CBI AUGUST 01 Cover A 1/TOC.QK - IHRSA
CBI AUGUST 01 Cover A 1/TOC.QK - IHRSA
CBI AUGUST 01 Cover A 1/TOC.QK - IHRSA
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Club Business<br />
February 2005 www.ihrsa.org $7<br />
>>> The magazine of the<br />
International Health, Racquet<br />
& Sportsclub Association<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> President<br />
Julie Main makes<br />
an ironclad case<br />
for the benefits<br />
of exercise ›35<br />
Insurance<br />
Woes<br />
›42<br />
The explosive<br />
cost of health<br />
insurance affords a profitable<br />
opportunity for clubs<br />
A Friend<br />
Indeed<br />
›47<br />
U.S. Senator<br />
Charles E. Grassley<br />
is fair competition’s finest<br />
champion in Congress<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> 2005<br />
Preview<br />
›65<br />
One day in the<br />
life of the club<br />
industry’s most rewarding<br />
convention and trade show<br />
International<br />
The<br />
Main Point
Club Business<br />
February 2005 www.ihrsa.org $7<br />
>>> The magazine of the<br />
International Health, Racquet<br />
& Sportsclub Association<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> President<br />
Julie Main makes<br />
an ironclad case<br />
for the benefits<br />
of exercise ›35<br />
Insurance<br />
Woes<br />
›42<br />
The explosive<br />
cost of health<br />
insurance affords a profitable<br />
opportunity for clubs<br />
A Friend<br />
Indeed<br />
›47<br />
U.S. Senator<br />
Charles E. Grassley<br />
is fair competition’s finest<br />
champion in Congress<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> 2005<br />
Preview<br />
›65<br />
One day in the<br />
life of the club<br />
industry’s most rewarding<br />
convention and trade show<br />
International<br />
The<br />
Main Point
Club Business<br />
February 2005 www.ihrsa.org $7<br />
>>> The magazine of the<br />
International Health, Racquet<br />
& Sportsclub Association<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> President<br />
Julie Main makes<br />
an ironclad case<br />
for the benefits<br />
of exercise ›35<br />
Insurance<br />
Woes<br />
›42<br />
The explosive<br />
cost of health<br />
insurance affords a profitable<br />
opportunity for clubs<br />
A Friend<br />
Indeed<br />
›47<br />
U.S. Senator<br />
Charles E. Grassley<br />
is fair competition’s finest<br />
champion in Congress<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> 2005<br />
Preview<br />
›65<br />
One day in the<br />
life of the club<br />
industry’s most rewarding<br />
convention and trade show<br />
International<br />
The<br />
Main Point
delivers more than just a great workout. it delivers to higher expectations.<br />
The new Star Trac Elite and Pro treadmills don’t just work at a higher standard – they set one.<br />
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motor that's as powerful and durable as it is quiet. Or a more efficient belt and wax system<br />
to extend the life of your machine. And a completely redesigned, more intuitive display that<br />
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every level – and some you won't even expect.<br />
For more information, call 800 228 6635<br />
Dept. 1006 or visit www.startrac.com.<br />
www.startrac.com/products/treadmills<br />
www.startrac.com/products/treadmills
Club Business<br />
International<br />
Features<br />
35 The Main Point<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> President Julie Main<br />
makes an ironclad case for<br />
the benefits of exercise<br />
42 Insurance Woes<br />
The explosive cost of health<br />
insurance affords a profitable<br />
opportunity for clubs<br />
47 A Friend Indeed<br />
U.S. Senator Charles E. Grassley<br />
is fair competition’s finest<br />
champion in Congress<br />
51 Rx Rewards<br />
How to make the most of<br />
the club/medical connection,<br />
by Edward M. Phillips, M.D.<br />
55 Progress in ’04<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>’s new Profiles of Success<br />
suggests that clubs face bigger,<br />
better, times ahead<br />
60 Flooring Story<br />
Our design experts tell a tale of<br />
flooring excellence in six distinct<br />
areas of your club<br />
65 <strong>IHRSA</strong> 2005 Preview<br />
One day in the life of the club<br />
industry’s most rewarding<br />
convention and trade show<br />
71 Group-eXcelling<br />
F.I.T. Extra gets a real workout<br />
road-testing all of the new<br />
group-exercise options<br />
News & Know How<br />
15 Much ado over Mills<br />
15 Star Trac strengths<br />
16 A vote for ClubCom<br />
18 LA Fitness for sale<br />
18 Nonprofit pressures<br />
20 Dot-com can’t do<br />
20 FF’s first franchise<br />
23 Late Breaking News<br />
<strong>Cover</strong> Photography: Andy Smalls<br />
Photography (right): Nancy Kaszerman/Zuma Press<br />
page 6<br />
Short Takes<br />
29 A New York Minute<br />
29 Real fitness role ‘model’<br />
30 Half-ton triumph<br />
30 My, oh, Maya!<br />
33 Inside the SpySchool<br />
33 The ‘Biggest Loser’<br />
In Every Issue<br />
6 This month on www.ihrsa.org<br />
8 Editor’s Welcome<br />
Editor-in-chief Craig R. Waters<br />
on ‘Live Strong’<br />
10 Letters<br />
25 On the Move<br />
Reader Services<br />
108 Marketplace<br />
111 Advertisers’ Index<br />
Super-role-model<br />
Cindy Crawford<br />
page 29<br />
The <strong>IHRSA</strong> Report<br />
The <strong>IHRSA</strong> Report page 83<br />
The <strong>IHRSA</strong> Report<br />
85 Letter from the President<br />
Let’s demand that sports be<br />
given the respect they deserve.<br />
By Julie Main<br />
86 In Brief<br />
Republican strategist Mary Matalin<br />
at Legislative Summit… More<br />
details on 3rd Capitol Hill event…<br />
What to see in Washington, D.C.<br />
88 Inside <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
Club Business Entrepreneur enjoys<br />
accolades… Get Active! <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s<br />
free new quarterly magazine<br />
exhorts club members<br />
90 Club Advisor<br />
Camera phones require guidelines<br />
to protect members’ privacy.<br />
By Kristen A. Walsh<br />
92 What’s New<br />
95 News From Associates<br />
99 New <strong>IHRSA</strong> Associates<br />
102 New <strong>IHRSA</strong> Clubs<br />
106 Calendar of Events<br />
112 Memo from McCarthy<br />
Two new relationships create<br />
opportunities for <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
member clubs. By John McCarthy<br />
FEB 2005
ihrsa.org<br />
This Month on<br />
To<br />
Grow, Protect and Promote the Industry<br />
About the Industry Running Your Business Marketplace News Room Industry Calendar Membership<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> 2005<br />
Time (to Save) is Running<br />
Out! February 15 is the date<br />
of the final price break for<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 2005 International<br />
Convention and Trade Show,<br />
which will take place next<br />
month (March 16-19) in<br />
San Francisco. If you act<br />
now, you’ll save $55 on<br />
the cost of a full four-day<br />
registration, but, if you<br />
linger until after the 15th,<br />
you’ll have to pay the undiscounted<br />
on-site registration<br />
fee. Visit www.ihrsa.org/<br />
register to reserve your<br />
space today. Don’t miss out<br />
on topnotch speakers, such<br />
as General Tommy Franks,<br />
U.S. Army-Ret., football<br />
legend Joe Theismann,<br />
medical-health guru Dean<br />
Ornish, M.D., and financial<br />
expert Jean Chatzky! <br />
Promotions<br />
Build Momentum with<br />
Motivation <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s<br />
brand-new weightloss<br />
initiative,<br />
I Lost It at<br />
the Club!, is now<br />
in full swing at<br />
clubs across the<br />
country, including, hopefully,<br />
your own. If you need to<br />
access program materials, or<br />
if you’d like some tips to help<br />
motivate participants, simply<br />
log on to www.ihrsa.org/ili.<br />
The clubs reporting the<br />
biggest losses will be eligible<br />
to win a Life Fitness crosstrainer.<br />
The final weigh-in<br />
must be completed between<br />
February 28th and March<br />
4th, and the results reported<br />
to www.ihrsa.org/ili by the<br />
latter date. <br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> Institute 2005:<br />
Boston, Babson, the World Champion<br />
Red Sox, and More!<br />
The industry’s most comprehensive educational<br />
event will take place this summer just outside of<br />
Boston, which is also the headquarters of <strong>IHRSA</strong>,<br />
and the home of the world-champion Boston Red<br />
Sox and (presumptive) Super Bowl winner, the<br />
New England Patriots. The 2005 <strong>IHRSA</strong> Institute<br />
will take place August 8-12 at the beautiful Babson<br />
