Why Make Vaulting Poles Again?
In the Beginning, FiberSport was for a Reason and had a Purpose
In 1976, Working with Sky-Pole MFG Costa Mesa CA, we had discovered a way to design the poles to roll over better. We consulted with Earl Bell on how to make them return faster. He jumped a World Best that year 1977 of 18'4. There was nothing made like this so there was a need. At age 26 Bruce Caldwell as a new entrepreneur, invested his home, his life, and his time to build this pole. We Introduced to the World the FiberSport V-3000 composite pole and the extruded V-2000 Training pole. (Orange and Gray with Foam Fill)
Then We Moved Out of the Garage
I worked out of my Home in Kansas City Mo and Sky-pole under the ownership of Paul Richards who private labelled for me had just moved to Texas. Billy Olson , Earl Bell and Polish Vaulter Wally Kozakiewicz all jump high on FiberSport. The pole launch athletes higher with 3 World Records and many USA World Bests. jumps. Sales increased of the famous FiberSport V-2000 Training Pole. It has always been about providing products to enhance athletes talents! With advance International FiberSport Poles sales, I had 2nd mortgaged my home to sell the new World Record FiberSport Pole. In 1983, Paul Richards of Sky-Pole TX, who worked with me on the FiberSport poles, sold the Sky-Pole and the company to Harry Gill Company and I was without my hi- density FiberSport private labelled pole.
The FiberSport Composite Pole V-3000 was dead, in 1983
The FiberSport Composite pole V-3000 was dead. With no private label maker anymore, I had to turn down International advance sales. (Photo of Wally and his Trainer in my garage checking out the flex machine with a load cell on it, 1982.) We did have good sales volume of new unique products and we moved out of the garage to our own building on Bannister rd Kansas City MO (1600 sg ft.) 5 times bigger than the garage. We sold thousands of training poles, and thousands of tough to break crossbars, but no FiberSport composite poles. We exclusively sold the SimPlant sliding training box by Canadian Bruce Simpson and the indoor vacuum box vaulting box; Dave Johnson's Gadgets, egg shaped pole tips, and high jump protractor for step measure in the High Jump. We had very unique items that helped athletes to excel in their events again.
TO CONTINUED SCROLL BELOW
Over the Next 7 Years 1981 to 1989
In 1987, we started 2nd Generation FiberSport Maxima-4 Composite Poles.
FiberSport Composite pole was alive again. Paul Richards was now owner of Altius Dallas , we collaborated for the 2nd generation FiberSport pole, Maxima-4. My daughter, Jaime age 11, traveled with me to Europe for a vacation and on to Italy to see Earl Bell Jump in the World Outdoor Champs 1987. He went on to jump 19' with this design in 1988.
Fast Forward 1990, Hired by SSG to run Port-a-Pit/Catapole
Sport Supply Group of Farmer Branch Texas had an interest increasing sales in their track and field division. The company had an idea to buy the trademarks of Port-a-Pit & Cata-Pole . This proved to be an excellent marketing idea and they hired me to be General Manager of the Track and Field line. They had an aluminum company they owned making blocks and hurdles , they had a manufacturing plant making landing systems. Both manufacturing plants had forward thinkers running them and we all developed
the Port-a-Pit track and Field line.
FiberSport Became Cata-Pole Texas
We sold a lot of New designed Port-a-Pit landing systems and started really selling even more poles. We brought back the yellow glass poles. Vaulters like Bill Payne and Joe Dial jumped on the new Texas Cata-Poles. Port-a-Pit gave me the opportunity to bid on the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and they became the Official Supplier to the Games for 15 sports. They gave me full reins and the project was a success, as well as exhausting and costly! (photo Joe Dial 18'8 1996)