If you’re not in the Kentucky USATF association, you probably don’t know George Leaf. But if you run shuttle hurdles at nationals, you need to thank him. George is the Stradivarius of the measuring tape used for marking the crazy back-and-forth hurdles event. Jeff Davison told me about his work some months back, and Games Committee member Bill Murray connected me to George. Bill told me: “We currently charge $500 for a pair of shuttle hurdle tapes. That’s 92 hurdle marks and 92 directional arrows per tape. The tapes are an extremely high quality, German-manufactured fiberglass tape and they run about $100 plus shipping each. That’s only $150 per tape for his time.” I touched base with George, and he graciously replied. Among other things, we learn that our new national masters chair had a hand in this project.

Bill Murray counts hurdles during shuttle-relay set-up at Michigan masters nationals in July, using George Leaf’s tape on the edge of track.

Masterstrack.com: When did you start making the tape measures?

George Leaf: Rex Harvey came up with the idea. Bill Murray asked if I would try making the tape in February 2014. We tried out the first two prototypes at the masters national in Winston-Salem that year.

What are they made of? How long do they reach?
 
Tape construction is three layers: clear abrasion-resistant outer layer, white vinyl layer with the manufacturer’s metric markings, and a 40,000-strand fiberglass inner core. Tape is a single-sided 100-meter meter surveyors long tape.  Tape is marked for placing tape 0 at the normal 100-meter start line, the 100-meter point at the common finish line.

Are they mainly for marking masters hurdles, or do they have other uses?

Yes.  Primarily masters hurdles. Most tracks have the blue 110m with 9.14m spacing and the yellow 100m with 8.5m spacing marked. Where we help is masters 100/8  80/8 and 80/7 spacings plus the shuttle relay reverse direction locations. Our marks are on the blank back side so the tape will do any 100-meter metric long tape chore.

I’m told you have a color scheme to denote various hurdle distances. What colors? How did you decide on which colors for which races and age groups?

Standard IAAF/USATF color code for marks as far as possible. Blue 110/9.14 spacing, yellow 100/8.5 meter spacing, red 80/7 meter spacing.

Because masters have both 80- and 100-meter races with 12 meters to the first hurdle and 8 meter spacing we added one additional color. We we use black for the 100 at 8-meter spacing and added green for the 80 at 8-meter spacing.

How much do you charge for the custom tape measures?

We are charging $250 each and prefer to provide a pair — one for each side of the straight for quick chalk lining of the locations.

How many have you made, and where have they been used?

We have made about 12 sets. Several were scrapped as we learned our lessons. There are six outdoor and two indoor sets in circulation. Bill Murray,  Southern California and myself have outdoor pairs.

Our first trial run was at the masters outdoor championships at Winston-Salem 2014. They have been in steady use since then for both indoor and outdoor masters meets each year.
I made a single direction pair for the World Masters in Perth. WMA decided to stay with steel, [but] they agreed with Bill’s measurements and made no changes.

Are you open to making more for individual hurdlers? 

Yes. Helpful tool is the operative word. A single hurdler could definitely use a tape marked for their specific event distance and spacing. Lay out the tape, pull it snug and put the hurdles at the marks. It would make setting practice hurdles on any straight easy and an any-time operation. Cost would be much lower that the fully marked tape.

How long do they take to make?  Any special tools used?

I can do a couple sets a week if needed. I prefer a slower pace. Pushing makes for expensive errors with that many marks.

Tooling is adapted to standard things. Celestron video USB microscope camera, and a plate-glass insert in the bench top were the biggest help. Everything else is standard production clamps and tools.

Where do you live, and do you compete in masters athletics? What events?

We make our home in Vine Grove, Kentucky, about eight miles from Fort Knox. I’m an official — usually laser measuring long throws or horizontal jumps. Some days I get to push sand, reset high jump bars or other fun things.

What do you do for a living?

Happily retired from 45 years of technology, Navy active plus Navy civilian careers.

Anything else readers should know about the tape-measure business?

Oh My, what did I get myself into! or “Murphy was an optimist!”

It has been a rewarding puzzle to solve. Five races, three distances, therefore the track mark locations have three start point. Four Hurdle spacings. One spacing has both the 100-and the 80-meter distances. Now add the shuttle hurdles in the reverse direction.

My favorite Lesson learned: The outdoor tape is not indoor friendly!