Innovations - IHRSA

The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub
Association is a not-for-profit trade association
open to investor-owned and member-owned
fitness, racquet and athletic facilities. Associate
memberships are available to manufacturers
or suppliers of products and services of use
to IHRSA members.
800-228-4772 USA & Canada
617-951-0055 International
617-951-0056 FAX
www.ihrsa.org
www.healthclubs.com
E-mail: info@ihrsa.org
IHRSA Board of Directors
David Patchell-Evans: Chairperson
GoodLife Fitness Clubs
519-661-0190 ext. 238
Lynne Brick: Brick Bodies Fitness
410-252-8058
Rick Beusman: Saw Mill Club
914-241-0797
Bob Shoulders: Fayetteville Athletic Club
479-587-0500
Mike Raymond: Curves International
254-399-9285
Susan Cooper: BodyBusiness Health Club & Spa
512-459-9424
Art Curtis: Millennium Partners
Sports Club Management, LLC
617-476-8910
Sandy Hoeffer: Western Athletic Clubs
415-901-9243
David Hardy: Franvest Capital Partners
780-953-4273
Kilian Fisher: ILAM
+ 353 (0) 45 902235
Chuck Runyon: Anytime Fitness
651-438-5000
Kay Yuspeh: Elite Fitness & Racquet Clubs
262-786-0880
Bill McBride: Club One
415-477-3000
Gene LaMott: Ex-officio
TW Holdings
360-877-3915
SPECIAL ADVISOR
LATIN AMERICA
Richard Bilton: Companhia Athletica
(55) 11-5181-2000
® A
Time to
Believe
| IHRSA Report | First Set
Witnessing the spectacle of the 2010 Winter
Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, has been
both exciting and deeply inspiring—on both a
personal and professional level. And I’m sure
that many of you were also transfixed by the
images and sounds that were televised around
the world.
More than any other that I recall, the XXI Winter Olympics seems
to have been marked by dramatic challenges and heroic accomplishments.
Such amazing athletes! Such remarkable feats!
American skier Lindsey Vonn; Canadian skier Alexandre
Bilodeau; and Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette—who’ll
ever forget their performances?
At the Olympics in Turin, Italy, in 2006, Vonn had to be
airlifted off of a mountain following a serious crash, and,
shortly before the Vancouver Games, she was suffering bruised
shins, and wasn’t sure she could race. But race she did—all the
David Patchell-Evans
way to the gold!
IHRSA Chairperson
Another highlight, for me, was being there when Bilodeau
took the gold in the men’s moguls freestyle skiing. As a Canadian,
I was particularly proud, but it wasn’t his victory that impressed me most—
it was his sharing with the world that his inspiration, drive, and determination
to win came from his older brother, Frederic, who has cerebral palsy.
Bilodeau is fired by the courage of his brother, who, he explained, never
complains and is “the happiest person I know.”
Another Canadian athlete, Rochette, brought tears to the eyes of millions
when, two days after her mother’s tragic death, she took the bronze, and, while
waiting to hear her score, mouthed, in French, “This is for you, Mama.”
Very often, the thing that fortifies us most, refusing to let us surrender to
life’s daunting demands, is the example of people with special needs or
facing special challenges. In my case, I owe every success I’ve had in business
to my autistic daughter. She’s taught me so much about overcoming obstacles,
taking joy in each incremental gain, and not letting limitations preclude a
rewarding life.
Vonn, Bilodeau, and Rochette are examples of people who believe in
themselves, and, more importantly, believe in the support system provided
by those around them—families, friends, coaches, and devoted fans. They
never give up, and their example makes us all very proud.
The official theme song for the 2010 Winter Olympics is “I Believe.” It’s
about not giving up, even when things are tough. It’s about connecting with
those who inspire us and who won’t allow us to shelve our dreams. As the
song says, “I believe, together, we’ll fly. I believe in the power of you and I.”
For IHRSA, individual clubs, and the industry, 2010 is a time to believe! —|
www.ihrsa.org | APRIL 2010 | Club Business International 81