Our sprints run about $40-60 around here. No, you don't get a lot from your USAT membership per se, but the best part about the organization is the benefits you get at the race. USAT sanctioned events carry insurance (important if you're injured), and must provide officials to make sure that there is little rule breaking (which is good if you're placing as an age grouper and want a fair playing field- not that I'd know about placing). That's not to say that non-sanctioned races aren't good, but I usually won't race one if it's not USAT sanctioned. That's where most of the membership fees go to- I gladly pay them. Not a big deal to me- besides, this sport is so expensive anyway- a measly 39 bucks more hardly seems like a dent. But- that being said, if I was doing less than 4 races a year, I would just fork over the $10 per race for the one day pass and save some money.