Programs
Training gets you ready. The team takes you national.
Two programs that feed each other. One-on-one coaching builds the athlete; the club races the national schedule. Most of our athletes do both — but you can start with either.
Personal Training
Build the athlete first.
Get ready for the national schedule.
One-on-one sessions with Coach Church — an All-American sprinter and a New Mexico State record holder — built around a single athlete's events, training age and goals. This is where technique, strength and race craft get built: the work that earns a place on a national start list.
Every plan starts with an assessment and changes as the athlete does. Personal training runs alongside the club program or entirely on its own, and it's open to athletes who have never worn spikes as well as to those chasing a college mark.
- One-on-one sessions with Coach Caprice Church
- A plan built around your events, not a generic template
- Open to first-timers and experienced competitors alike
- Available with or without club membership
Best for athletes who are…
- New to track and figuring out which events fit
- Coming back from injury or a season off
- Chasing a specific mark or a qualifying standard
- Training around another sport's season
AAU + USATF
Then take it to the country.
Compete on the national schedule.
Our competitive program trains and races the full calendar — indoor, outdoor and cross country — against the best clubs in the region and at AAU and USATF national championships.
The travel program asks for real commitment from athletes and parents alike. Meets take us across the country, and families travel together. That shared investment is a large part of why the culture here holds.
- Year-round training across indoor, outdoor and cross country
- AAU and USATF sanctioned competition
- Regional and national championship meets
- Full participation expected from athletes and parents
Best for athletes who are…
- Ready to race a full season, not just a few meets
- Aiming at AAU or USATF national qualification
- Building a record that college coaches can see
- Families able to travel with the team
How they work together
A national schedule isn’t something you sign up for. It’s something you earn.
- 01
Train
One-on-one coaching builds the technique, strength and race craft an athlete needs before a national schedule is realistic.
- 02
Compete
The club races the regional calendar year-round — indoor, outdoor and cross country — where those standards actually get run.
- 03
Qualify
Marks from that calendar are what put an athlete on an AAU or USATF national start list, and on a college coach's list.
Side by side
Not sure where your athlete fits? This is the short version.
| Feature | Personal Training | Team Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Coaching format | One-on-one | Squad training |
| Season | Year-round, flexible | Indoor · Outdoor · Cross country |
| Competition | Optional | Regional through national |
| Travel | — | Required — families travel together |
| AAU / USATF sanctioned | — | Yes |
| Good starting point for newcomers | Yes | — |
| Builds a record college coaches can see | Supports it | Yes |
The competitive year
One sport. Three seasons. Twelve months of development.
Track isn’t a spring sport that happens to have an off-season. Cross country builds the engine, indoor rebuilds the mechanics, and outdoor is where both turn into marks that count. Athletes who train all three arrive at championship season with something the one-season athlete simply hasn’t had time to build.
Fall
Cross Country
Builds: The engine
Distance over varied terrain, in packs, in all weather. Cross country builds the aerobic base every other season draws down on — and it builds the part of an athlete that keeps going when a race stops being comfortable.
What this season develops
- Aerobic capacity and endurance
- Pack racing and race tactics
- Mental toughness over 5K of hills and mud
- Injury resilience from soft-surface volume
Where we train
Local parks across Long Island
Cross country moves between local parks through the fall. Locations go out to families ahead of each week.
Winter
Indoor Training
Builds: The mechanics
Winter moves indoors. Out of the weather and into a controlled space, this becomes the technical season — the months for rebuilding how an athlete moves, adding strength, and doing the unglamorous work nobody sees until spring.
What this season develops
- Sprint mechanics and acceleration
- Strength and conditioning that carries into spring
- Drill and technique work, uninterrupted by weather
- Consistency through the months most athletes take off
Where we train
Indoor facility — announced before the season
Winter training moves indoors. The facility is confirmed and shared with registered families ahead of the season.
Spring & Summer
Outdoor Track & Field
Builds: The result
The championship season. A full event menu, an outdoor track, and the meets that decide who travels — this is where the base from the fall and the mechanics from the winter turn into marks that qualify for AAU and USATF nationals.
What this season develops
- The full event menu — sprints, distance, jumps, throws
- Peaking for a championship date
- Qualifying marks for AAU and USATF nationals
- The record college coaches actually read
Where we train
Outdoor track — Long Island
Outdoor season runs through the spring and summer on a full outdoor track. The location is confirmed with families ahead of the season.
Practice days and times vary by season and age group. Get in touch and we’ll send you the current schedule.
Cost
Two ways to start
Rates depend on the season and the programme, so tell us which one fits and we’ll send you current pricing along with practice times. Either button below carries your choice straight into the form.
Booked by the session
Private Training
One-on-one work with Coach Church — New York State 400m champion and a New Mexico State record holder. Book sessions individually, alongside club training or entirely on their own.
- One-on-one coaching with Coach Church
- A plan built around your events and goals
- Open to first-timers and experienced competitors
- Available with or without club membership
Weekly or monthly
Join the Club
Train and practise with the squad year-round — cross country in the fall, indoors through the winter, outdoor track in the spring and summer — and race the AAU and USATF calendar.
- Group training and practice, by the week or the month
- AAU and USATF sanctioned competition
- Regional through national championship meets
- Coaching from the full Metropolis staff
Competing beyond local meets? See what a full season costs — entry fees, memberships and travel, with monthly payment plans for club training.
Before your first meet
AAU and USATF membership
Club dues cover training. Competing is separate: every athlete needs their own AAU and/or USATF membership, bought directly from the governing body. Register under our club code and you’re affiliated with Metropolis from day one — no reassignment needed later.
AAU
$22–$24 per yearAmateur Athletic Union
Required to compete in any AAU-licensed event, including the AAU national championships our travel team races.
Membership year: 1 September – 31 August. Check which year you’re buying if you’re joining close to the changeover.
Join AAU →Our AAU Club Code
Get in touch and we’ll send it over so your athlete registers under Metropolis.
USATF
$35 base, $38.88 with feesUSA Track & Field
The Individual Youth Membership covers athletes 18 and under and makes them eligible for local, regional and national USATF competition.
Join USATF →Our USATF Club ID
Get in touch and we’ll send it over so your athlete registers under Metropolis.
Fees and dates above are the governing bodies’ own published rates and change from year to year — their sites are the authority. Already registered without a club code? Tell us and we’ll get your athlete affiliated to Metropolis.
Planning ahead
Where the national championships are, through 2033
The AAU publishes its Junior Olympic Games host cities eight years in advance. Two of the next seven are close enough to drive — which makes a national championship dramatically more affordable in those years. If a family is going to make one national trip, this is how you pick the summer.
| Year | Host city | Dates | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Houston, Texas | 26 Jul – 7 Aug | Fly |
| 2028 | Baltimore, Maryland | 24 Jul – 5 Aug | Drive — About four hours away |
| 2029 | Greensboro, North Carolina | 23 Jul – 4 Aug | Fly |
| 2030 | Des Moines, Iowa | 22 Jul – 3 Aug | Fly |
| 2031 | Houston, Texas | 21 Jul – 2 Aug | Fly |
| 2032 | Baltimore, Maryland | 26 Jul – 7 Aug | Drive — About four hours away |
| 2033 | Greensboro, North Carolina | 25 Jul – 6 Aug | Fly |
Qualifying for the Junior Olympic Games means placing at a district qualifier and then a regional. Most of our athletes compete locally and never travel — that’s a full season too. Ask us what a season looks like for your athlete.
Still not sure which fits?
Tell us your athlete’s age, events and experience and we’ll point you to the right program. You can also reach us directly at hello@metropolisli.org.
Get started