Nineteen ninety-eight was quite a year for me, personally, and for On Track. This past year I retired from California State University at Los Angeles where I taught for some 38 years, much of which was also spent coaching Field and Track. My retirement luncheon was truly a sentimental journey through the many years of contact with great coaches, teachers and scholar/athletes. Now that my work at Cal State has come to an end, I look forward to spending even more time with you, the On Track customer.

As I mentioned, On Track has experienced great things of late, as well. I am very pleased to report that our Big Stick vaulting poles are making major inroads at championship meets including last years woman’s NCAA Championships, as well as many high school boys’ and girls’ competitions. I am extremely encouraged for the future of this sport, now that so many young women are developing an interest in it and sports governing bodies are responding to their enthusiasm. Currently, the California State meet features a girls’ competition, as do a number of other states, and so will the NCAA this year. If you are a coach or athlete interested in exploring the possibility of beginning your own vaulting program, I invite you to contact me by phone, fax, mail or e-mail, and I can refer you to experts in this area.

I have also been very gratified to see that On Track throwing implements have been making their mark in many elite meets such as the recent Goodwill Games. Hand-in-hand with these implements, our exclusive training aids—such as indoor hammers, puds and sure grip balls—are making an impact through improved performances.

More good news! Always on the look-out for the latest innovations in track and field designed to give our customer the competitive edge they seek, we have included the following new additions to our complete line of field and track products:

• Our composite shot put toe board (see page 42).
• A library of new books and videos (see pages 44-49).
• International Athletics starting block, already in use at all levels, high school through elite competition (see page 32).

As we approach the end of an amazing century for sport and the beginning of a new millennium, I look forward to many new beginnings and developments for Field and Track and On Track. You are invited to be a part of our On Track family of coaches and athletes who share their ideas and challenges with us. Many times the inspiration for our custom product designs come from you, the athlete or coach in the field looking for a solution to a problem or an edge in competition. I hope you will keep in touch with us, once again communicating by phone, fax, mail or e-mail to let us know what we can do for you.

Of course, none of this would amount to much if we hadn’t put in the years to back our motto— Excellence Through Experience. We look forward to working with you to achieve your greatest aspirations this season, and we are anxious to help you benefit from our more than 70 years of combined sporting experience.

Sincerely,

Ron Morris
Owner & Founder, On Track