Executive Conference Center, in Wellesley, Massachusetts.<br />
Last year, attendees came from 25 states and six<br />
countries to attend this special, four-day event, and<br />
this year, some 75 enthusiastic club owners, managers,<br />
directors, and developers are expected to take part in<br />
the program, which will be conducted by a world-class<br />
faculty of 16 experienced industry leaders. Among the<br />
unique institute advantages:<br />
• Sessions are designed to provide a core understanding<br />
of the fundamentals of the club business, as well as a<br />
platform for growth;<br />
• Participants become familiar with their peers via an<br />
intense immersion process, which includes social<br />
events, excursions, and interactive peer-group sessions;<br />
• And the Boston Sports Club, the flagship of the<br />
TSI chain, is just a five-minute walk through<br />
Babson’s wooded campus.<br />
For more information, visit the <strong>IHRSA</strong> Website<br />
(www.ihrsa.org) or look for the complete program<br />
brochure in the March issue of <strong>CBI</strong>; to register,<br />
log on to www.ihrsa.org/institute. <br />
Raise Awareness About Eating Disorders<br />
Approximately 8 million Americans suffer from<br />
anorexia, bulimia, or other forms of eating disorders.<br />
Chances are, at least one such individual<br />
works out at, or works at, your club. It’s important<br />
for club operators and staff to be aware of the<br />
signs of such problems so they can be helpful.<br />
One way to do so is by observing Eating Disorder<br />
Awareness Week (February 27 to March 5). Invite a<br />
guest speaker to discuss the topic at your club, display<br />
informational posters, etc. For more information,<br />
log on to www.ihrsa.org/publicpolicy and choose<br />
“Eating Disorders” from the issues list. <br />
6 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
Education<br />
Have a Heart!<br />
Valentine’s<br />
Day isn’t the<br />
only time, this<br />
month, to consider<br />
affairs of<br />
the heart—the<br />
entire month<br />
of February is<br />
American Heart<br />
Month. You can promote<br />
heart health at your club by<br />
distributing educational<br />
materials about heart disease,<br />
heart attacks, and stroke;<br />
offering CPR training for<br />
staff; installing an automated<br />
external defibrillator (AED),<br />
etc. (to learn more about the<br />
role of AEDs in clubs, visit<br />
www.ihrsa.org/aed). <br />
Legislative Summit<br />
Matalin Confirmed as<br />
Keynoter for Summit<br />
Recently, <strong>IHRSA</strong> conducted<br />
an exclusive interview with<br />
Mary Matalin—the former<br />
assistant to President George<br />
W. Bush and featured speaker<br />
at <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 3rd annual<br />
Legislative Summit, which<br />
will take place May 18-20 at<br />
the JW Marriott hotel in<br />
Washington, D.C.<br />
Matalin shared<br />
her thoughts on<br />
the recent election,<br />
the country’s<br />
future, and<br />
physical activity.<br />
When asked her<br />
reasons for exercising,<br />
Matalin replied, “It’s not<br />
a vanity thing—it’s a sanity<br />
thing!” To read the full interview,<br />
and for more information<br />
about the summit, log on<br />
to www.ihrsa.org/summit.
Serious equipment for serious<br />
group strength training.<br />
From the most respected name in free weight equipment, comes<br />
group strength training equipment that's built to last. Group Strength ®<br />
features facility-friendly rubber-encased plates that won’t damage your<br />
floor, and a heavy-duty bar. It’s also the safest equipment option, with secure<br />
fitting commercial-grade collars, plates with patented handgrips, and a 12-sided anti-roll plate design. And Iron<br />
Grip equipment is endorsed by BODYPUMP ® . For more information, call 800-664-4766, or visit www.irongrip.com.<br />
For more information on BODYPUMP ® and other group fitness programs, visit www.bodytrainingsystems.com or call 800-729-7837.
Photography: Tracy Powell<br />
Editor’s Welcome What better cause to<br />
popularize than basic fitness?<br />
Make Exercise<br />
A Trend Again!<br />
What our industry really needs, I think, is a wristband. Something in<br />
an eye-catching color, imprinted with a memorable slogan, and<br />
aligned with some eminently worthy charity.<br />
Since it was introduced last May, more than 23 million copies of cyclist<br />
Lance Armstrong’s bright-yellow “Live Strong” wristbands have been sold.<br />
They are worn by children, college students, blue-collar workers, yuppies,<br />
politicians, and celebrities. President Bush owns one. Senator John Kerry<br />
wore one at the Democratic National Convention.<br />
Bono, Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Ben Stiller, Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon,<br />
Gwyneth Paltrow, Serena and Robin Williams—all of them sport the yellow bands.<br />
This trend owes its strength to several factors. It<br />
supports a noble cause: providing services for<br />
children living with cancer. It identifies the wearer<br />
as a caring person, and as a member-in-goodstanding,<br />
as it were, of a large, well-meaning tribe.<br />
The wristband has raised a small fortune for<br />
charity, made millions of Americans feel a bit better<br />
about themselves, enhanced Armstrong’s<br />
standing as a social tour de force, and paid off,<br />
not unhandsomely, for the sponsor, Nike.<br />
What better cause to promote, to champion, to<br />
popularize—I’d like to know—than basic health<br />
and fitness: the good that <strong>IHRSA</strong> facilities are<br />
designed to provide?<br />
Julie Main, the president of <strong>IHRSA</strong> and the<br />
subject of this month’s Q&A, knows all about the<br />
Craig R. Waters<br />
benefits of regular exercise and is a true believer<br />
in its transforming power. As a club manager, owner,<br />
and client, she’s witnessed, firsthand, the positive effect it can have on appearance,<br />
attitude, self-esteem, functionality, quality of life, and the prevention and/or<br />
treatment of a host of medical conditions and diseases, including, yes, cancer.<br />
If people understood the rich rewards that exercise imparts, Main makes<br />
the case, it would yield a significant improvement in public health, not to<br />
mention a distinct uptick in the number of club memberships.<br />
Edward M. Phillips, M.D., the author of “Maximizing the Medical Connection,”<br />
and George DeVries, who contributed “Health Clubs & Plans: A New Opportunity,”<br />
both share Main’s conviction. “The more one considers the possibilities inherent<br />
in affiliations between physicians and health clubs, the more obvious the benefits<br />
become,” writes Phillips. “Doctors obtain a way to help patients remain healthy<br />
and fit, to treat them more effectively when disease or injury occurs, and to<br />
prolong professional care when medical benefits run out. Clubs profit from,<br />
among other things, ongoing patient referrals, increased exposure, and<br />
enhanced credibility.” DeVries leverages the logic further, arguing that clubs can<br />
play a vital role in helping companies contain skyrocketing healthcare costs.<br />
We need to get the word out more cleverly, more effectively.<br />
Do you have an idea for a neat wristband design? A sexy slogan? An<br />
appropriate charity? A suitable sponsor? Let me know (c.waters@fit-etc.com)<br />
and I’ll pass the word along. <br />
8 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
Club Business<br />
International<br />
The mission of <strong>IHRSA</strong> is to grow,<br />
protect, and promote the industry, and<br />
to provide its members with benefits that will<br />
help them be more successful.<br />
PUBLISHING<br />
Editor-In-Chief: Craig R. Waters<br />
Publisher: Jay M. Ablondi<br />
Managing Editor: Rebecca K. Waters<br />
Editor: Jennifer H. McInerney<br />
Associate Editor: Patricia Glynn<br />
Contributing Editors:<br />
Patricia Amend, Jon Feld,<br />
Catherine Larner, Cathy Masterson McNeil,<br />
Gillian Reagan, Stephen Wallenfels,<br />
Kristen A. Walsh<br />
Associate Director of Advertising: Michele Eynon<br />
Advertising Account Executives:<br />
Jessica DiManno, William Finn,<br />
Donna Garrity, Christine Richards<br />
Art Direction, Design, Production:<br />
tpgcreative, Boston, MA<br />
CLUB BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL<br />
EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING OFFICES:<br />
c/o <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
263 Summer St., Boston, MA 02210<br />
800-228-4772 USA & Canada<br />
617-951-0055 • 617-951-0056 FAX<br />
E-mail: cbi@ihrsa.org<br />
www.ihrsa.org<br />
To order reprints of articles:<br />
