"You can have lots of fun and you can learn how to run faster," Brielle Asato, 9, of Renegades Track Club said.

Hawai'i's USATF Junior Olympic Program features divisions for athletes of all ages, including bantam (born 1995 or later), midget (1993-94), youth (1991-92), intermediate (1989-90), young men/women (1987-88) and open (1986 or older).

"We go from 7 to 70, because we have everything from little kids to the masters, so they get to see the continuum and that it's a sport you can continue for life," Hawai'i Association USA Track & Field president Dick Sutton said.

Clubs are from O'ahu, including the Kane'ohe Wildcats, Leeward Track Club, Mililani Track Club, Hawai'i Kai Track Club, Kailua Track Club and Schofield Stallions.

It's the same program that helped decathlete Clay, who won last week's U.S. outdoor track and field championships and was the silver medalist at the 2004 Olympics, get his start.

The meets run Saturdays at Kaiser High School. Track events include the 100, 200, 800, 1,500, 3,000, 5,000 and 50, 200, and 400 hurdles, and field events include long, triple and high jumps, discus, shot put, and pole vault.

"It taught me a lot of discipline, and that the littlest things make the biggest difference," said sprinter Joshua Villoria, the state high school 100-meter champ, who joined Renegades Track Club two years ago and said it helped him to gain his championship form.

Ten-year-old Tiana Adams leaps into the pit during the bantam long jump competition at Kaiser High School.

"I believe we can take it to the nationals," Villoria said. "We're hoping to hit low 40s."

A trio of Hawai'i Kai Track Club members all joined for different reasons, but all said they would stick with the program.

Ka'eo Kealoha-Lindsey, 11, said he joined because a lot of his friends were involved in track.

"It's fun; I just like running," the soon-to-be sixth-grader at Our Redeemer said. "Track helps me in soccer, just to stay in shape."

Eleven-year-old Drew Honda, of Kamehameha, said he joined because of his parents.

Darrin Schwartz (10) sprints to victory in the 100-meter bantam class.

Hawai'i USA Track & Field Junior Olympic Program WHERE: Kaiser High School Track WHEN: 7:30 a.m. (Sign-up begins at 7 a.m.) DATES: Preliminary meet, tomorrow. Association championships, July 9. Association relay championships, July 16. FEE: USATF Registration, $15. INFORMATION: Dick Sutton at 255-2606 or dsutton@lava.net.

He said he enjoys it now because, "I became faster."

Scott Raymond, 12, who will be a seventh-grader at Niu Valley in the fall, said his older brother, Tommy, was the reason he started running.

"My brother ran track and he thought I should try it if I wanted to succeed in anything else," said Scott. He said he will continue to run, "because it's something to do, for one thing, and I don't like sitting around the house the whole time."

Brother and sister Brielle and Reese, 6, Asato, are members of Renegades Track Club.

Brielle said she enjoys track and she likes "winning a ribbon."

She said when she runs, she tries to remember to "keep your elbows at a 90 degree angle," and that track helps her when she plays baseball, because it makes her faster.

Her younger brother said he likes USATF Junior Olympics because "they put the people that are small in the front."

Leeward Track Club member Natasha Minor, 17, said she participates in track every summer for the scholarships.

"I want to get into college, so I figured track would help me," she said. "The thought of winning gives you a lot of pride and joy."

Notes

All competitors/athletes must be current individual members of USATF. Individual memberships are $15 per year.