Running is one of the most basic sports, and it is also one of the oldest, if not the very first organized sport in the world. Track and field events date back to the ancient Greeks, and were believed to be the only competitions during the first Olympic Games. Gradually, other sports were added to the lineup, but track and field remained at the core of the Olympics for hundreds of years.

Today, track and field has grown into a worldwide sport, with millions of amateur and professional athletes competing around the globe. In America, where the sport dates back to the 1860s, one will find some of the best athletes in the world.

USA Track & Field, the National Governing Body for track and field, has made finding these athletes a priority. Its goal is to drive competition and engage people in the sport, as well as help train and educate athletes and coaches to become the best they can possibly be. With over 100,000 members and 4,000 sanctioned events, it is clear that the organization has already accomplished so much, but there is always more that can be done. USATF works hard to create grassroots programs in order to develop future stars who may someday compete at the Olympic level. And many of these future Olympians can be found in the organization’s youth programs.

“We have seen consistent growth in the youth sector over the last few years,” said Tricia Floyd, associate director of youth programs for USA Track & Field. In 2008, there were 55,000 members, but that number grew to 64,000 by 2011, a significant increase for the organization and a trend it hopes to continue seeing in the future.

“The best thing for us to do is provide local opportunities,” Floyd said. “We see a lot more members come from local support, so we work hard to reach out to people at the ground level.”

Through its dedicated regional representatives, USATF is able to spread the word about the sport and encourage kids to get involved. By promoting the sport via local events, the organization is able to spark more interest from not just athletes, but also from their families and various athletic groups. Once athletes join USATF, the next goal is to prepare them for competitions. Apart from the numerous events they host to challenge youth and adult participants, USATF provides everything needed to perform for elite performance, such as instruction and training. The main vision is to get athletes to the Olympic level so they can compete on a world stage, and, ultimately, get on the podium.

Floyd emphasized that during an Olympic year, the mood and spirit around the organization bumps up a lot, and people get excited about everything that is coming up. For instance, USATF will be hosting the National Youth Indoor Championships for the second year starting in March.

“This is one of our bigger competitions,” Floyd said. “And it is exciting to have the kind of interest and resources to be able to host this kind of event.”

Some of its other major competitions are the Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June, the National Junior Olympic Championships in July and the National Junior Olympics Cross Country Championships in December.

With events of this caliber, USATF wants to provide the very best for its athletes, their coaches and families, and make sure it pulls off a successful competition. When working with cities across the country, “we want to ensure that a city can host an event,” Floyd said. “These [events] can bring in as many as 7,000 kids, so a city needs to be able to manage that capacity.”

Cities must go through an extensive bid process, explaining their intentions for the event, hospitality capabilities and prices. Apart from having those necessities, a city must show its expertise and dedication to hosting sports events. “We like to see knowledge from their committee,” said Floyd.

Thanks to the popularity of the sport, the attention events get and the large number of people these tournaments draw, it is obvious why so many cities are itching to be selected for a USATF event. And since the sport is so widespread throughout the country, the organization does its best to move all over the place, with the hopes that enthusiasm for track and field will trickle down into every crevice of America.

The anticipation of the upcoming Olympic Games creates a sense of electricity for the staff at USATF, and athletes are certainly feeling similar emotions, especially at the youth level. Even though it is one of the oldest organized sports, track and field has managed to hold strong in the modern world, thanks in large part to the people at USA Track & Field. They have dedicated themselves to offering the best resources and competitive opportunities in order to push athletes to the next level, to reach the goal of making it to the Olympics and hoisting a medal.

—Vanessa Day