2024 Track & Field
Come join the fun!

Come join the fun this spring, as the runners of Whisper compete in track and field meets around the Portland-metro area. Season, meet, and training registrations are listed below. Training dates, locations, and times are posted on the Calendar. See our season schedule below, and visit our athletic.net page to see current and past season meets (click the down arrow to view past seasons and performances). To get started, see “How to begin training with Whisper” and “How to begin competing with Whisper” below.

2024 TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE (CLICK TO VIEW ATHLETIC.NET + INFO)
Sat, April 20 - USATF Youth Meet at Rex Putnam HS in Milwaukie, OR
Sat, April 27 - Clark County Distance Carnival at Hudson’s Bay HS in Vancouver, WA
Fri-Sat, May 3-4, BYTC Blast at Life Christian School in Aloha, OR
Fri-Sat, May 10-11, Tigard Youth Development Meet at Tigard HS in Tigard, OR
Thurs, May 23 - Oregon Middle School Meet of Champions in Corvallis, OR
Sun-Mon, May 26-27 - Combined Events Festival at Churchill HS in Floyd Halverson Field, OR
Sat, Sun, June 1-2 - Portland Track Festival at Liberty HS in Hillsboro, OR
Sun, June 9 - Albina Invite at Union HS in Vancouver, WA
Wed-Sat, June 12-15, Nike Outdoor Nationals at the U of Oregon in Eugene, OR
Team Registration is $39.

How to begin Training with whisper

Follow the steps below to complete registration for training with Whisper. Visit our Calendar page for training dates, locations, times and more.

how to begin competing with whisper

If your child would like to race with Whisper, the following steps will need to be completed:

1. USATF REGISTRATION: Register with USATF (Whisper Team Code #36-0310 - $33/year). Note: This step takes up to 48 hours to process once a copy of your child’s birth certificate has been uploaded to their USATF profile. Aim to have this done within 7 days of their first race with Whisper.

   1. XC NOTE: Throughout the regular season, all elementary and middle school divisions are combined in XC races, and often combine in track meets. In the post-season (during USATF Junior Olympics), races are separated into age brackets based on year of birth (click to see USATF example). Visit our athletic.net page for meet dates, locations, times and more.

   2. TRACK NOTE: Races are typically divided by age brackets.

2. WHISPER REGISTRATION: Register with Whisper (link at right). This $39 fee helps cover coaches travel and expenses, as well as uniform replacements. Uniforms are free to borrow, but must be returned at the conclusion of the season. Unreturned uniforms are $129.

3. MEET REGISTRATION: Registration covers race entry fees and does not include training. Registration into meets is prepaid by Whisper to host teams, and since there are no refunds by host teams, there will be no refunds for registered athletes who cannot attend for any reason.

See our Join the Team Q & A blog post FAQ responses.

Annual Training Membership

The Annual Training Membership (ATM) is a year-round training package for committed runners aiming to compete at their most optimal level of performance. The Annual takes the place of a Runcard, enabling your child to attend any and all training sessions. If your child plans to attend both Winter Training and Summer Training, as well as training sessions in the spring and fall months, then the package is the most economical way to go. Please talk with your child to gauge their desire and commitment level before purchasing. See below for rates:

• Currently in grade 9, 10, or 11 - $999

• Currently in grade 8 - $1,299

• Currently in grade 5, 6, or 7 - $1,599

• Currently in grade 12 - since our child will be graduating in June, there is no need to purchase an Annual Training Membership. A Winter Training registration or Runcard will still be required.

• Runners in grades 3-5 are on a case-by-case basis. During Winter Training, most 8-10 year old runners will train on Monday & Wednesday evenings only.

• Rates include team registration fee (if your child is an Annual member, racing is implied).

The varying rates reflect contact time. 9th-12th grade runners may perform all off-season and pre-season workouts with Whisper, then they train and compete with their school program once their seasons officially begin. Once their season(s) conclude, they may then resume with Whisper. 8th grade runners may train and compete with Whisper until the start of their freshman year of high school, at which time they will train and compete solely with their school program. Once their season conclude, they may then resume with Whisper. 5th-7th grade runners may train and compete with Whisper year-round.

Installments are welcomed. Please talk with Coach Dave about payment options.

It’s important to communicate that I understand financial hardships, and at this time, our non-profit is not yet established to accept applications for sponsoring runners. If you have 2+ children interested in the Annual Training Membership, the first child is full price, while any additional child is 15% off the lowest rate.

uniforms, warm-ups, and travel

Uniforms: Included with registration as season rentals. Uniform replacement is $129.

Warm-Ups: The optional warm-up set is $150 and includes a jacket and sweat bottoms.

Travel: One of the many considerations when joining any program is the expense of travel. Parents are responsible for their child’s travel to and from all practice and meet events. The Whisper Calendar may include information on travel, such as meet location, mode of travel, lodging, food options and more, particularly and as we near the JO meets. A sincere effort is made to help reduce costs by seeking team booking discounts at nearby hotels of the events when necessary. Additionally, during the JO season, team dinners are always encouraged, as they provide a time for the runners to get to know one another beyond the sport of running.

The team goal for Whisper is to compete in the USATF or AAU National Cross Country Meet in December and we would love for your child to participate with us! If you have any questions about competing, training, joining the team, or anything else related to Whisper, please contact Coach Dave using the Contact link at the top-right of this page or via email. Thank you!

EXTRA, EXTRA!

2023 in Review: Whisper continues growing post-COVID, with it’s largest contingent of runners reppin’ Whisper at USATF Junior Olympic XC Nationals! See the Year in Review video!

2022 in Review: There’s been a youth movement at Whisper, with a strong contingent of returning runners for Junior Olympics. See the 2022 Year in Review video!

2020 JO’s: 2020 came out swingin’, but Whisper fought back, providing a safe place for training, companionship, personal running challenges, and long-lasting memories. Check out the highlights from 2020, as well as the results from the National USATF JO races!

2019 JO’s: See highlights from the 2019 year of training, racing, and USATF JO experiences, including the final race of the year in Madison, Wisconsin! Click to see Team Whisper results from the Association, Region, and National meets!

2018 JO’s: Check-out the latest video created by Lindsay Owen, highlighting the 2018 year of training, racing, and USATF JO experiences! Click on the respective links to see Team Whisper results from the 2018 Association, Region, and National meets!

2017 JO’s: Check-out the video created by Lindsay Owen, sister of Candi Owen, who was a participant on the 2017 National team! Click on the respective links to see Team Whisper results from the 2017 Association, Region, and National meets!