Greetings All... I hope the weather is improving in the North and East
sections of the country and that you will be out skating very soon. Here
is an item from the National Sporting Goods Association News Letter
regarding fitness participation. Don't be fooled. There is still a great
market out there for in-line skating. People want to be fit and they want
a fun way to do it.

Cheers! PHIL
Cupertino/San Jose, CA


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
FITNESS LEADS REBOUND, ACCORDING TO LEISURETRAK STUDY

Increased participation in fitness activities led the continued upturn in
activities noted in the winter 2004 LeisureTRAK report. For the third
quarter, the participation level reached 55% versus 52% in the same quarter
of 2002. Participation levels have been up from year-earlier levels for the
last four quarters.

Among sports/recreation/fitness participants (the 55%), exercising,
cycling and walking showed strong increases in the third quarter of 2003
versus the same quarter a year earlier. Exercising in Q3 rose to 16% versus
8% a year earlier; cycling, to 17% versus 10%; and walking to 29% versus
24%. Also showing increasing participation was golf, 17% versus 11% a year
earlier.

Decreasing participation was seen in aerobics (3% versus 6%) and football
(5% versus 8%).

Participation was stable in the third quarter for basketball,
jogging/running, swimming, hiking/backpacking, health club/spa,
bodybuilding/weights, fishing, softball, tennis and baseball.

More than three in four Americans ages 35 and older who participate in some
type of sports/recreation/fitness activity engage in fitness activities.
For women, the figures are four in five.

Cycling by Gen X and Boomers demonstrates the strong pull of remaining in
shape and being healthy. This is clearly becoming a major motivation as
people age. More and more Americans are seeking to prolong life by
remaining active in sports and recreation. Walking for sports/rec/fitness
is extremely popular as the population ages. Other sports can benefit by
touting their health benefits as well.

Title IX has led to near parity in mens and womens team sports. In 1970,
team sports were almost exclusively male there were 27 male participants
for every female. The current LeisureTRAK survey shows that nearly equal
numbers of men and women ages 16-24 play team sports and equal numbers
include team sports among their favorites. In the space of a few
generations, Title IX has nearly fulfilled its goal of parity of
participation in mens and womens sports.

But do older women stay involved in team sports? The long-term impact of
Title IX is unclear. In the total population, participation in team sports
is double for men (40%) compared to women (20%), and team sports as a
favorite activity is almost double for men (26%) as women (14%).

The LeisureTRAK Report, produced by the Leisure Trends Group, Boulder,
Colo., is based on a quarterly poll of 1,000 American adults age 16-older,
with results projectable to the U.S. population. Addition data from the
LeisureTRAK survey can be found at
<http://www.leisuretrends.com/>www.leisuretrends.com. For more information,
call (888) 732-7373.


*************************************************************************
Phil Lenihan - The Old Dude on Blades
Level 1, 2 & 3 - Freestyle Dance & Blade Fitness, IISA Certified In-line
Skating Instructor
Golden Gate Skate Patrol, San Francisco
Phone: 408-996-8302 FAX 408-861-0300
dude@... <http://www.lenihan.org>
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY,
GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
The future is bright... Be there.... Wear a helmet!!!
oooo/—\oooo oooo/—\oooo oooo/—\oooo

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