For all Track & Field Age groupings, age is determined by your age on December 31st of each year, not when you turn a specific age.  For example, your child is 13 years old and turns 14 on December 15th. Your child will compete as a 14 year old.

 

Both USATF & AAU have Qualifying meets where you must qualify to advance from the Association (State) meet (usually held in Mid-June), then to a Regional Meet (in Early July), and then to the Junior Olympics (JO) in Late July (USATF)/First of August AAU). For AAU, when your state hosts the Junior Olympics, you do not have to attend a Regional Meet, just qualify within the top six in any event, and you qualify for the JO (USATF does not have this rule, you must always qualify from a Regional meet.