Posted: November 17, 2005

Athletics: Gill Athletics & USA Track & Field announce exclusive partnership

INDIANAPOLIS -- USA Track & Field (USATF) and Gill Athletics jointly announce a new partnership in which Gill Athletics becomes the official supplier of track & field equipment for USATF. Gill Athletics' exclusive 5 year agreement will run through 2010.

This partnership brings together two of the track & field world's leaders–USATF, the national governing body for track & field in the United States, and Gill Athletics, the U.S. market leader in track & field equipment.

"Gill Athletics is excited about partnering with USATF in serving the world's best track and field athletes with the most innovative track equipment in the world", said David Hodge, President & CEO of Gill Athletics.

USATF's USA Indoor and Outdoor Championships will benefit from Gill Athletics' winning technology in track & field equipment. From the new patented Fusion starting blocks and Continuum hurdle to the new ultra sonic wind gauge and countdown timer, the USA Championships will have access to the most innovative and highest performing track and field equipment in the world.

Strategic Partnership beyond the Track

Gill Athletics will also partner with USATF to present the USA Track & Field's Coaching Education program. The coaching education program provides educational opportunities for all levels of coaches, from grass roots to the elite level.

"We have been involved in the USATF Coaching Education Program for years. This new partnership will allow us to increase our interaction with coaches of all levels" Hodge says. "We see this program as a way we can contribute to the future health of the sport of track and field in America."

"All of us at USA Track & Field are proud to enter into this agreement with Gill Athletics," said USATF CEO Craig Masback. "In addition to providing us with the finest, state of the art track and field equipment for our Championships, we're thrilled that Gill has become one of our strategic partners by taking its support of USATF's Coaching Education Program to a whole new level."

About Gill Athletics
Gill Athletics, founded in 1918, is the world's oldest and largest manufacturer of Track & Field equipment. Gill equipment is used all over the world including all levels of competition in America from colleges to high schools to masters competitions. For more information about Gill Athletics, call 800-637-3090 or visit www.gillathletics.com.

About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the World's #1 Track & Field Team, the most-watched events at the Olympics, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States: www.usatf.org.