Call (toll-free) 866-377-6454<br />
or visit www.ihrsa.org/cbimagazine<br />
Club Business International (ISSN 1043-9692,<br />
USPS 766-570) is published monthly ©2005<br />
by the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub<br />
Association, 263 Summer St., Boston, MA 02210. All<br />
rights reserved. Periodicals postage paid at Boston,<br />
Massachusetts, and additional mailing offices.<br />
Canadian Sales Agreement #407676<strong>01</strong>.<br />
Subscription rate for members is $48 per year,<br />
which is included in the dues. Additional subscriptions<br />
$48 per year (USA) and $75 (International).<br />
Nonmember subscription rates are $72 (USA) and<br />
$120 (International).<br />
POSTMASTER: Please send change of address<br />
to Club Business International, c/o <strong>IHRSA</strong>,<br />
263 Summer St., Boston, Massachusetts 02210<br />
VOLUME 26, ISSUE 2
Photography: Tracy Powell<br />
Editor’s Welcome What better cause to<br />
popularize than basic fitness?<br />
Make Exercise<br />
A Trend Again!<br />
What our industry really needs, I think, is a wristband. Something in<br />
an eye-catching color, imprinted with a memorable slogan, and<br />
aligned with some eminently worthy charity.<br />
Since it was introduced last May, more than 23 million copies of cyclist<br />
Lance Armstrong’s bright-yellow “Live Strong” wristbands have been sold.<br />
They are worn by children, college students, blue-collar workers, yuppies,<br />
politicians, and celebrities. President Bush owns one. Senator John Kerry<br />
wore one at the Democratic National Convention.<br />
Bono, Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Ben Stiller, Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon,<br />
Gwyneth Paltrow, Serena and Robin Williams—all of them sport the yellow bands.<br />
This trend owes its strength to several factors. It<br />
supports a noble cause: providing services for<br />
children living with cancer. It identifies the wearer<br />
as a caring person, and as a member-in-goodstanding,<br />
as it were, of a large, well-meaning tribe.<br />
The wristband has raised a small fortune for<br />
charity, made millions of Americans feel a bit better<br />
about themselves, enhanced Armstrong’s<br />
standing as a social tour de force, and paid off,<br />
not unhandsomely, for the sponsor, Nike.<br />
What better cause to promote, to champion, to<br />
popularize—I’d like to know—than basic health<br />
and fitness: the good that <strong>IHRSA</strong> facilities are<br />
designed to provide?<br />
Julie Main, the president of <strong>IHRSA</strong> and the<br />
subject of this month’s Q&A, knows all about the<br />
Craig R. Waters<br />
benefits of regular exercise and is a true believer<br />
in its transforming power. As a club manager, owner,<br />
and client, she’s witnessed, firsthand, the positive effect it can have on appearance,<br />
attitude, self-esteem, functionality, quality of life, and the prevention and/or<br />
treatment of a host of medical conditions and diseases, including, yes, cancer.<br />
If people understood the rich rewards that exercise imparts, Main makes<br />
the case, it would yield a significant improvement in public health, not to<br />
mention a distinct uptick in the number of club memberships.<br />
Edward M. Phillips, M.D., the author of “Maximizing the Medical Connection,”<br />
and George DeVries, who contributed “Health Clubs & Plans: A New Opportunity,”<br />
both share Main’s conviction. “The more one considers the possibilities inherent<br />
in affiliations between physicians and health clubs, the more obvious the benefits<br />
become,” writes Phillips. “Doctors obtain a way to help patients remain healthy<br />
and fit, to treat them more effectively when disease or injury occurs, and to<br />
prolong professional care when medical benefits run out. Clubs profit from,<br />
among other things, ongoing patient referrals, increased exposure, and<br />
enhanced credibility.” DeVries leverages the logic further, arguing that clubs can<br />
play a vital role in helping companies contain skyrocketing healthcare costs.<br />
We need to get the word out more cleverly, more effectively.<br />
Do you have an idea for a neat wristband design? A sexy slogan? An<br />
appropriate charity? A suitable sponsor? Let me know (c.waters@fit-etc.com)<br />
and I’ll pass the word along. <br />
8 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
Club Business<br />
International<br />
The mission of <strong>IHRSA</strong> is to grow,<br />
protect, and promote the industry, and<br />
to provide its members with benefits that will<br />
help them be more successful.<br />
PUBLISHING<br />
Editor-In-Chief: Craig R. Waters<br />
Publisher: Jay M. Ablondi<br />
Managing Editor: Rebecca K. Waters<br />
Editor: Jennifer H. McInerney<br />
Associate Editor: Patricia Glynn<br />
Contributing Editors:<br />
Patricia Amend, Jon Feld,<br />
Catherine Larner, Cathy Masterson McNeil,<br />
Gillian Reagan, Stephen Wallenfels,<br />
Kristen A. Walsh<br />
Associate Director of Advertising: Michele Eynon<br />
Advertising Account Executives:<br />
Jessica DiManno, William Finn,<br />
Donna Garrity, Christine Richards<br />
Art Direction, Design, Production:<br />
tpgcreative, Boston, MA<br />
CLUB BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL<br />
EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING OFFICES:<br />
c/o <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
263 Summer St., Boston, MA 02210<br />
800-228-4772 USA & Canada<br />
617-951-0055 • 617-951-0056 FAX<br />
E-mail: cbi@ihrsa.org<br />
www.ihrsa.org<br />
To order reprints of articles:<br />
Call (toll-free) 866-377-6454<br />
or visit www.ihrsa.org/cbimagazine<br />
Club Business International (ISSN 1043-9692,<br />
USPS 766-570) is published monthly ©2005<br />
by the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub<br />
Association, 263 Summer St., Boston, MA 02210. All<br />
rights reserved. Periodicals postage paid at Boston,<br />
Massachusetts, and additional mailing offices.<br />
Canadian Sales Agreement #407676<strong>01</strong>.<br />
Subscription rate for members is $48 per year,<br />
which is included in the dues. Additional subscriptions<br />
$48 per year (USA) and $75 (International).<br />
Nonmember subscription rates are $72 (USA) and<br />
$120 (International).<br />
POSTMASTER: Please send change of address<br />
to Club Business International, c/o <strong>IHRSA</strong>,<br />
263 Summer St., Boston, Massachusetts 02210<br />
VOLUME 26, ISSUE 2
Letters “It’s this kind of thinking that will help attract new members,<br />
and let… the population in on our secret: health clubs are fun.”<br />
AD-MIRATION<br />
I thought your article on the Adelaide<br />
Club’s unique approach to advertising<br />
(See “Adventures in Ad<br />
Land,” November <strong>CBI</strong>, pg.<br />
56) was great. In an industry<br />
where many of us still need<br />
to learn that “perfect” comes<br />
in many shapes and sizes,<br />
your article reminded us that,<br />
because of our failure to do<br />
so, we haven’t been able to<br />
convince a large percentage of the population<br />
to join our clubs. These ads appeal<br />
to the regular folks out there who know<br />
that they’d profit from a membership—<br />
if only for the social benefits.<br />
Kudos to the Adelaide Club for its<br />
courage in trying a brave new approach,<br />
and to the Coyote Marketing Group for its<br />
innovative and fun campaign. It’s this kind<br />
of thinking that will help us attract new<br />
members, and let the rest of the population<br />
in on our secret: health clubs are fun,<br />
friendly places to eat, drink, schmooze,<br />
meet like-minded people—and, oh, yes,<br />
get some exercise too!<br />
Randy DeLue, Owner<br />
Challenge Fitness Center<br />
San Diego, CA<br />
A BUM RAP<br />
I’m a bit behind in<br />
my reading and just<br />
came across the picture<br />
in the October issue of<br />
<strong>CBI</strong> of the people from the New York<br />
Health and Racquet Club dropping their<br />
pants for some promotion (See “Moon<br />
Over Manhattan Spotlights Chain,” pg.34).<br />
Having worked very hard over the last<br />
30 years, as many in our industry have<br />
done, to try to improve our standing with<br />
the public and the medical community, I’m<br />
very disappointed that you granted this<br />
idiocy further publicity. You’re supposed<br />
to be leading the effort to raise the level<br />
of professionalism in the industry.<br />
10 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
One of the articles beneath the picture<br />
was about Joe Cirulli’s great achievement—<br />
receiving the Distinguished Entrepreneur<br />
for Lifetime Achievement Award, from the<br />
University of Florida’s Warrington College<br />
