August 1, 2008
First Word
Fitness Testing Isn't Enough
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Pamela Kufahl, editor Pam.Kufahl@penton.com
When I was a child, I played volleyball and basketball from fifth to eighth grade. I did especially well in basketball, mostly because I had two great...
Get Your News Here
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM
If you haven't made it a part of your routine to check out our Web site (www.fitnessbusinesspro.com), then you could be missing out on industry news of...
Fitness Business News
Study Finds Children Exercise Less as They Age
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Pamela Kufahl
Washington The activity level of a large group of American children dropped sharply between the ages of 9 and 15, when most failed to reach the daily...
Governors Express Interest in Adding Cooper's Fitnessgram
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Pamela Kufahl
Austin, TX More states may join Texas in mandating that schoolchildren pass physical fitness tests. After Texas released last month the results of its...
Physical Fitness May Slow Brain Atrophy In People with Early Alzheimer's Disease
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Stuart Goldman
Kansas City, KS A new study shows that exercise may help slow brain shrinkage in people with early Alzheimer's disease. In the study, people with early...
Life Time's Earnings Surge During Tough Economic Times
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Stuart Goldman
Chanhassen, MN Despite the continued struggles of the economy that have affected most of the club industry, Life Time Fitness, Chanhassen, MN, continues...
Franchisee's Summer Includes Winning Gold's Gym Challenge, Renovating Club From School Gym
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Stuart Goldman
Dallas It has been quite a summer for Gold's Gym franchisee Blair McHaney. His Gold's Gym in Wenathcee, WA, won the Gold's Gym Challenge, a 12-week contest...
IDEA Survey Finds Facilities More Focused on Community
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Jennipher Shaver
San Diego Fitness facility owners are focusing on building communities for their members, according to results from the IDEA Fitness Programs and Equipment...
Grand Rapids YMCA Makes Changes in Green Restroom
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Jennipher Shaver
Grand Rapids, MI During a renovation at the David D. Hunting YMCA in Grand Rapids, MI, operators recently replaced three of the facility's water-free...
Military Fitness Centers in Bill
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Jennipher Shaver
Washington, Dc Air Force and Navy Fitness may be adding new fitness centers to their ranks. A new fitness center at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina...
College Gets The LEED Gold
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Pamela Kufahl
Ann Arbor, MI The Washtenaw Community College Health & Fitness Center in Ann Arbor, MI, has received gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's...
Study Finds That Food Diaries Double Weight Loss
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Jennipher Shaver
Portland, OR Something as simple as keeping a food diary can double a person's weight loss, according to recent research. The more food records people...
At Sea, Navy Ship Tries Yoga Programming
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Jennipher Shaver
USS Bonhomme Richard Although the flight deck of the USS Bonhomme Richard (BHR) usually sounds like a whir of loud rotor blades, those noises are replaced...
Richard Simmons Reaches Out to Congress in Support of Physical Education in Public Schools
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Stuart Goldman
Washington, DC Trading in his glittery tank top and striped shorts for a suit and tie, famed fitness guru Richard Simmons spoke at a hearing before Congress...
24 Hour Sues Bally Over Hiring of New CEO
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Stuart Goldman
Chicago 24 Hour Fitness, San Ramon, CA, filed a lawsuit last month against Bally Total Fitness, Chicago, accusing Bally of illegally hiring new CEO Michael...
Overweight Seniors Could Burden Taxpayers
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Pamela Kufahl
Atlanta The extra Medicare cost associated with overweight elderly people could place a significant financial burden on tax payers, costing up to hundreds...
Indiana Y Closed Due to Bomb Threat
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Jennipher Shaver
Fort Wayne, IN After a bomb threat early one morning last month, administration at the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne (IN) closed its Allen County, IN, branches...
After Two Years, Planet Fitness Puts World Gym Up for Sale
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Stuart Goldman
Dover, NH Planet Fitness has recently been approached by two groups with offers to buy World Gym, Planet Fitness CEO Mike Grondahl confirmed in July....
In BRIEF
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM
In May, Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club, Greenwood Village, CO, broke ground on its expansion project, which includes adding 2,400 square feet to its...
70
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM
Obese women who carry most of their extra weight around the stomach are 70 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. Source: Study by Juhua Luo...
Inside Manufacturers
Lower Sales Don't Deter Cybex CEO
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Pamela Kufahl
Medway, MA Cybex International Inc.'s second quarter net sales and net income were down in the second quarter compared to the same period last year, mostly...
Life Fitness Is Bright Spot for Brunswick in the Second Quarter
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Pamela Kufahl
Chicago Life Fitness had a 9 percent sales increase in the second quarter despite difficulties in the consumer side of the business, according to earnings...
Les Mills Utilizes Webinars as a Marketing Tool
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Pamela Kufahl
Auckland, New Zealand Les Mills International, the Auckland, New Zealand-based distributor of group exercise-to-music programs, uses Webinars to market...
Nautilus Closing Tulsa Facilities by End of the Year
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Jennipher Shaver
Vancouver, WA After experiencing revenue losses for the last several quarters, Nautilus Inc. announced plans last month to consolidate its U.S. manufacturing...
Star Trac Launches Consumer Line
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Jennipher Shaver
Denver Star Trac recently debuted its new line of consumer products branded under the name ST Fitness. The ST Fitness products were developed by adapting...
Octane Receives Awards
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Jennipher Shaver
Brookylyn Park, MN Octane Fitness was named best supplier in the fitness industry and the top-selling brand of elliptical cross trainers by Specialty...
Power Systems Gives Check to Special Olympics
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Jennipher Shaver
Knoxville, TN Power Systems recently presented a check for $20,022.35 to Special Olympics Tennessee at its new Knoxville, TN, facility. Power Systems...
Top News
Can You Hear Me Now?
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Stuart Goldman, managing editor
After two sales of the company in the past 10 years, Gold's Gym International (GGI), Dallas, has become like a parent of children from three marriages....
Focus on Clubs
A Trained, Energized Staff Is Imperative for Clubs
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Ed Tock
Who gets most of the training in your organization? Is it senior management, department heads or front-line staff? If your club is like most, senior management...
Focus on Technology
Technology Can Pull Us Through Troubling Times
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Gregory Florez
I recently attended a small conference that included some of the best and brightest minds in the industry to discuss solutions to current economic issues...
Feature
Making New Tracks
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Jennipher Shaver, senior associate editor
The Club Industry show may be a veteran event in the fitness industry it has more than 22 years under its belt but this year's conference and exposition...
Trend Watches
Ground Rules
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Amy Florence Fischbach, contributing writer
When Ed Steele received a letter from his utility company notifying him of a 38 percent hike in electricity prices, he was glad he had already found one...
In the Game
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Jennipher Shaver, senior associate editor
When the YMCA of Avery County in Linville, NC, began planning its new facility about a year-and-a-half ago, operators looked at adding a typical kids'...
Pro Shop
Pro Shop
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM
Portable Basketball Systems The T-Rex 54 portable basketball system features spring-assisted setup and is designed to fit smaller facilities. The system...
From the Lip
Surveys Show Economy Putting Industry in Pinch
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Michael Scott Scudder
In an effort to independently determine just how much influence the present early recession is having on our businesses, I turned to my network of clients,...
One Last Thought
Things Aren't Always As They Appear
Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Pamela Kufahl
One last thought about things that aren't always what they say they are. At the end of a tour of 24 Hour Fitness a few years ago, a friend of mine asked...
