On Athletics Club adds a second coach in Kelsey Quinn

Zurich, Switzerland, July 3, 2023 - On's professional track team, the On Athletics Club (OAC), has added its first assistant coach and welcomes Kelsey Quinn. The 33-year-old brings an impressive resume, having coached at various decorated programs, like the University of Utah and the University of Portland.

Quinn will assist head coach Dathan Ritzenhein with the day-to-day training of the OAC athletes as they prepare for their international competition.

“We had an extensive interview process with well over 100 applications in just 24 hours. Our first priority when we looked at who would fill this position was that they would fit the culture of the team and continue to elevate the level of support which we provide to our athletes," Ritzenhein said.

Quinn ran 400 hurdles and received her undergraduate at the University of Iowa, then received her Master of Science in Kinesiology at Iowa State University. She made the first steps into the world of coaching at the suggestion of her own coach during her senior year of college, who had a feeling that she would have a knack for it. The idea had never crossed Quinn's mind, but at the end of her graduate school program, she helped with a team in Des Moine, Iowa, and immediately loved the experience:

“There’s a sense of fulfillment in watching other people accomplish their goals that I’ve never found anywhere else.”

She began her coaching career as an assistant at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. Quinn continued her career as Director of Operations for the University of Washington track & field/cross country teams, directing indoor track and field meets that accommodated over 1,500 student-athletes per event. She was head coach of cross country and track at Warner Pacific College in Portland, Oregon from 2015-2017. 

Quinn and her family, husband Riley and daughters, Willow and Aspen, were based in Portland during the application process but moved to Boulder in June to jump right into coaching the athletes in the middle of their season.

During the final selection of top applicants, OAC athletes were also consulted for the decision and overwhelmingly felt that she was the right fit for the team.

“There are many barriers for well-qualified female coaches in this profession, and we were determined to let the qualifications lead the right person. Kelsey has all the experience and skills we were looking for but most importantly she clicked with the leadership, myself, and the team. She was really the ideal candidate,” Dathan Ritzenhein summed up.

About On

On was born in the Swiss Alps with one goal: to revolutionize the sensation of running by empowering all to run on clouds. Thirteen years after market launch, On delivers industry-disrupting innovation in premium footwear, apparel, and accessories for high-performance running, outdoor, and all-day activities. Fueled by customer recommendation, On’s award-winning CloudTec® innovation, purposeful design, and groundbreaking strides in sportswear’s circular economy have attracted a fast-growing global fan base — inspiring humans to explore, discover and dream on.

On is present in more than 60 countries globally and engages with a digital community on www.on.com.