of Business—and a reader could easily<br />
make the mistake of thinking the picture<br />
accompanied that story! (See “Joe Cirulli<br />
Wins Award of a Lifetime.”) Please, let’s<br />
forget the trash and focus on the many<br />
great stories, like Joe’s, that we have to tell.<br />
Mike Arteaga, Owner<br />
All Sport Poughkeepsie Health<br />
Poughkeepsie, NY<br />
CONGRESSIONAL OK<br />
The European Congress in Berlin was, in<br />
my view, one of the best conferences I’ve ever<br />
attended. The presentation by Phillip Mills,<br />
of Les Mills International, was absolutely outstanding.<br />
The entire experience surpassed<br />
my expectations.<br />
Because the program included just onefifth<br />
of the programs offered at <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s
Letters “Our industry is getting away from its obsession with biceps<br />
and booties and embracing the health and wellness needs of the nation.”<br />
annual convention in the U.S., and had<br />
only 300 delegates, compared with 3,000<br />
for the American event, I’d wrongly<br />
assumed that this was a lightweight affair.<br />
I’d stupidly mistaken quantity for quality.<br />
The level of the attendees in Berlin was<br />
very high, with most being club owners or<br />
chief executives, and the quality of the<br />
presentation was equally impressive.<br />
I’d like to thank everyone at <strong>IHRSA</strong> for<br />
their efforts in promoting the congress.<br />
I’m sure that our representation at this<br />
event will be much greater in the future.<br />
Roger Kerry, Chairman<br />
Branston Golf and Country Club<br />
Burton Upon Trent, England<br />
WIRELESS ACCESS<br />
Your article on millennials, the technologically<br />
savvy demographic of our population,<br />
couldn’t have been more on target. (See<br />
“How to Turn Technophiles on to Fitness,”<br />
November <strong>CBI</strong>, pg. 33). Today, wireless is the<br />
way. Fitness technology facilitates greater<br />
revenue, client retention, and customer satisfaction.<br />
It’s refreshing to see that <strong>IHRSA</strong> is<br />
promoting a growing part of the industry.<br />
Bedros Keuilian, President<br />
Hitech Trainer<br />
Buena Park, CA<br />
HEALTH PROMOTER<br />
When I flipped open my latest issue of<br />
<strong>CBI</strong> and read that Dr. Michael O’Donnell,<br />
Ph.D., and others from the American<br />
Journal of Health Promotion meeting<br />
would be joining the health and fitness<br />
folks at <strong>IHRSA</strong>, I was pumped.<br />
First, the timing couldn’t be better for<br />
me: at the time of the show, I will be in midsemester<br />
at the University of Nevada in Las<br />
Vegas. In May, I’ll be graduating with my<br />
M.Ed. in health promotion (nutrition and<br />
fitness), and, in the fall, I plan to start work<br />
on my M.P.H. in health promotion.<br />
Second, the line-up of presenters is spectacular.<br />
In the course of my education, I’ve<br />
studied the work of three of the featured<br />
speakers, including O’Donnell; James O.<br />
Prochaska, Ph.D., of the University of<br />
Rhode Island; and Lawrence W. Green,<br />
Ph.D., of the University of California’s<br />
School of Public Health, in Berkeley. These<br />
people are the Mains, Mastrovs, and<br />
Akradis of their universe.<br />
And finally: our industry is getting away<br />
from its obsession with biceps and booties<br />
and embracing the health and wellness<br />
needs of the population. This represents a<br />
major step forward in terms of credibility.<br />
Thanks to the <strong>IHRSA</strong> team for making<br />
this happen!<br />
Bret FitzGerald, Vice President, Corporate<br />
Communication<br />
Las Vegas Athletic Clubs<br />
Las Vegas, NV<br />
2005 World<br />
Seminar Series<br />
30<br />
Register Today at a Convenient Location!<br />
Call the designated phone number below for information<br />
2-03 Seattle, WA 206-364-6339<br />
2-04 Vancouver, BC 403-239-9439<br />
2-09 San Diego, CA 831-915-3228<br />
2-10 Los Angeles, CA 831-915-3228<br />
2-11 Calgary, AB 403-239-9439<br />
2-21&22 Australia 61739<strong>01</strong>4985<br />
3-02 Phoenix, AZ 480-837-7385<br />
3-03 Denver, CO 480-837-7385<br />
Editor’s note: Letters may have been<br />
edited for reasons of space or clarity.<br />
HOW TO WRITE: If you would like to submit<br />
a letter for publication, please address it to<br />
<strong>CBI</strong> c/o <strong>IHRSA</strong>, 263 Summer St., Boston,<br />
MA 02210, or e-mail cbi@ihrsa.org.<br />
DAYS TO SUCCESS<br />
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www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 11
HOW TO RETAIN MEMBERS<br />
FOR LIFE<br />
Equip your club with defibrillators and be prepared to act fast when sudden cardiac arrest<br />
occurs. Your members may be at greater risk for sudden cardiac arrest during and shortly after<br />
vigorous exercise.* Of the 340,000 Americans each year who suffer an arrest, fewer than 5% survive,<br />
largely due to delays in receiving treatment. That’s why having Philips HeartStart Defibrillators available<br />
at your club is so important. HeartStart Defibrillators are safe, easy to use and low maintenance, and<br />
virtually anyone can be trained to operate them. Plus, Philips can help with HeartStart Essentials,<br />
everything from medical direction and site assessment to training and support. It’s no wonder<br />
Philips HeartStart Defibrillators are the number-one portable defibrillators among airlines, airports<br />
and workplaces.** It just makes sense.<br />
LEARN HOW PHILIPS HEARTSTART DEFIBRILLATORS CAN GIVE<br />
YOUR MEMBERS AND STAFF THE POWER TO SAVE A LIFE.<br />
VISIT WWW.PHILIPS.COM/HEARTSTART OR<br />
CALL 800-453-6860 (REFERENCE 1762).<br />
ASK ABOUT THE <strong>IHRSA</strong> ADVANTAGE SAVINGS PROGRAM<br />
AND HOW YOU CAN SAVE UP TO $1,000.<br />
* Albert CM et al. “Triggering of Sudden Death from Cardiac Causes<br />
by Vigorous Exertion.” N Engl J Med. 1999; 343:1355-1361.<br />
** Frost & Sullivan.<br />
© 2004 Philips Medical Systems North America Corp.
News&KnowHow<br />
Group-Xcellence<br />
Proves Rewarding<br />
For Fitness Innovator<br />
Mills named Entrepreneur of<br />
the Year for New Zealand, now<br />
heads to Monte Carlo<br />
> Phillip Mills, the chairman<br />
of Les Mills International<br />
(LMI), the group-exercise<br />
empire based in Auckland,<br />
has been honored as the 2004<br />
Ernst and Young Entrepreneur<br />
of the Year for New<br />
Zealand. Mills took the top<br />
prize after having won first<br />
place in the “services” category,<br />
one of five categories judged.<br />
He will now go on to compete,<br />
in May, against 34 entrepreneurs<br />
from around the globe<br />
for the Ernst and Young<br />
World Entrepreneur of the<br />
Year award, which will be<br />
presented in Monte Carlo.<br />
“Phillip Mills is truly an<br />
inspirational entrepreneur,”<br />
observes David Johnson,<br />
the chairman of the judging<br />
panel. “His licensed, groupfitness<br />
programs are a world<br />
first, and we’re certain that<br />
he’s going to be a superstar.<br />
After interviewing him,<br />
all of the judges wanted to<br />
know how they could buy<br />
into the company… and<br />
we even felt healthier!”<br />
LMI, which owns nine<br />
clubs in New Zealand,<br />
and develops and markets<br />
branded group-exercise<br />
programs worldwide, was<br />
founded by Mills’ father,<br />
Les, whom he succeeded<br />
as chairman in 1993. The<br />
company currently offers<br />
seven exercise options,<br />
prominent among them<br />
BODYPUMP, a prechoreographed,<br />
cardio-and-strength<br />
routine that makes use of<br />
special dumbbells. The LMI<br />
programs are utilized by<br />
more than 9,000 clubs in<br />
54 countries, and enjoyed<br />
by an estimated 3 million<br />
participants each week.<br />
“LMI is a highly profitable<br />
company and has a very<br />
clear strategic direction,”<br />
says Johnson. “Mills is a<br />
charismatic, inspirational<br />
leader… He’s not only had a<br />
great idea, but also followed<br />
it through, and protected<br />
his intellectual property<br />
from day one, which some<br />
entrepreneurs fail to do.<br />
He has a long-term strategy,<br />
and you can see, in his<br />
eyes, that he knows exactly<br />
where he is going, and that<br />
he knows the possibilities<br />
are boundless.”<br />
“I’m absolutely overwhelmed<br />
to have been<br />
named the Ernst and Young<br />
Entrepreneur of the Year,”<br />
enthuses Mills. “Would-be<br />
entrepreneurs out there need<br />
to remember that nothing’s<br />
impossible. You have to<br />
find your glass ceiling<br />
and burst through it.” <br />
Weighty win Group-x guru Phillip Mills savors his victory<br />
Star Trac Gains Strength<br />
