Meet Info

If your child is attending a meet, please mark it in the Game Changer app the Monday before the scheduled event. 

• Coaches try to tailor your child's workouts to the events they will be competing in each week. Additionally, if your child is part of a relay team and cannot participate, it's important for us to know so we can arrange a replacement for that week.
• On meet days, we communicate important information exclusively through the GameChanger app, adding everyone that has RSVP'd yes to attending the meet. This process is usually completed by Friday or Saturday, and we are unable to remove anyone from the group once the meet has started. 

Please remember parent/guardian attendance is mandatory at any meet that your child is attending. 

Family: Meet day is a great day to spend outdoors while enjoying the sport of Track & Field. There is no entry fee so you are welcome to bring family and friends to cheer. 

Children are NEVER to play under the stands. Please bring something to keep them busy. 

The 2026 Spring Jr. Track and Field season will be a four meet season for most of our athletes.  The last two meets will only be open to athletes that meet certain qualifying results.  Your coaches or the commissioner will let you know if you qualify for meets five and six.

 Striders meets are on Sundays.  Meet host locations rotate between Fairlawn, Rutherford, East Rutherford, Englewood, Hackensack, and Mahwah.

April 12 - Meet 1- Fairlawn HS

April 19 - Meet 2 - Mahwah HS

April 26 - Meet 3 - East Rutherford Riggins Memorial Field 

May 3 - Meet 4 - Hackensack HS

May 17 - Junior Olympic Prep Meet - Rutherford Memorial Field

May 31 - Invitational -  Winton White Stadium - Englewood

Find exact address and directions under our Locations tab or in our event details on the app

The four meets open to all our athletes are developmental in nature and split sessions.

• Ages 7-10 (DOB 2016-2019), arrive by 11:30am. Meet begins at 12pm and ends around 2:30pm.
• Ages 11+ (DOB 2012-2015),  arrive by 2:15pm. Meet is scheduled to begin at 2:45pm but could be delayed based on 10u group.  Meet estimated to end by 5:30pm.

The last two meets are geared for athletes who have qualified or are aiming to participate in the Jr. Olympic programs. Coaches are no longer on the field and athletes are expected to be more attuned to the expectations of attending a meet. These are fully contested, single-session events. Athletes should plan to arrive early based on their event schedules to avoid missing their events.  Most athletes will only attend the first four meets. If you're uncertain about attending after that, please consult Luis Argueta or any other coach.  

A top 8 finish at any of our meets will qualify the athlete to compete at the state meet.  From there a top 6 finish qualifies them for the regional meet. 

State, Regional, and National meets are outside of the Saddle Brook recreational season and solely parents responsibility if you choose to attend.

State Championships will be June 6 & 7 in Plainfield (HUB-Stine Field)

USATF National Outdoor Youth Athletics are June 30 - July 03 @ Randalls Island, NYC

Regional Jr. Olympic event will take place July 9-11 @ Moravian University, Bethlehem, PA

USATF National Junior Olympics take place July 27 - August 02 @ Cerritos College, California

Split Session Team Warm Ups

• The 10u group will warm up on the field, with coaches, at 11:30 am.
• The 11+ group will warm up either on the field or on the side of the field around 2:15pm.

Single Session Team Warm Ups

• We will have a group warm up for any athletes present 30 minutes before the first event.  After that each athlete will be responsible for warming up on their own. 

Please ensure that absolutely no parents or unassigned coaches are on the field of play during the meet. We can be disqualified as a team if this policy is not followed.

Athletes MUST attend the meet in uniform and with their bib safety-pinned to the front of their racing top with four safety pins. 

Be sure your child’s shoelaces are tight & double knotted. They cannot be touching the ground. For information on sneaker type, please see our footwear section. 

Don’t forget your sunscreen! These can be long days under the sun.

Every athlete will be given one bib with a number on it, per season, along with four safety pins. 

• This bib number is your child’s ID while competing and the only way the judges and referees can identify your child. 
• This number is the same for all regular season meets and for the USATF Prelim Qualifier if they choose to go into the USATF Junior Olympic circuit. 
• Bibs need to be fastened to the FRONT of the TANK (racing top) and pinned in all four corners.
• These bibs are ONLY to be worn at the meets. 
• Do not throw the bib away and do not wash it. There is a color- coded dot on the bib that tells officials on the field what age group your athlete is competing in. 

