Keeping track: new rules changes and fresh innovations are setting the pace. (Facility Focus).

Safety is running a very good race in track and field. Not only are the athletes and coaches more cognizant of preventing injuries, but they have the equipment manufacturers working at it, too.

From the poles and pits of the pole vault to the surfaces for racing and run-ups, no stone has been left unturned in protecting against mishaps.

"I see a lot of guys getting hurt by tripping over a hurdle," says Jeff Watry, engineering manager for Gill Athletics. "When you play sports, you will have injuries. Our job is to try to minimize them."

"I don't see a lot of innovations per se, but I do see important changes in injury prevention, especially in the pole vault," says Mark Strawderman, general manager of M-F Athletic's Track & Field division. "Better materials are being used in constructing bigger and better boxes, designed to safeguard the area in which injuries may occur."

New pole vault regulations have been implemented for the 2002-2003 indoor and outdoor tracks seasons. All high school and college competitions in the pole vault are required to have padding around the vault box to prevent the back area from exposure.

For high schools the minimum requirements are: 19'8"W (back), 16'5"W (front) x 20'5" length x 26" height. Front units must extend 4' forward from base units and a common top pad shall cover the entire pit.

As for college, minimum size is 19'8"W x 22'5"L x 32"H with 16'5" padding behind the plant box. The front portion of the pit must be the same width as the back and must extend 6' toward the runway from the base sections. A common cover must conceal the entire pit.

"One thing the rule change did was increase the minimum size of the pole vault pits for college and high school," says Watry. "Every school has to do it this year, there's no grace period for the 2003 season. That's a big deal for the high school. It's going to take a big chunk of the budget to get a new pit."

That is why pole-vault conversion kits, developed specifically to comply with the new pole vault regulations, have become a must-have item. The kits are designed to not only ease the pain of spending more dollars for the event, but as an alternative to buying an entire new pad.

"The pole vault pits for both high school and colleges are the buzz at the moment," says Strawderman. "It could be a problem in the spring. There's about a 3-4 week lead-time. Many manufacturers are not promising delivery until the end of February and that's as of late November. It's really back- logged."

That said, Gill offers a Skydex Vault box collar for the enlargement of existing pits. Using an energy and shock-absorbing material called SKYDEX Smarter Cushioning Technology, Gill's vault box collar is four inches thick, but according to the company, the amount of shock it absorbs compared to two inches of foam rubber is remarkable.

The Aluminum Athletic Equipment Co. sells practically everything pertinent to track and field. Perhaps the industry's premier innovator, AAE has adhered to its 52-year standard of focusing on constantly evolving cutting- edge products.

"That's been the strength, the foundation, of our business: to continually review our products," says Tim Driscoll, president of AAE. "We've always believed in investing all the new designs and state-of-the-art materials that we can incorporate and pass on to the customer. In short, we are not going to simply make a hurdle, and that's it. We are constantly going to review the design of our products, with the understanding that there's nothing on this earth that is perfect.

"Whenever we detect a weakness or something that doesn't meet our standards, we are going to make the necessary modifications in design. That's the strength of our company--we re quick to react to change."

So it's no surprise that the innovators of Pole Vault Side Pad Platforms would introduce its Pole Vault Conversion Kit. The kit, which meets or exceeds NFHS specs, has two side extension units (each 30" x 30" x 13'7"), one skirted breather cover (21'6" x 22'), and one VBC-SX Vault Box Collar.

Using your head

Protective padding and conversion kits aren't the only precautionary measures being taken in the pole vault. Helmets are now in vogue. Many state high school federations already require helmets. Many companies sell helmets in their catalogs and on their Web sites.

Gill's Watry, who competes in the Masters pole vault, says he wears a helmet in practice. He also says several U. of Illinois pole vaulters wear helmets voluntarily. Furthermore, a helmet standard is trying to be passed through ASTM (American Society of Testing Materials).

"Does that mean it will become mandatory? I don't know," says Watry. "There seems to be a reason they are looking at a standard. Some people, including ex-Olympic vaulters, are pushing hard to make them mandatory.

"If a helmet makes the difference just once, should it then become a rule? That's a tough question."

It could be just a matter of time. Vaulters coming out of high school are used to wearing helmets. For them, it's not a real big issue. For some vaulters, it's personal preference. Others may be headstrong. (No pun intended.)