In Fitness Equipment<br />
Firm known for its cardio successes<br />
becomes latest ‘full-product-line’ company<br />
> Star Trac, a leading<br />
international player in<br />
the cardiovascular fitnessequipment<br />
market, has<br />
established a major presence<br />
in the strength arena with<br />
the acquisition of Flex<br />
Fitness, Inc., of Murietta,<br />
California. As a result of<br />
the purchase, announced<br />
in November, Star Trac’s<br />
extensive product line of<br />
stationary bikes, treadmills,<br />
stairclimbers, and elliptical<br />
trainers will expand to<br />
encompass more than 100<br />
strength-training items,<br />
including Flex’ Classic and<br />
Platinum lines. The entire<br />
Flex operation—e.g., brands,<br />
products, workforce, manufacturing<br />
facilities, etc.—<br />
will be retained, becoming<br />
Star Trac Strength, a wholly<br />
owned subsidiary of the<br />
parent company.<br />
“To fulfill Star Trac’s emerging<br />
vision to improve people’s <br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 15
NEWS<br />
continued<br />
quality and length of life<br />
through fitness, it became<br />
clear that integrating a strength<br />
brand would dramatically<br />
facilitate penetration into global<br />
markets with more breadth<br />
than ever before,” explains<br />
Steve Nero, the president of<br />
Star Trac. “Now we have<br />
the opportunity to integrate<br />
Flex’ passion and experience<br />
for strength training with<br />
Star Trac’s management<br />
systems, global distribution<br />
network, and award-winning<br />
cardio equipment.”<br />
“The marriage of Star<br />
Trac’s reputation for customer<br />
satisfaction with Flex’<br />
for innovative design are<br />
a perfect match, and will<br />
be a force to be reckoned<br />
with in this industry,”<br />
promises Larry Brown,<br />
the vice president of Flex.<br />
Star Trac, which distributes<br />
its wares in 65 countries and<br />
owns distributorships in the<br />
U.K. and Germany, is the last<br />
of the six largest equipment<br />
companies to become a<br />
“one-stop-shopping” source.<br />
The others, which also offer<br />
complete cardio and strength<br />
lines, are Cybex, Precor,<br />
Nautilus, Technogym, and<br />
Life Fitness. Next month,<br />
Star Trac and Flex will share<br />
the same exhibition space,<br />
for the first time, at <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s<br />
24th annual International<br />
Convention and Trade<br />
Show in San Francisco. <br />
16 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
“If you drive a Volvo and you do yoga, you’re pretty much a<br />
Democrat,” observed Ken Mehlman, Bush’s campaign manager.<br />
Bush Counted on ClubCom’s Clout<br />
ClubCom couple Bush utilized club TV network to communicate Red message to Blue voters<br />
> To improve the president’s<br />
margin in the recent election,<br />
the Bush campaign not<br />
only studied, and leveraged,<br />
Americans’ political views,<br />
but also their exercise inclinations.<br />
For the first time in<br />
history, a presidential candidate<br />
took advantage of ad<br />
opportunities in health clubs—<br />
relying on the ClubCom<br />
network—to reach a greater<br />
number of undecided voters.<br />
Describing the Republicans’<br />
sophisticated use of unconventional<br />
media, campaign manager<br />
Ken Mehlman explained<br />
that his team analyzed the<br />
same sort of data studied by<br />
consumer-products companies<br />
(e.g., pastimes, purchasing<br />
patterns, etc.) to identify potential<br />
supporters. It then focused<br />
much of its advertising on<br />
an environment where, its<br />
research revealed, Democrats<br />
tended to congregate: the gym.<br />
“If you drive a Volvo and<br />
you do yoga, you are pretty<br />
much a Democrat,” Mehlman<br />
observed. Conversely, “If you<br />
drive a Lincoln or a BMW<br />
and you own a gun, you’re<br />
voting for George Bush.”<br />
In August, the Bush-<br />
Cheney campaign purchased<br />
time on the ClubCom network,<br />
which provides in-club<br />
entertainment, information,<br />
and advertising that reaches<br />
an estimated 15 million viewers<br />
each month. “Based on<br />
the number of responses we<br />
received regarding the campaign,<br />
it was clear that the<br />
broadcast was very effective<br />
in reaching the intended<br />
audience,” Tom Lapcevic, the<br />
president of ClubCom, tells<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>. “At the same time, the<br />
program underscored the<br />
challenges associated with<br />
political advertising, especially<br />
in heated campaigns that<br />
divide the country. As a network,<br />
we had to be sensitive<br />
to the nature of the ads and<br />
make sure that they were<br />
positive, and not upsetting<br />
to our viewers.”<br />
Lapcevic explains that the<br />
club-member demographic<br />
is particularly attractive<br />
to advertisers because it<br />
consists of people who are<br />
active, well educated, and<br />
who, with an average household<br />
income of $95,900,<br />
have tremendous purchasing<br />
power. When they work out—<br />
an average of 81.6 minutes<br />
per session—they are also, in<br />
essence, a captive audience.<br />
ClubCom is an <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
associate member. <br />
Photography: Gary Hershorn/REUTERS
When we studied the path of the human foot,<br />
ours became clear.<br />
Created by simulating the natural elliptical running path of the human foot, the EFX ® Elliptical Fitness Crosstrainer from Precor revolutionized the<br />
fitness industry. The EFX also showed that by engineering exercise equipment to move the way you move, Precor crafted a whole new level of fitness,<br />
and fitness equipment. And when combined with our CrossRamp ® design, the elliptical motion of the EFX targets and isolates various muscle groups<br />
for true cross training capabilities. Smooth and flowing, it is the only one of its kind. Just like the human body.<br />
800-4PRECOR I www.precor.com
NEWS<br />
continued<br />
Is This the End<br />
Of the ‘Public’<br />
U.K. Club Market?<br />
Will LA Fitness<br />
go private?<br />
> LA Fitness, the last publicly<br />
held club chain based in<br />
the U.K., is considering the<br />
possibility of going private,<br />
the London Financial Times<br />
reported last month. If so,<br />
it would follow in the wellworn<br />
footsteps of every other<br />
British public chain, all of<br />
which have reverted to private<br />
ownership since 20<strong>01</strong>—<br />
in large part because of lack<br />
of interest and support in<br />
the City, the U.K.’s version<br />
of Wall Street.<br />
According to the Times,<br />
LA Fitness, which was<br />
founded by Chief Executive<br />
Fred Turok in 1990 and now<br />
operates 67 facilities, has been<br />
approached by a number of<br />
private equity firms, including<br />
ones that already have significant<br />
club holdings. Among<br />
the prospective suitors: Bridgepoint<br />
Capital, which owns the<br />
Virgin Active and Holmes<br />
Place chains; Royal Bank<br />
Private Equity (Cannons); Cinven<br />
(Fitness First); and L&G<br />
Ventures (Total Fitness). Other<br />
possible buyers include Duke<br />
Street Capital (Esporta) and<br />
Hg Capital (which showed an<br />
interest in Fitness First when<br />
it became available in 2003).<br />
Analysts suggest that LA<br />
Fitness has the potential to<br />
grow to 100 clubs in size, and<br />
could produce a sales price of<br />
between $4.85 and $5.05 per<br />
share, giving the company a<br />
total value of $198.7 million<br />
to $206.6 million. Turok, who<br />
holds a 15% interest, could<br />
earn as much as $30 million. <br />
18 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
“The tax code should clearly differentiate between acceptable<br />
and unacceptable behavior from nonprofits and… should be enforced.”<br />
Nonprofit Groups Come Under Fire<br />
For ‘Uncharitable’ Activities<br />
> Further revelations about<br />
financial abuses on the part<br />
of nonprofit organizations<br />
have led to demands for<br />
more stringent regulation<br />
of such groups, as well as<br />
an admission, on the part<br />
of some of their directors,<br />
that such changes are, in<br />
fact, required. Prominent<br />
among the movement’s<br />
leaders is U.S. Senator<br />
Charles E. “Chuck” Grassley<br />
(R-IA), the chairman of the<br />
Senate Finance Committee<br />
(see “Fair-Competition<br />
Champ,” pg. 55). Grassley,<br />
who has held hearings on<br />
charitable transgressions,<br />
says he will introduce legislation<br />
to safeguard against<br />
such shortcomings. Among<br />
the remedies he’s weighing:<br />
