Age* groups we offer are:
U12 (ages 10 & 11)
U14 (ages 12 & 13)
U16 (ages 14 & 15)
U18 (ages 16 & 17)
U20 (ages 18 & 19)
Open (ages 20+) - may be restricted to athletes who are continuing members of the club

*Age is calculated as of December 31.

You must be at least 10 years old (or turning 10 by December 31) to register with the Harriers - no exceptions. We do not have the capacity to offer developmentally appropriate programs for younger athletes at this time. Thank you for your understanding.

Athletics (track & field) is considered a late specialization sport. Many competitions start at the U12 or U14 categories. Athletes in the U10 category and younger are encouraged to try a variety of sports and physical activities, do develop their physical literacy skills.

If your child is passionate about running, check to see if your school has a running club (they may participate in our Cross-Country Series or Indoor Relays)! You can also go for runs together, look into Run, Jump, Throw, Wheel programs, or search for track & field summer camps. We would love for your child to join us when they reach U12!

Anyone with a positive attitude towards the sport is welcome! The emphasis is placed on personal achievement and growth (doing your personal best). We find that everyone who is willing to apply themselves will improve. Many of our members are outstanding athletes. Do not be discouraged if you can’t perform like them at first – with patience and a reasonable amount of effort you will improve!

Registration and trial periods are open in the fall from September 1 - October 30 & in the spring from April 1-30. Prospective members are welcome and encouraged to come out for a few trial sessions. If you are interested in becoming a Harrier, please email our club contact for a registration link.

Yes! During our membership intake periods (typically September & April), we offer free 14-day trials. If you are interested in this option, please email us. You must receive permission from the club first, then may formally register for the trial.

Registering for a trial will not impact the length or price of your memberships. We encourage all new members to register for a trial to ensure that our club, and the sport, are right for you.

Please refer to the Membership page for current fees and membership options. These fees help to cover:
- Facility rentals for training (Kinsmen Fieldhouse, Rollie Miles Track, Foote Field)
- Meet entry fees for club-supported competitions
- Equipment
- Coaching

All Harriers are required to register for an Athletics Alberta membership, that is attached to our club. Fees vary by age group. For athletes registering in the fall (Sept. 1 or later), the membership will extend through to December 31st of the following year.

Athletes are required to wear a club singlet ($50) when competing.

Out-of-town expenses, travel, accommodation and food/incidentals are the responsibility of members.

Athletics Alberta memberships are required for all athletes at all clubs. The membership includes:
- Athletics Canada Membership
- Insurance Coverage (Liability and Sports Injury/Accident Insurance)
- Access to the CAIP program
- Access to Athletics Alberta Partner discounts
- Valid for entry in sanctioned events
- Provincial & National rankings opportunities
- Eligibility for annual awards
- Eligibility to compete in age related Athletics Alberta team competitions


If you have any questions or concerns regarding this membership, please contact Athletics Alberta directly.

The club offers coaching in cross-country running and all track & field events, except for pole vault. Track & field includes running: sprinting, distance running, and hurdling; jumping: long, high, triple; and throwing: shot, discus, javelin and hammer.

Younger athletes (U12 & U14) will be encouraged to take part in many different events. This helps develop all-round athletes, and specialization comes later. Even if you think you know which event you want to specialize in at a very early age, we will strongly encourage you to try other events as well.

X-Country Season: September & October

Indoor Season: November - March

Outdoor Season: April - July/August (depending on qualification for provincial or national events)

How often you train is an individual decision made in consultation with your coach(es).

Young athletes are encouraged to continue with other sports – training in track & field usually benefits other sports a great deal, and vice versa! As you get older, you may want to specialize more and might be doing track & field specific training up to 6 times per week.

As a general guide, most elementary students train twice per week, and junior high & senior high athletes train 2 to 4 times per week (or more), depending on their involvement in other sports and activities.

Training locations and times depend on the time of year. Typically, we train out of the Kinsmen Fieldhouse, Foote Field, Rollie Miles Athletic Park, and Hawrelak Park during weekday afternoons/evenings (after school). The distance group also runs on Saturday mornings. You can find more information here. Finalized schedules will be provided via TeamSnap upon registration.

Practices will usually continue as scheduled, rain or shine, hot or cold. We will, however, cancel if the weather is considered "severe" (i.e. a weather alert has been issued by Environment Canada).

Common reasons for cancellation of outdoor practices include:
- Lightning
- Air quality of 7 or higher
- Temperature of 32°C or higher

Most track meets are held over weekends (Friday-Sunday) throughout the year. You can find a list of meets we typically compete in here. Most track meets that we attend are in the Edmonton area or Calgary. There is also an opportunity to travel further for meets.

Competitions available depend on your age category and, in some cases, ability. There is a great deal of flexibility when it comes to which meets you wish to register for - you get to choose which meets you enter and are not required to attend them all. Your coach(es) will help you decide if a meet will be a good fit for you or not.

Here are some key points to help make life a little easier:

A fairly detailed and accurate meet schedule is usually posted by about Thursday (though it may be as late as Friday) on the Athletics Alberta web site or through Trackie.Reg

The night before the meet, pack your bag – include club singlet and, if you have them, your spikes. Make sure your spikes are regulation length i.e. no more than 7 mm -— check this especially if you have been wearing your spikes for cross-country. No pin spikes allowed. Don’t forget your water bottle – it is very dry in our indoor facilities and you need to take in lots of fluids. A pack of “Hall’s” or something similar might also be included – helps get rid of the coughing many people experience after running. Parking near the Butterdome costs about $5 per day at weekends.