                   Please check the color-coded dot on your athlete’s bib; if they lose the sticker, bring it to a                   coaches’ attention so it can be fixed before the start of the meet. 

• You must go to the press box before a meet to receive a replacement number. 
• The new bib number will REPLACE the old in the computer.
• The cost of replacement is a mandatory $10 and is paid by the parent at the time of replacement.  An athlete cannot compete without a bib. 

The team has a canopy with a Saddle Brook banner set up. Please report to this canopy when you arrive.  We will announce the location (if it's not easy to spot) on meet day through the GameChanger app. 

The canopy is not big enough for everyone and simply considered a home base.  Remember to bring your own lawn chairs, umbrellas, etc. to protect yourself from the elements and to enjoy the action.

We encourage you to stay and cheer on your fellow Saddle Brook team but when your child is done competing, they may leave after alerting one of the coaches. 

Coaches will assist your child in deciding which events to compete in.  Initially we encourage you to stick to two events, especially for the younger kids. 

• Max permitted events: We permit ages 8 and under to participate in one to two events depending on the meet.  For the first meet we only allow sprints and then add jumps for future meets.  Ages 9+  are permitted 2 events max unless they have coach permission for a third event.
• The age group in which your athlete competes is determined by their year of birth. If they are 10 years old today but will turn 11 by December 31, 2026, they will compete in the 11-12 year-old age group.  This is regulated under USATF guidelines with no exception.
• Track events run concurrently with field events, which may lead to scheduling conflicts. In most cases, you should first check in at the field event and inform them that you are heading to your race. After completing your race, promptly return to the field event. If you are unsure about what to do, please ask a coach or field judge for guidance.

To learn more about types of events at track and field meets, see our Terminology and Rules tab. 

• Better nutrition = better performance! Limit or eliminate the junk.
• Athletes should have plenty of water or Gatorade with them. 
• Try not to let them eat anything too fatty or heavy before their race. 
• Low-fat, low-sugar snacks like whole-grain food bars and nuts are recommended. They provide a good source of energy. 
• Fruit, or raw vegetables, are a good alternative to sugary snacks and help replace lost minerals and help balance electrolytes. 
• Please be aware of garbage and respect the hosting teams’ facility by discarding any litter. 

Meets are only canceled under severe conditions but some events might be cancelled due to safety concerns.  We will alert everyone through the GameChanger app as soon as officials make a determination.

Parents be aware some of the sites’ parking lots will fill up before noon on meet day. Please plan to arrive early.

Results: Most results for the 10u group are available on the day of the meet and posted outside the press box.  Parents are not permitted in the press box.  

Results for the 11+ group will either be posted outside the press box by the end of the meet or on the NJStriders website by Tuesday.  

If you have an issue with results after the meet, do NOT email NJStriders. Reach out to Luis Argueta or see a coach at practice and they will follow up with NJStriders.

For races where a runner was accidentally overlooked, providing NJStriders with the numbers of other runners in the group proved very useful. This process was significantly facilitated when a parent had a video or picture of the race finish. While not mandatory, it's a good practice to consider.

We also post results directly on our website but without all the other team's results.  This is a manual process and takes us some time but is a great reference tool as the season progresses.  You can find this info on our Results tab. 

Press Box: Commissioner and Commissioner's assignee are the only individuals permitted by NJ Striders to approach the press box with meet questions, result inquiries, etc. If there is an issue, please see Luis Argueta (commissioner) or a coach. 

Every child who competes in a meet receives a ribbon regardless of placement. 

• Ribbons from the meet are distributed at the end of practice on the following Wednesday or Friday. If your athlete misses this practice, Vanessa Argueta will hold onto their ribbon.
• 1st-6th place receive placement ribbons in each event.
• The May 31st Invitational awards medals to the top three finishers in each event, except for the relay race, which awards ribbons. Finishers in places 4-6 will also receive ribbons.