a regular five-year review, by<br />
the Internal Revenue Service<br />
(IRS), of a group’s tax-exempt<br />
status; better and broader<br />
financial disclosure forms;<br />
and improved public access to<br />
information about nonprofits.<br />
“The tax code should<br />
clearly differentiate between<br />
acceptable and unacceptable<br />
behavior from nonprofits, and<br />
the code should be enforced,”<br />
Grassley tells <strong>CBI</strong>. “Nonprofit<br />
status is a privilege, not a<br />
right, and everyone should<br />
treat it as such.”<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> has long taken issue<br />
with the tax and other advantages<br />
accorded nonprofit<br />
organizations (e.g., the YMCA,<br />
JCC, colleges and universities,<br />
municipal recreation departments,<br />
and hospitals) that<br />
offer exercise services, competing<br />
unfairly with for-profit<br />
health and fitness facilities.<br />
The Enforcer Grassley wants nonprofits to play by the rules<br />
“If we in the (nonprofit)<br />
sector can’t make the changes<br />
we need to make ourselves<br />
without legislation, then we<br />
need the legislation,” Brian<br />
Gallagher, the president of the<br />
United Way, told the Associated<br />
Press. “Because changes<br />
in nonprofit accountability<br />
have to be made in order<br />
to restore trust.” The United<br />
Way has come in for special<br />
scrutiny since one of its<br />
executives admitted stealing<br />
$500,000 from the charity,<br />
and another was found guilty<br />
of embezzling $2 million.<br />
Not waiting on the<br />
IRS, the National Database<br />
of Nonprofit Organizations<br />
(NBNO) has begun providing<br />
the public with detailed<br />
financial information on<br />
nonprofits. NBNO purchased<br />
copies of the organizations’<br />
IRS filings, and has since<br />
posted them on its searchable<br />
Website, www.guidestar.org.<br />
For-profit entities and the<br />
media have both found<br />
them to be interesting reading.<br />
The Boston Globe, for<br />
instance, used the site to<br />
uncover a $36-million expense<br />
for a private jet expense<br />
buried on page 134 of a<br />
191-page report filed by<br />
a Florida foundation. <br />
Photography: Greg Whitesell/UPI Photo
DESIGN NO. 43<br />
OMEZH-45<br />
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Ivanko plates to your equipment<br />
DESIGN NO. 87<br />
RUEZ-45<br />
DESIGN NO. 62<br />
ROEZH-45<br />
DESIGN NO. 71<br />
ROEZH-45R<br />
ROEZH-35B<br />
ROEZH-25Y<br />
Each club has a unique vision of how to differentiate their facility and equipment<br />
from the club down the street and across town. That’s why Ivanko offers the<br />
industry’s broadest assortment of original, patented designs and vibrant<br />
visual looks. Club owners and members tell us they appreciate the clean eye<br />
appeal almost as much as the superior performance, safety, and durability.<br />
Available in pounds and kilos, what you see and feel in Ivanko plates comes<br />
from 36 years of thinking outside the one-size-fits-all world.<br />
DESIGN NO. 55<br />
OMEZS-45<br />
P.O. Box 1470 • San Pedro, CA 90733 • USA • Phone 310.514.1155 • Fax 310.514.1363 • email chet@ivankobarbell.com • www.ivankobarbell.com
Technology<br />
Dot-Com Can’t<br />
Fitness e-sales slow to take off<br />
By Patricia Amend<br />
Do clubs buy equipment and supplies over<br />
the Internet? The answer is no, not very much.<br />
At the turn of the century, during<br />
the dot-com boom, a number of<br />
players had ambitious aspirations<br />
for fitness portals—virtual one-stop<br />
shopping hubs, on the Internet, where<br />
clubs could purchase the products and<br />
services that they need regularly.<br />
The idea was to offer convenience,<br />
competitive pricing, and an instantaneous,<br />
streamlined purchasing process. Some<br />
envisioned online business-to-business<br />
(B2B) transactions, not unlike the commodities<br />
markets, where there’s an asking<br />
price, bidding, and a strike price for<br />
bigger-ticket items, such as equipment.<br />
So, what happened?<br />
These ideas evaporated like hundreds<br />
of other dot-com dreams. Potential<br />
investors shied away because they suspected<br />
these New Economy businesses<br />
wouldn’t generate enough revenue to<br />
make them viable.<br />
FitnessMX is just one such example.<br />
In 1999, former <strong>IHRSA</strong> President<br />
Mitch Wald and two partners started<br />
this fully functional, integrated, e-commerce<br />
exchange representing 1,000<br />
health and fitness industry suppliers,<br />
which they planned to launch in early<br />
20<strong>01</strong>. “We had lots of vendors. We had<br />
900 clubs signed up. We just couldn’t<br />
raise the money to get it off the<br />
ground,” recalls Wald, now the president<br />
and CEO of the Sport and Health<br />
Company, based in McLean, Virginia.<br />
So where do things stand now? Do<br />
clubs buy equipment and supplies<br />
over the Internet? The answer is no,<br />
not very much—just a little window<br />
shopping, really.<br />
“There just aren’t enough clubs to<br />
generate the traffic portals need to make<br />
money,” explains Chris Siucie, the owner<br />
of Big Fitness, an equipment retailer<br />
that sells via catalog and stores in Mass-<br />
20 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
achusetts and Rhode Island. Siucie also<br />
sells equipment on his own Website,<br />
www.FitnessEquipment.com, to the<br />
public, the government, and a “handful”<br />
of clubs.<br />
“There are something like 35,000<br />
clubs in the U.S., and a substantial<br />
number still aren’t connected<br />
to the Internet,”<br />
Siucie points out. “For<br />
clubs, the Internet is a<br />
good place to conduct<br />
product research, but<br />
most can get a better<br />
deal if they buy directly<br />
from manufacturers,<br />
who also offer attractive<br />
financing. Most manu- FitCom’s Al Valente<br />
facturers have dealer<br />
networks, and, to avoid hurting dealers,<br />
they tend not to sell equipment over<br />
the Internet.”<br />
The closest the industry has come,<br />
recently, to B2B e-commerce is a “distributor<br />
model,” much like a paper<br />
catalog, notes Al Valente, the president<br />
of FitCommerce.com, an information<br />
portal and online marketplace based<br />
in Mystic, Connecticut. “These Websites<br />
cut deals with manufacturers to carry<br />
some inventory and then sell it to<br />
buyers… That’s as far as the industry<br />
has progressed.”<br />
Valente knows the challenges well.<br />
He and his partner started work on an<br />
online B2B exchange in 2000, but abandoned<br />
it because the market clearly<br />
wasn’t ready. “Everyone thought that<br />
that was the way the world was going,”<br />
he reminisces, “but the Internet got<br />
ahead of itself, and the bubble burst.” <br />
PATRICIA AMEND is a contributing editor<br />
for <strong>CBI</strong> and can be reached<br />
at pamend@aol.com.<br />
NEWS<br />
continued<br />
Fitness First<br />
Initiates First-Ever<br />
Franchising Effort<br />
> Fitness First, the huge,<br />
U.K.-based chain that owns<br />
and operates clubs in Europe,<br />
Australia, and Asia, has<br />
embarked on a franchising<br />
program to accelerate its<br />
market penetration in other<br />
parts of the world. The company,<br />
which currently has some<br />
400 facilities, has entered into<br />
a franchise partnership with<br />
Leisure Unlimited to introduce<br />
the brand to the Middle East<br />
and North Africa. Leisure<br />
Unlimited is a joint venture<br />
between retailer Al Hokair<br />
and Global Brands, a leisure<br />
organization, both of Dubai,<br />
Saudi Arabia.<br />
“Through Leisure Unlimited,<br />
we are looking forward to<br />
a long and fruitful partnership<br />
with Fitness First,” observes<br />
Allan Druce, the director<br />
of the Al Hokair Group. “We<br />
are on a fast-track development<br />
in the Middle East,<br />
and will be announcing our<br />
timelines soon.”<br />
The first franchised club<br />
will open in Dubai next month,<br />
and will be followed by 20<br />
other facilities in Dubai, and<br />
elsewhere in Saudi Arabia,<br />
over the next three years.<br />
They will be branded “Fitness<br />
First,” and, in terms of facility<br />
and amenities, will be identical<br />
to the other clubs in the<br />
company’s portfolio.<br />
“This is the start of a new<br />
and exciting initiative for Fitness<br />
First,” notes Mike Balfour,<br />
the founder and deputy chairman<br />
of the chain, “and we’ll<br />
now give serious consideration<br />
to franchising Fitness First<br />
clubs in other parts of the<br />
world where we do not<br />
currently have operations.”
