INFORMATION FOR OFFICIALS

PROCESS FOR SELECTING USATF CERTIFIED OFFICIALS FOR OLYMPIC TRACK & FIELD TRIALS
This fall, every National or Master level official will be mailed an application to officiate at the national meets. (If you are a current certified official at that level and do not receive an application, contact Linda Melzer at lmelzer@sbeglobal.net). 3000 applications will be mailed, and the Selection Committee expects 600 to 800 to be returned. The Committee will select approximately 150 officials for the Olympic Track & Field Trials, and will also select officials for the Indoor Nationals, the Indoor Combined Events, and the Junior Nationals at the same time.

The Committee will look for the following:
   • Was the application on time?
   • Was the application filled out correctly?
   • Was the application legible?
   • Did the official work USATF sanctioned meets including Junior Olympics, Masters, etc.?
   • Did the official work outside his or her association?

The Selection Committee will go through each event, discussing individual applicants and looking at the meets an official lists as having worked. They will check the evaluations turned in for an official at the meets where he or she officiated. The Committee will select officials for each event using all the information gathered about each individual.

How to Become an Oregon Track Club Official

There is an ongoing need in Eugene and throughout Oregon for track and field officials. If you have an interest and are least age 16, there is a place for you at the youth, high school, college, open, Masters and Special Olympics levels. Track and field officials donate their time, and generally receive only lunch and the thanks of the meet director and the athletes for a good day’s work.  

It is to everyone’s benefit for all officials to be certified by USA Track & Field (USATF), the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. When officials become certified, it assures they have received some basic education and training and are covered by insurance when helping at USATF sanctioned meets. The cost of the initial four-hour training clinic is approximately $50, and includes a training manual and a current rule book. Renewal takes place every four years, with an opportunity to apply for the next level of certification at that time. 

The Training Coordinator (Rod Wood) and the Certification Coordinator (Mike Olsen) for the Officials Committee of the Oregon Association of USATF, along with the Oregon Track Club Officials Committee, are responsible for the certification, training, mentoring and oversight of the officials in the Eugene area, in coordination with the University of Oregon Athletic Department. 

Upcoming Certification Clinics will be listed on this page. If you would like to be included on a contact list for future Training and Certification Clinics, contact Rod Wood at  541-767-2499 or woodeyedoc@aol.com, or Mike Olsen at 541-344-9664 or miktul@aol.com.

Scholarships for the cost of the initial certification training and rule book for new officials may be available on request. These scholarships are funded by donations from Masters track and field athletes who participate in the annual Hayward Classic at Hayward Field. Contact Ruth BreMiller at 687-9675 for more information about this assistance.