Arrive an hour before your 1st competition – this gives you time to get your bib number, get warmed up etc and avoids panic. Harriers meet in the bleachers area in the Butterdome. Parents who are volunteering can check in at the volunteer desk. Lunch and snacks are usually provided for volunteers. Athletes be sure to bring healthy snacks and a good lunch.

Theft is a problem at the Butterdome. Please have a Harrier parent keep your valuables (phone, wallet etc.)

Bib numbers will be kept by coaches or delegate. Check with your coach first.

Get your number. For sprint events the number usually goes on the back. For all other events it goes on the front. This has been changed at some recent meets – check with your coach.For most competitions Bantams and Peewees will have multiple events. Check what times your events are and don’t be late.

Check the heat sheets to make sure you are entered in the correct events. See a coach or manager if there is a problem.

See your coach about warm up or find other athletes who are in the same event and join them in warm up. Over time you will find what works best for you, but at your first meet it is often good to just join a more experienced athlete and warm up with them rather than wandering alone wondering what to do. Don’t be shy – go over and ask if you can join in with them or get your coach to take you over to them.

The next key element is the check-in. Your check-in time will be announced a number of times. You check in at the “call room” or “call area”, which is by the finish line. They will ask to see your spikes and your number. Once you go in the “call room” you are generally in there till the competition. There is quite a lot of room to warm-up so don’t just sit on the chairs once you are in there – keep stretching, jogging, doing drills etc. (unless your coach tells you otherwise). There are usually 3 announcements for you to check in – 1st call, 2nd call and final call. If you do not check in by final call you will not be allowed to compete. In previous years for the Last Chance Meet you must check in at least 20 mins before your event – it is safer to check in earlier. You must be at the marshalling area at least 10 mins before your event and must stay in the marshalling area after this time.

If you are entered in a field event you check in at the event – not at the call room.

If you have a field event and track event scheduled at the same time, check in at the field event, tell the officials the situation and then go to the check-in area for track to let them know you are there. Again, explain the situation and they should let you go to your field event until shortly before your track event. If you find yourself with an event conflict and you’re not sure, find a coach who will be able to help with any “negotiations” with officials. Bantams and Peewees usually have events scheduled in a conflict free manner.

Track events take precedence – you must explain the situation to the field event officials and then go to the track event. Probably a number of other athletes will have the same conflict so you won’t be alone.

Have a positive attitude. If you concentrate on the other competitors, there can only be one winner i.e. one gold medalist. Concentrate on doing your “Personal Best. This meet is an opportunity for you to establish your PB (personal best). Then you have something to work towards improving during the rest of the season. You won’t improve every time but, over the season, if you work hard, you will improve.

Don’t worry (this applies to parents too). There will be lots of people to help you if you are not sure about something. The idea is to enjoy the sport, not to get too stressed. Parents are generally not allowed on the infield. There is a lot going on at a meet and unfamiliarity can sometimes lead to unfortunate incidents like walking in front of someone about to jump or wandering in front of a throwing area. Especially for pee wees and bantams parents should try to attend as interested spectators, not coaches.

Please treat everyone at the meet with respect – your teammates, your competitors and the officials. If you do that, everyone will be able to be proud of you, whatever your athletic performance.

Remember you are not the only “rookie”. Many out-of-town athletes won’t have even seen an indoor track, might never have seen an indoor shot etc so you have a big advantage over some of them. After a few meets you will get to know many of the other athletes and will find out that this is a very friendly sport. ENJOY THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE!

*** FINALLY – the #1 piece of advice is probably to arrive early – The worse situation is to be unsure of what is going on and to have no time to sort things out. ***

Coaches will be there to help with anything you may not be sure of.

— Written by Phil Booth, Harriers Founder & Coach —

While registering for most meets, you will have the option to submit a seed. A seed is a previous performance in that event that can be verified. Seeds are used when there are enough entries in an event that heats (for track events) or flights (for field events) are required. Your seed (i.e. best previous performance) will determine which athletes are in your heat/flight. For track events especially, being in the final heat with the athletes with the fastest seed times typically means that you will run faster at that meet.

Seeds are optional. You do not need to submit a seed to compete and if you do submit a seed, it must be a performance from a competition that the meet organizers can verify. You may be able to look up your seeds using the Athletics Canada website. If you are keeping track of your performances, make sure to write down the exact date and location (city) of each performance.

Our club is seen as a leader in the Edmonton area in terms of offering services to the general community. We are a club that hosts several races for youngsters throughout the year, and also contributes our part (along with other track clubs) in providing volunteers for other sanctioned events, so parent volunteer involvement is definitely an aspect (and usually an enjoyable one) of membership in the Harriers. Full-year members must fulfill at least 6 volunteer shifts per year per registered athlete member. No prior experience is required for helping out at track meets!

Volunteer Shifts
Generally, our major volunteer commitments are in the cross-country season & indoor season. We host an extremely popular and successful elementary cross country series of 3 races, which requires many volunteers. We also host an elementary indoor relay event in January, which requires “all hands on deck” to make it happen. The commitment requirement for track is small compared with many other sports. However, without this commitment, the sport simply would not exist. When everyone fulfills their commitment, it spreads the load and ensures that no individual or small group is overworked.

Casino
Every 2 years, there is a casino - a major fundraiser for our club. Each family is expected to participate.

Board of Directors
There is also opportunity to fulfill a role within our volunteer Board of Directors. The club operates and is run completely through the efforts of parent Board volunteers. Taking on one of these positions may reduce your other volunteer requirements.