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Be part of the new fitness evolution at<br />
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NEWS<br />
continued<br />
> The devastating tsunami<br />
born in the Indian Ocean on<br />
December 26 exacted a terrible<br />
toll on life and property<br />
that, perhaps, will never be<br />
fully tallied. No segment of<br />
society—including the health<br />
and fitness club industry—<br />
escaped unscathed. <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
has 158 member facilities<br />
in six of the countries affected,<br />
and, while most were<br />
unharmed, a number were<br />
either destroyed or suffered<br />
significant damage.<br />
Among the hardest hit<br />
was the Royal Bangkok Sports<br />
Club Thailand, which includes<br />
the Sivalai Spa and Mukdara<br />
Beach resort. “The wave left<br />
us with nothing more than<br />
a blank landscape—it’s unlike<br />
anything I’ve ever seen,”<br />
Sarah Kajonborrirak, the<br />
founder and president of the<br />
Thai Heritage Spa Co., Ltd.,<br />
based in Bangkok, told <strong>CBI</strong>.<br />
“In 10 minutes, the entire<br />
facility was wiped out. We<br />
lost our interior designer and<br />
almost the entire family of the<br />
resort owner… Fortunately,<br />
Late Breaking<br />
Taking Stock of a Deadly Tsunami<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> facilities escape, or bear brunt of, devastating Indian Ocean tragedy<br />
In Memoriam<br />
Industry Mourns<br />
Stephen I. Block<br />
> One of the industry’s true<br />
innovators, Stephen I. Block,<br />
the founder and president<br />
of SPRI Products, Inc., of<br />
Libertyville, Illinois, passed<br />
away on December 30, at<br />
the age of 68, after suffering<br />
a brain hemorrhage at his<br />
home in Indianapolis. Block<br />
founded SPRI 22 years ago,<br />
Flood damage The fitness center at the Le Meridian Resort<br />
relief funds and our insurance<br />
will help us to rebuild,”<br />
she noted. “Within a year,<br />
we hope to rebuild the entire<br />
resort, the spa, tennis courts,<br />
fitness facility, and the<br />
remainder of the property.”<br />
The Khao Lak region north<br />
of Phuket Island was also<br />
and transformed it into a<br />
leading distributor of rubberresistance<br />
exercise products<br />
and fitness accessories for<br />
health clubs, personal training<br />
studios, and consumers’<br />
homes. Though a skilled<br />
and sophisticated executive,<br />
Block always remained an<br />
involved, hands-on, entrepreneur.<br />
He was a familiar<br />
fixture at industry events,<br />
and, even as president,<br />
didn’t hesitate to roll up<br />
his sleeves to demonstrate<br />
the company’s products.<br />
severely affected. The Anantara<br />
Royal Coco Palm Resort,<br />
the Le Meridian Resort, and<br />
the Sofitel Khao Lak Resort<br />
all suffered heavy damage.<br />
Club chains with major<br />
holdings in the area—e.g.,<br />
Fitness First Asia, the<br />
Alexander Group, Clark<br />
“Life at trade shows will<br />
never be the same without<br />
Steve strolling from booth to<br />
booth, shaking hands, giving<br />
out hugs, and having a kind<br />
word for everyone,” said Scott<br />
Swanson, a SPRI partner.<br />
Block is survived by his<br />
wife, R. Lee (Reider) Block,<br />
10 children, and eight grandchildren.<br />
The family has asked<br />
that memorial contributions<br />
be directed to the U.S. Holocaust<br />
Museum, 100 Raoul<br />
Wallenberg Place SW,<br />
Washington, D.C. 20024. <br />
Photography: Sports Engineering And Recreation Asia Ltd<br />
Hatch International—reported<br />
no major losses.<br />
Soon after the disaster,<br />
clubs and club-industry organizations<br />
worldwide began<br />
raising funds to support the<br />
tsunami relief effort. Among<br />
the many donors were the<br />
Body Zone Health and Fitness<br />
Club, in Watsonville, California;<br />
WOW! Work Out World, a<br />
New Jersey-based chain;<br />
Curves International franchises;<br />
Fitness First facilities in<br />
Malaysia; Lifespa Fitness,<br />
which operates 12 clubs<br />
in Indonesia; and <strong>IHRSA</strong>.<br />
To expedite contributions,<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> has dedicated a<br />
portion of its Website,<br />
www.ihrsa.org/relief, to<br />
providing information<br />
on helping survivors.<br />
“All of us at <strong>IHRSA</strong> want<br />
to extend our condolences,<br />
as well as our commitment<br />
to help in any way that we<br />
can, as an association of<br />
international clubs and<br />
fitness businesses,” observes<br />
John McCarthy, <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s<br />
executive director. <br />
Entrepreneurs<br />
Hold the Date!<br />
> On September 8-10, <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
will stage a Club Business<br />
Entrepreneur Conference in<br />
Las Vegas in association with the<br />
National Fitness Trade Show<br />
(NFTS), produced by Wally<br />
Boyko Productions, Inc. This<br />
new annual event will focus on<br />
baseline club operations, e.g.,<br />
sales, marketing, etc. For more<br />
information, visit www.ihrsa.org<br />
or call 800-228-4772. <br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 23
While at his eye exam, Dave in product design<br />
had an epiphany. Not to mention, cataracts.<br />
It’s been right in<br />
front of our noses, and<br />
our eyeses all along.<br />
Introducing the<br />
SportsArt X Trainer,<br />
the best total body<br />
trainer period. In recent university<br />
studies, our X Trainer was tested against<br />
a treadmill, a recumbent cycle and a<br />
* Like we’d lie to you?<br />
dual-action elliptical. In a nutshell,“The<br />
X Trainer does appear to meet the<br />
marketing claims* of providing a better<br />
overall body workout when exercising at<br />
similar workloads as the other machines.”<br />
SportsArt’s X Trainer, the next big thing.<br />
You owe it to your facility to look at<br />
SportsArt. A good place to do that is on<br />
our website, www.sportsartfitness.com.<br />
X TRAINER<br />
• Independent upper & lower<br />
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• Step-through<br />
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• Xtreme “cool”<br />
factor<br />
www.sportsartfitness.com 1.800.709.1400
On The Move<br />
Career Moves<br />
Mark Glausser<br />
New Assistant GM<br />
At Sporting Club<br />
> The Sporting Club at The<br />
Bellevue, in Philadelphia, has<br />
promoted Mark Glausser,<br />
formerly its director of massage<br />
therapy, to the position<br />
of assistant general manager.<br />
Glausser, certified in massage<br />
therapy by the Philadelphia<br />
School of Muscle Therapy,<br />
has been involved with massage<br />
and fitness for 12 years,<br />
and has worked with numerous<br />
high-profile clients. Among<br />
them: professional sports<br />
teams, including the Philadelphia<br />
Phillies baseball club,<br />
the Thomas Jefferson<br />
University Hospital, and<br />
corporations such as Cigna<br />
and PECO. Glausser also<br />
has strong management,<br />
development, and sales and<br />
marketing credentials.<br />
“Mark’s reputation in the<br />
fitness club industry, as well<br />
as in massage therapy and<br />
management, is extremely<br />
valuable to us,” notes Dennis<br />
Mathias, the manager of the<br />
Sporting Club. “He’s a highly<br />
respected leader, a well-liked<br />
person, and extremely deserving<br />
of this promotion. We’re<br />
proud, and lucky, to have<br />
Mark as an integral part of<br />
the Sporting Club team.”<br />
The upscale Sporting<br />
Club, located adjacent<br />
to Philadelphia’s historic<br />
Bellevue building, is, at 93,000<br />
square feet, the city’s largest<br />
fitness facility. It spans five<br />
stories, and boasts cardiovascular<br />
and free-weight equipment,<br />
group-fitness studios<br />
and programs, yoga and<br />
Advance man Mark Glausser<br />
Pilates studios, an indoor<br />
jogging track, a pool,<br />
whirlpool, hydrotherapy,<br />
massage, café, juice bar,<br />
and squash, racquetball,<br />
and basketball courts. <br />
Expansion<br />
Clubs Provide<br />
Healthy Solution<br />
For Retail Woes<br />
> The financial strength of<br />
health and fitness businesses<br />
is proving a boon to distressed<br />
shopping centers in Atlanta’s<br />
suburbs. Strip malls and other<br />
shopping complexes that have<br />
been losing money and/or<br />
big-box retailers, such as<br />
Wal-Mart, are taking advantage<br />
of the growing demand,<br />
on the part of affluent suburbanites,<br />
for health solutions,<br />
and opening sleek new—<br />
and profitable—clubs.<br />
In Snellville Oaks, Georgia,<br />
an empty 100,000-square-foot<br />
Wal-Mart has been replaced<br />
by a Gold’s Gym. In East Cobb<br />
and Toco Hills, vacant grocery<br />
stores are now the site<br />
of bustling LA Fitness centers.<br />
And, in Peachtree Corners,<br />
LA Fitness has signed a 15year<br />
lease on space formerly<br />
occupied by an Upton’s store.<br />
The large fitness centers,<br />
which offer the high-end<br />
amenities that local members<br />
seek (e.g., pools, basketball<br />
courts, daycare, and extended<br />
hours) are becoming the<br />
anchor tenants that shopping<br />
centers rely upon. “LA Fitness<br />
brings a lot of traffic to<br />
the center—probably three<br />
times what Upton’s did,” says<br />
Frank Flanders, the owner of<br />
the Peachtree Corners center.<br />
“They’re one of the best tenants<br />
I’ve ever had.”<br />
“A few tenants have<br />
already said that our new<br />
gym is the only reason<br />
they’ve stayed in the center,”<br />
notes Adam Ponzio, the<br />
owner of the Gold’s Gym<br />
