Why AAU Strength Sports is a win for TJB

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The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of America’s oldest and most influential amateur sport organizations, founded in 1888 to create standards and uniformity in amateur athletics. In its early decades, AAU helped represent the United States in international sport and worked closely with the Olympic movement; after the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, AAU refocused its mission on broad, grassroots participation—living out its “Sports for All, Forever” philosophy through local clubs, licensed events, and national championships across dozens of sports. Today, AAU reports nearly 800,000 participants nationwide and over 150,000 volunteers, reflecting the scale of its impact and the opportunity it creates for youth, adults, and families to compete in organized, insured, rules-based sport.

AAU Strength Sports gives TJB a true development league—a place where beginners and growing athletes can compete safely, learn meet flow, and build confidence without the pressure of qualifying totals. AAU’s broader mission is grassroots sport participation—programming “for all participants…beginning at the grass roots level”—which aligns with TJB’s purpose of removing barriers and keeping sport accessible. This means TJB can recruit and retain athletes earlier (and keep them longer): youth and seniors citizens who are still learning technique, teens who are building consistency, adults who want to compete locally, and families who are looking for a supportive competitive environment. AAU is where potential becomes performance—one meet at a time.

AAU Strength Sports is a perfect fit for TJB’s community model because it supports family participation—siblings and parents can train and compete together, often in the same season and sometimes at the same event. That “whole family” culture is exactly how TJB grows participation and keeps athletes engaged year-round. AAU lets TJB build lifelong athletes—not just meet-day lifters—because families stay when they feel included, welcomed, and coached up.

TJB was founded to make strength sports more accessible in Kern County, and AAU Strength Sports helps TJB deliver something Kern County needs: a nearby entry point for athletes who want to compete but aren’t ready—or able—to travel for every opportunity. If you live in Kern County and you want a real start in Strength Sports, AAU Strength Sports with TJB is the lowest-barrier way to begin competing—safely, locally, and consistently.