The panel shows the sports that enjoyed the highest growth rate from 1987 to 2000 according to American Sports Data. Treadmills were at the top of the list, with an astounding growth of almost 829%. Snowboarding was next with almost 238%, followed by elliptical motion trainers with almost 160% and weight resistance machines with 65%. What's responsible for these numbers? The boom of the health club industry. We've become increasingly health-conscious over the last 15 years, and we have hit the gym: memberships jumped 89.5% during the period, hitting 32.8 million as of December 2000, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association.
Weight machines, treadmills and elliptical motion trainers have seen high growth because they offer solid workout opportunities for young and old. They are good low-impact, aerobic activities. We enjoy them at home or at the gym. It isn't just young people at health clubs anymore either: while 18-34 year olds still see the highest portion of gym memberships, those 55 and older now make up a quarter of gym members (their numbers grew 379% between 1987 and 2000).
Some activities saw growth because they're simply "hot," some new sport to invigorate our fitness and leisure time. Wakeboarding, paintball, wall climbing, and snowboarding are all part of the "extreme sports" category, activities for Generation-Y'ers that offer some adrenaline rush to their workout. For those interested in getting in touch with their inner (and thinner?) Zen, there are yoga and tai chi. While they saw high growth rates, the number of participants in these new sports is fairly low: 7.1 million people played paintball and 2.1 million surfed during 2000, compared to 40.8 million people who exercised on a treadmill. Will these new fitness activities stick around?
In the next panels we examine the sports activities of teenagers.
Sources: "Extreme Sports Participation Surges Ahead While Old Favorites Falter." Research Alert, June 1, 2001, p. 1; "The Scope of the Health Club Industry." Retrieved February 5, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ihrsa.org.
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5 months ago
What about the growth of organized sports such as Ringette here is some Information About Ringette Ringette is a Canadian game that was first introduced in 1963 in North Bay, Ontario. Developed originally for girls, ringette is a fast-paced team sport on ice in which players use a straight stick to pass, carry, and shoot a rubber ring to score goals. For ten years, play centered in Ontario and Quebec, however the sport quickly spread accross Canada and is now played in all ten provinces and the Northwest Territories. In fact, the sport has become one of Canada's favorite activities for females, with over 50,000 participants, including players, coaches, officals and volunteers, across Canada - a remarkable growth rate for such a young sport. More than 7,000 certified ringette coaches are registered in the National Coaching Certification Program, and 1,724 registered referees trained under Ringette Canada's National Officiating Program. In addition, there are thousands of volunteers who administer clubs, leagues, and tournaments across Canada. ________________________________________ The growth has continued internationally with the formation of associations in the U.S.A., Finland, Sweden, Russia, and France. In addition, Ringette Canada has been instrumental in demonstrating the game in the Netherlands, Switzerland, West Germany, along with New Zealand, Australia and Japan.