Frequently Asked Questions
Where do the Thunderbirds train?
We offer training across three locations, Vancouver (UBC), Burnaby (Swangard Stadium), and Surrey (North Surrey), you can find a full list of practice times on our calendar page here.
Is training done year-round?
Training with the Thunderbirds is offered Year Round, save for scheduled breaks during the month of August and over the winter school holiday. Start/End times each season will vary by event group, for a general overview of the basic season structure, please see Thunderbirds Development Pathway section below.
What are the attendance requirements?
While athletes are welcome and encouraged to attend as many sessions each week as they wish, we do not have any attendance requirements and are supportive of those who may only wish to attend 1-2 practices amongst other extracurricular activities. We do not offer prorated memberships for athletes attending fewer than the available practices each week.
When should I register?
We accept new members on an ongoing basis and try to offer a variety of membership lengths (Fall/Summer seasonal, yearly etc.) to accomodate as many athletes as possible. Each fall we offer a special promotional offer for members in their first year with the club (previous summer members included) which includes 16 months for the price of 12 (September of current year to December of following year). Memberships for all our locations and age groups are available after August 15th of each year at the link below.
Can I try some practices before registering?
While there is no performance standard necessary to join our club, we do encourage all prospective members to consider our Trial Membership as a way of getting a feel for what the Thunderbirds have to offer. This option allows athletes interested in our club to attend three consecutive practices without committing to a full membership. The $15.75 fee covers the cost of our requisite provincial sports insurance and is fully refundable should you proceed with enrolment in the club using the code TRAIN2023. You can find out more about the Trial membership at the link below.
Where do I fit into the club structure?
Thunderbirds Development Pathway
JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT (9-13)
The JD group is for athletes 9 to 13 (by Dec 31st of the calendar year). This group focuses on exposure to all events within track and field and cross-country. Athletes are expected to practice all events to give them a foundation in sprints, throws, jumps, hurdles and distance so that they can be well-rounded and discovery what events they enjoy, have a preference and/or ability in. It is not uncommon to see abilities and interests change as an athlete grows, so experiencing all events is an important feature of this group. Athletes younger and older than outlines above are and have been included in this group on a case-by-case basis. While competition is encouraged and opportunities to do so are provided, there is no requirement to compete.
The cross-country season runs late August until the end of October. While for those sprint focussed/non-cross-country athletes shorter, non-distance workouts are included during this season, some athletes choose to forgo the cross-country season and begin JD training at the end of the xc season when winter training begins in November. Winter (a combination of indoor and outdoor training focussing on track and field skills) goes until the middle of March. Spring and summer track run from the end of March through until the end of July/beginning of August.
Expectations are that the athletes come to practice ready to: have fun, explore all events, try their best, expect to learn and improve their skills over time, and work cooperatively and respectfully with coaches, fellow athletes and occasional parent volunteers.
13 year old athletes have the option of working out with both the JD Group and older Development group until they fully transition into the Development group. 12 year olds may, on a case by case, basis transition into the Development group. On occasion a JD athlete, if they have a particular passion and have shown the requisite ability in that area, may move into one of the Intermediate groups (sprints/hurdles, jumps, distance, or throws)
*GENERAL DEVELOPMENT (13-16) - UBC Location Only
The Development group, for athletes 13 to 16, is an extension of the JD Program but focuses only on Power/Speed events: sprints, hurdles, jumps, throws. Athletes younger than 13 and older than 16 are and have been included in this group on a case-by-case basis.
It is expected that athletes in this group are looking to narrow their focus on events that they wish to compete in for their schools and or the club. Competing is not initially expected but encouraged, especially as the athletes ages.
Expectations are that the athletes: come to practices prepared to focus, do their best to improve, work hard, begin to compete and develop annual goals, follow instructions and encourage and be respectful of their fellow athletes.
Younger athletes in this group may on a case-by-case basis, work with both the Development Group and the younger JD group until they fully transition into the Development group.
As Development athletes gravitate to the events that they have a passion for/show ability in they will be encouraged to join in events specific workouts, examples being: javelin, circle throws, hurdles, horizontal jumps (long and triple) and high jump and pole-vault.
Athletes may also work between/with both the Development group and the Intermediate Distance group.
As the Development athletes focus on competing more it is expected that they would transition into the Intermediate Power/Speed group or into one of the other Intermediate Groups (throws, distance).
*At North Surrey and Burnaby locations, athletes will transition from Junior Development directly into Intermediate groups at their coaches’ discretion.
INTERMEDIATE POWER/SPEED (16+)
The Intermediate Power/Speed group consists of athletes anywhere from 15yo to 18yo as well as university age sprinters and older that have a primary focus on sprints, hurdles, and horizontal and/or vertical jumps. These athletes have shown the focus and consistency to attain the goals they have set. Intermediate group athletes are expected to develop annual and, in some cases, multi-year competition goals, follow a plan, and work consistently towards reaching those goals. This may/will require them to work both as part of the group but also on their own on non-group workout days. The Intermediate Power/Speed group parallels the club’s other Intermediate groups in distance, muti-events and circle throws. Intermediate athletes are free to work between these groups.
INTERMEDIATE & SENIOR ENDURANCE (16+)
These groups focus on endurance events ranging from 800m to 10,000m on the track (including age-specific variations such as 2000m, 3000m, etc.), Cross Country, and Road Racing. Endurance practices are typically held 2-3 times per week, with supplemental training (long runs, easy runs etc.) prescribed on a group-specific basis by the appropriate coach.
Are there financial supports available?
We are committed to ensuring that finances are never a barrier to youth participating in our club. For those who wish to pay the cost of yearly membership in instalments, we offer payment plan options with the choice of 25% or 50% instalments paid every 3-6 months. Linked below are application forms to Jumpstart, Athletes4Kids and KidSport, three organizations that we partner with to subsidize registration costs for our club. We do not offer prorated memberships.
Kid Sport Application Vancouver
Are there any additional fees I should expect?
Included in the price of membership is all training and programming provided by the club. In most cases, competition fees are the responsibility of individual athletes/families, with the exception of club-endorsed relays and national championships (Legions, U20 Nationals, Olympic Trials etc.) for club members qualified to a provincial team.
Does my registration include provincial/national sport federation membership?
New for 2023/2024, individual members are required to register with their respective Athletics Canada affiliated member branch directly. While Thunderbirds membership fees have historically included the non-refundable BC Athletics/Athletics Canada annual competitive membership fee, this will no longer be the case moving forward. Individual athletes/guardians must complete registration with their respective Provincial Sports organization (BC Athletics) and select membership with the Vancouver Thunderbirds Track & Field Club (TBIR) using the following registration portal:
https://athleticsreg.ca/#!/events/vancouver-thunderbirds-2024