"I'd say there's a fair chance [the helmet standard] will eventually get implemented," says Watry. "But I wouldn't go out and buy stock in helmets. I don't think the IAAF will do anything until something happens at one of their meets. It usually starts with the USTF, then the collegians, and filters down to high school. This one is actually being driven the other way around."

As an aside, Gill has also introduced a new protective shot cage. Constructed of 2.5" square 14 gauge steel poles and weather-resistant 320 lb. strength nylon netting, the shot cage is secured with a vinyl coated steel cable and six ground spikes. Mounted net height is 13 feet.

"With shot styles having changed, spinners, not gliders, have become more and more the norm. They tend to get off wild throws," Watry says. "This has become an issue because there have been instances of people being hit with errant throws, We're trying to make it a safer event."

Scratching the surface

Track surfacing is cyclical. Schools may choose to resurface or re-stripe every couple of years. Others may opt for an entire new surface.

There are three levels of outdoor track surfaces:

Full pour: Typically used at the invitation level (Drake, Penn and Texas relays). The tracks are highly calibrated to meet IAAF standards. More expensive, but best on the market.

Sandwich system: A base mat with top layers sandwiched together. Used at small colleges and high schools. A non-invitational system that is good enough for scholastic competitions and college conference meets.

Open system (includes latex tracks): The most economical track system available. Primarily used at smaller high schools and the elementary school level. Better than cinder, asphalt, and concrete.

Southwest Recreational Industries EuroTan poured-in-place synthetic track surface has been a staple at the some of the premier relays in the country: Penn, Drake, Texas, and Louisiana Relays. The company's polyurethane binder provides a shock absorbency and resiliency that significantly reduces the stress on ankles and knees.

Southwest' s new invitational level of track surfaces, debuting in 2003, provides a very high performance level. The tracks will use a ratio of components and a number of different finishes embedded rather than embossed. The system involves a new methodology--a mixture of polyurethane and chemicals--from BaySport technology (a strategic alliance between Southwest and Bayer Co., inventor of polyurethane.)

Says Chuck Fleishman, Chief Marketing Officer for S.R.I.'s holding

company American Sports Products Group: "We're trying to improve the energy return, the durability of tracks, and their overall performance."

Plexipave Sport Surfacing Systems, a division of California Products Corp., has developed a PolyResin Technology for its Plexitrac high performance track surfacing system.

It has spawned three distinct all-weather tracks--Plexitrac Lightning, Plexitrac Flash, and Plexitrac Accelerator--which feature a unique structural matrix of select water-based resins that provide a durable, cohesive, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly surface.

Indoor surfacing has made tremendous strides. Robbins Sports Surfaces of Cincinnati, OH, produces several surfaces.

Pulastic, introduced 30 years ago but only available in the U.S. for the past decade, is an exclusive state-of-the-art product that has a completely seamless surface--not rubbersheet goods. It is a hybrid system that is a combination of a resilient rubber underlayment and a top layer of urethane.

"Pulastic is impervious to punctures from a spike," says John Ficks, Robbins' director of marketing. "It's a very fast track, easy on an athlete's body, easy to clean, and has a lot of design options for facilities."

Pulastic SP (Spike Proof) is the flagship product. Standard Pulastic and Pulastic 2000 are multi-purpose surfaces that can also be used for basketball and volleyball. Pulastic is a permanent floor that can be resurfaced.

State of the market

According to Jeff Watry, there hasn't been a drop off in the equipment market in the past couple of years.

"There are unusual years when a major rule change will force a lot of people to budget or place all of their resources in a specific area, i.e., pole vault," he says. There may not be as many new pole vaults or hurdles or whatever. But we haven't seen a decrease in participation."

The advent of Title IX and subsequent women's participation in the pole vault have been a shot in the arm for track and field. Women are competing on both the scholastic and collegiate levels and this has produced an increased demand for equipment.

Still, the current economy has played a factor.

Tim Driscoll (AAE): "It's not a dynamic market dealing with the educational institutions per se, because you don't have the rapid growth you get in other industries. We don't have a large market, like a consumer market, where you involve millions of people.

"With track, you are talking about tens of thousands probably. Maybe 25 to 35,000 high schools throughout the country. That number really doesn't change. For every school that closes, another opens. It's basically a static market."

Like any marketplace, trends and change play a major role in the outcome.

"The pole vault with women has been doing very well," says M-F's Mark Strawderman. "Last year we had the javelin rule change and javelins were hot. Track and field equipment is still strong across the board."