Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the financial commitment?
  $450 for the summer: $350 (USATF membership, Meet Entry Fees, Impact Physical Therapy, Track Rental Fee, Gear, Equipment, & more) and a $100 non-refundable registration fee.

• Does the team fundraise?
  • Yes, there is a mandatory fundraising requirement for all athletes, or an additional fundraising fee is charged. 
  • Mandatory Fundraising Fee of $528, boxes 1-32 on the “adopt-the-box” card

• How long is the summer season?
  • Last week of May through the end of July
  • Summer is a 10-week season
  • 3-5 meets

• Where are practices located?
  • Champaign, IL, Judah Christian
  • Kankakee IL, KHS Track
  • Chicago Heights/Ford Heights Sight TBA

• Are practices open or closed?
  • Youth practices are open; parents are required to be present during the practice for 12 and under athletes
  • Jr. High and High School practices are close; parents are welcome to observe/No outside coaching

• Is practice mandatory?
  • Mondays are mandatory
  • Thursday Relay practices are mandatory for relay member
     you will be notified in advance of these days

• How are relays picked?
  • Top four athletes from the event coming out of High school and Jr. High season
    Pending the summer registration number, we assess all the athletes and, if/when possible, put together A, B, and C relays. That is the best thing about summer track!

• If you signed an NLI to compete in college after senior season, can you still run in the summer?
  • Yes
  • Coaches want you to continue doing what you were doing to get recruited and come into the season in shape. If you are going division 1 and you come in out of shape, it can be painful for the first 2 months for you.
  • You will have a whole month off after the summer season from Aug 1st  to Labor Day Sep 5th

• Is there an athlete cap?
  • Youth ages 8-12, Yes (10-15 athletes)
  • Currently, there is no cap for Jr. High & High School (pending the number of coaches)

• Do we have to run in every competition?
  • No, a list of the mandatory meets for qualification marks will be provided
    (Regionals and Nationals are met that need qualifying marks)

• Do I need a USATF Membership?
  • Yes, we will help you get set up.
  • If you currently have a USATF membership, you will have to switch your membership over to The Vipers Track Club 21-0606, zip code 61802