Level 2 and 3 coaches are exempt from Level 1 recertification and no action is necessary. Full recertification protocols for all USATF Coaching Education Programs are available here.

Help USATF Climb the NGB Leaderboard By Completing the Free Connection Based Coaching Course

• USA Track & Field (USATF) joined the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in their NGB Connection Based Coaching Challenge as a part of the Million Coaches Challenge, an initiative led by the Susan Crown Exchange to train one million coaches in youth development techniques by 2025.  To support the goals of the Million Coaches Challenge, the USOPC created a free, self-paced online course called Connection Based Coaching, which focuses on teaching social and emotional learning skills. The USOPC aims to train at least 40,000 coaches by 2025 using this curriculum, which consists of three 30-minute modules. As part of this initiative, USATF and other National Governing Bodies (NGBs) are participating in the Connection Based Coaching Challenge to help the USOPC reach their 40,000-coach goal with up to $15,000 in funding to be awarded to an NGB with the most coaches trained. USATF invites members, fans, coaches, and supporters to join the movement to ensure kids across the country have access to coaches who are well versed in youth development techniques to help kids succeed in and out of competition. Those interested in supporting USATF in the Connection Based Coaching Challenge can sign up for a free series of three 30-minute trainings on the USOPC Mobile Coach Platform by registering under track and field when selecting their NGB of choice. 

USATF Connect System Update to Coach Certifications Functionality

• USATF members can now add certain Coach Certifications to their profile without the pre-requisite of being USATF 3-Step Safe Sport Compliant. The change enables a member to have a historical completion or career accomplishment validated on their USATF Connect profile that is required for a coaching education course registration or the USATF Coaches Registry Education Standard requirement while other requirements may be pending or incomplete. New courses completed on the USATF Campus platform will automatically push to Coach Certifications and no submission is required. The coaching education department is continuing to update historical completions and certificates on the membership platform, USATF Connect, and new USATF Campus platform. Please note this is a functionality change only and requirements for the USATF Coaches Registry and USATF 3-Step Safe Sport Compliant remain unchanged.

The National Youth Track Coaches Association through the USATF Coaches Advisory Committee submitted a proposal to change the USATF Youth Championships Coaches Credentialing Program Policy.

The partnership of National Youth Track Coaches Association, USATF Coaches Advisory Committee, USATF Youth Department and Coaching Education Department worked together to devise a policy that not only benefits our USATF youth coaching constituency, but also further promotes the USATF Coaching Education program. I hope that the new policy will result in more youth coaches understanding the benefit of utilizing the coaching education resources provided by USATF.

The USATF Youth Department announces revisions to the USATF Youth Championships Coaches Credentialing Program Policy.  This revision is immediately effective.  The USATF Youth Department in conjunction with the USATF Coaching Education Departmentencourages all coaches to take advantage of the benefits the USATF Coaches Registry Program offers.  Please familiarize yourself with coaching education programs and registry requirements at www.usatf.org/programs/coaches and/or contact Matt.Rohlf@usatf.org.  

(revised 2-2021)  

Youth Championships Coaching Credentials shall be issued based upon the following criteria:  

• USATF Coaches Registry Member  
  • Current USATF (adult) Membership  
  • Pass the USATF Background Screening  
  • SafeSport Compliant  
  • Fulfill Education Standard and submit verification application through USATF       Connect
• Listed as “Coach” on the USATF Club Profile  
• Must have an athlete or club entered into the current Championship  
• Coaches for Unattached athletes are required to adhere to the Coaching Credential requirements for the issuance of a coaching credential .  
• There will be no credential allocation limits.  Credentials will be issued only upon verification of all listed criteria/mandates.  There will be no exceptions.  
• Pole Vault access credentials will be provided upon verification of athlete entry and date/time of the event.  Date/time will be clearly      noted on the credential and access expires immediately upon completion of  that event.  

(revised 4-2021) USATF National Championships require that event registrants shall be date-of-birth verified. Members are required to upload/submit their birthdate verification documents while completing their membership profile on the USATF Connect system. There may be other competitions that require birthdate verification. Check event eligibility requirements carefully when registering for an event.  

DOCUMENT SUBMISSION DEADLINE Documents submitted for birthdate verification will be processed within five (5) business days of submission (excluding holidays). It is the responsibility of the registrant to assure submission in a timely manner to meet entry deadlines.  

HOW TO SUBMIT DOCUMENTS Birthdate verification documents must be uploaded through USATF Connect. If you are experiencing trouble uploading these documents, please contact the USATF National Office for assistance. Be advised that birthdate verification documents will not be accepted or uploaded by the National Office. Procedures for uploading these documents in the USATF Connect system must be adhered to and there will be no exceptions. Documents sent to the National Office will be returned and the verification will not be processed.   If a document is illegible it will be invalidated and will not be processed. Invalidated documents will not result in an extension of the submission deadline. No extension will be granted for invalidated documents that require re-submission. The processing period will remain in effect. Birthdate verification documents will remain a permanent part of the member profile and will not require re-submission.

DATA PROTECTION Documents/data provided to USATF will be hosted on a secure platform in the USATF Connect system. Association Officers/Employees that are permitted to view membership information within the system are required to submit the mandated USATF Data Protection Policy Agreement or will be denied access.  

ACCEPTED DOCUMENTS Accepted verification documents include copy of Birth Certificate, Passport, Certified Baptismal Record, Driver's License, or U.S. Government Issued Identification.