About Us

Spike Arlt has been involved in track and field and other sports ever since his high school days in Ritzville, Washington. In 1956 he set a high school record for the 120 yard high hurdles that has yet to be broken. At Washington State University he was selected as Athlete of the Year in 1960 while combining his interests in athletics with an equally avid interest in industrial technology, electronics and physical education. He has been honored by Central Washington University athletics with the “Spike Arlt Invitational Track Meet” for years.

Spike joined the Central Washington University Faculty in 1968 in both physical education academic and athletic coaching roles. Shortly thereafter, (1974) with the help of aerospace engineer Jim Gardner, he developed the first interactive computer models for individualized, performance based training workouts and competitive racing schedules for athletes and coaches. He became the first coach to design and develop custom computerized daily workouts and take them to practice.

Over the years he has amassed a storehouse of statistical data-based athlete training schedules and athlete performances at the local, state, national and international levels of competition. Soon he began utilizing this data and information in the interactive computer program. This suddenly outgrew computer capabilities for processing speed and file storage size. Finally, after advances in computer technology and operating systems, changes in programming languages and six evolutions of reprogramming, the Arlt Technologies, Inc. Event Performance Ratings Tables were developed. These tables were for men and women to determine talent levels of athletes for all events. The “Quick Track and Field Assistant”, the new software program developed by Arlt Technologies for running events only, moved into the latest Windows XP Professional environment for training and competition use. This became operational in 2004. Development continues towards all events including the jumping and throwing areas.

Spike has now been joined and supported by his three active coaching sons, Richard, Robert (Bob) and John. He continues to pursue, develop and expand more offerings to the sport he loves so much.

Even though he is honored as a retired Professor Emeritus from Central Washington University, he continues seasonal coaching at the high school level with his son John as his assistant coach.