in Snellville Oaks.<br />
Local city planners are well<br />
aware of the positive impact<br />
that clubs are having on traditional<br />
retail developments.<br />
As a result, Gwinnet County<br />
planners are developing revitalization<br />
plans that specify<br />
fitness facilities for two struggling<br />
commercial zones, in<br />
Snellville and Duluth, Georgia.<br />
New Competition<br />
Keeps Columbia’s<br />
Clubs Au Courant<br />
> Competition is good for<br />
business, the old adage goes,<br />
and good, in turn, for club<br />
members; and, in Maryland,<br />
that’s clearly the case. Life<br />
Time Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:<br />
LTM), the Eden Prairie,<br />
Minnesota-based chain, has<br />
announced that it plans to<br />
build one of its megafacilities<br />
in the Gateway Commerce<br />
Center, close to two of the<br />
three clubs operated by the<br />
Columbia Association (CA),<br />
of Columbia, Maryland. CA<br />
has lost no time in preparing<br />
for Life Time’s arrival.<br />
It’s already upgraded its<br />
Supreme Sports Club, in<br />
Owen Brown, which is<br />
closest to Gateway, making<br />
a number of capital improvements<br />
and transitioning to a<br />
24-hour operation. And now,<br />
it’s embarked on a $2.7-million<br />
renovation of its Athletic<br />
Club in Columbia; the work<br />
will involve a $1.3-million<br />
pool project, and a $1.5-million<br />
makeover of the club’s<br />
second floor, which will provide<br />
room for a new exercise<br />
area, equipment, a cardio<br />
theater, and a larger daycare<br />
area. CA, an <strong>IHRSA</strong> member,<br />
is a nonprofit association. <br />
Financial Results<br />
Focus on Obesity<br />
Drives Growth<br />
For LA Fitness<br />
> LA Fitness, the large U.K.based<br />
chain, has announced<br />
its figures for its most recent<br />
fiscal year, which ended last<br />
July. The firm, which, with<br />
nearly 70 facilities, is Great<br />
Britain’s fourth-largest club<br />
company in terms of members,<br />
reported a 21% increase<br />
in memberships (bringing<br />
its total to 200,470), a 20%<br />
increase in revenues, and<br />
a 27% increase in pretax<br />
profits (to $15.6 million).<br />
Analysts had expected a<br />
slightly higher ($15.9-million)<br />
pretax performance.<br />
Last month, <strong>CBI</strong> noted<br />
that LA Fitness, the U.K.’s<br />
last publicly traded chain,<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 25
On The Move<br />
continued<br />
is now considering going<br />
private, and entertaining<br />
offers from private equity<br />
firms. Such a sale could yield<br />
as much as $300 million.<br />
Peter Jacobs, the chairman<br />
of LA Fitness, attributes its<br />
ongoing growth, in part, to<br />
increased public awareness<br />
about the country’s escalating<br />
obesity epidemic; approximately<br />
60% of the adult population<br />
is now overweight,<br />
and one-third of that number<br />
are considered clinically<br />
obese. “The drive by both the<br />
government and the media to<br />
get people to focus on obesity<br />
prevention through exercise<br />
is helping the recruitment<br />
and retention of members<br />
at our clubs, and we expect<br />
this trend to continue,” he<br />
explains. “We’re enjoying a<br />
good start to the current year<br />
and have great confidence<br />
in LA Fitness’ prospects for<br />
this year, and beyond, as we<br />
continue to develop.”<br />
Hoping to capitalize further<br />
on the opportunity posed by<br />
obesity, LA Fitness recently<br />
unveiled plans to build a<br />
weight-loss center, adjacent<br />
to one of its clubs, that will<br />
focus specifically on weight<br />
management and diet. If the<br />
concept proves successful,<br />
the company will offer it<br />
throughout the U.K. <br />
Club Openings<br />
Contours Taps<br />
International<br />
Opportunities<br />
> Contours Express, which<br />
has already made an indelible<br />
mark in the women-onlyminiclub<br />
market here, now<br />
seems ready to repeat its<br />
success internationally. The<br />
16-year-old franchise company,<br />
based in Nicholasville,<br />
Kentucky, currently has<br />
more than 350 sites in the<br />
U.S., and expects to have<br />
450 by the end of this year,<br />
and 1,000 by 2009; last year,<br />
it was honored as one of the<br />
500 fastest-growing small<br />
companies in the country<br />
by Inc. magazine. Like many<br />
of its competitors, Contours<br />
Express targets working<br />
women and stay-at-home<br />
moms, ages 25-65, offering<br />
them convenient workouts,<br />
and equipment and studios<br />
designed with a female<br />
clientele in mind.<br />
Great Britain promises to<br />
be the next major market for<br />
the firm. Contours founders<br />
Daren Carter and Charlie<br />
Woodward have signed a<br />
master franchise agreement<br />
for the U.K. with Jason<br />
Chong, who plans to open<br />
82 facilities there within the<br />
next 10 years. Chong was formerly<br />
employed by PriceWaterHouse<br />
Coopers, in Toronto,<br />
and by Ernst and Young, in<br />
London. The company has<br />
also signed an area development<br />
agreement for Brazil,<br />
and is expanding into<br />
Canada and Mexico. <br />
26 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
Contours Express is expanding into Canada and Mexico<br />
and has signed agreements for Great Britain and Brazil.<br />
Jolly good! Contours clubs in U.K. will resemble U.S. sisters<br />
Promotions<br />
LA Fitness Keeps<br />
Working Out<br />
Weather or Not<br />
> The storms that made<br />
the 2004 hurricane season<br />
memorable—i.e., Jeanne,<br />
Ivan, Frances, and Charley—<br />
also made life miserable for<br />
millions. Frances and Jeanne<br />
were especially cruel to the<br />
residents of South Florida,<br />
many of whom couldn’t leave<br />
their homes for any reason,<br />
let alone to work out. But<br />
LA Fitness, the club chain<br />
based in Newport Beach,<br />
California, made the impractical<br />
appealing. The company,<br />
which is opening a new<br />
facility in Lake Park, Florida,<br />
offered local residents free<br />
workouts at its preview<br />
membership center, located<br />
in a Home Depot in Palm<br />
Beach Gardens.<br />
“Everybody I spoke to who<br />
works out fell way behind<br />
because of the hurricanes,”<br />
says Matthew Brindisi, a<br />
personal trainer at LA Fitness<br />
who came up with the<br />
giveaway idea. “Some of<br />
them hadn’t been into a gym<br />
for over a month, so I figured<br />
I’d spark some interest.”<br />
The promotion allowed<br />
locals to work out, at no<br />
charge, at the preview center,<br />
which boasts cardiovascular<br />
equipment, selected strengthtraining<br />
machines, and the<br />
services of a personal trainer.<br />
The initiative also produced<br />
a number of new members.<br />
LA Fitness’ new 41,000square-foot,<br />
two-story club<br />
in Lake Park will feature<br />
the latest cardio and strengthtraining<br />
equipment, a wide<br />
variety of exercise programs, a<br />
full-size basketball court, four<br />
racquetball courts, saunas,<br />
a whirlpool, daycare, and a<br />
junior Olympic-sized pool.<br />
LA Fitness operates more<br />
than 120 facilities in California,<br />
Oregon, Washington,<br />
Arizona, Connecticut, New<br />
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,<br />
Georgia, and Florida.<br />
Alaska Club<br />
Does Its Part<br />
For Diversity<br />
> The Alaska Club East was<br />
a prominent participant<br />
in the first-ever Mayor’s<br />
Diversity Week, which was<br />
held recently in Anchorage,<br />
Alaska. The unique program,<br />
designed to showcase and<br />
support the city’s diversity,<br />
featured a week’s worth<br />
of festivities at the facility.<br />
Anchorage Mayor Mark<br />
Begich kicked off the activities<br />
by awarding six Gold Family<br />
memberships to local families.<br />
“The Alaska Club has<br />
always been a place where<br />
people from all cultures,<br />
economic backgrounds,<br />
and physical abilities are
On The Move<br />
continued<br />
welcome,” explains Andrew Eker,<br />
the president of the Alaska Club<br />
Network, which operates the Alaska<br />
Club East. “Making sure those<br />
who can’t afford a monthly gym<br />
membership have the ability to stay<br />
fit and healthy is a gift we’re pleased<br />
to give the Anchorage community.”<br />
Other highlights of the week included<br />
a one-hour Sweat Shop group-fitness<br />
class; a free seminar on how health<br />
and fitness affects everyone; and an<br />
all-day open house (all enrollment fees<br />
collected were donated to the American<br />
Heart Association).<br />
The Alaska Club Network operates<br />
13 clubs in Anchorage, Fairbanks,<br />
Juneau, and Wasilla.<br />
LFF and Subway<br />
Push HeartSmart<br />
Eating, Exercise<br />
> Lifestyle Family<br />
Fitness (LFF), the Tampa,<br />
Florida-based chain, and<br />
Subway Restaurants<br />
both know a thing or<br />
two about the importance<br />
of a sound diet and<br />
regular exercise in<br />
controlling weight, and,<br />
recently, the two got<br />
together to make the<br />
point dramatically.<br />
The 17 finalists lost<br />
a total of 754 pounds.<br />
Gold Family Six winners of free memberships with Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich,<br />
center, and Andrew Eker, second from r., president of the Alaska Club, during<br />
Mayor’s Diversity Week<br />
LFF and Subway joined forces to<br />
sponsor the first annual HeartSmart<br />
Weight-Loss Challenge, a 12-week contest<br />
that gave Tampa-area residents an<br />
opportunity to shed pounds intelligently.<br />
The competition incentivized participants<br />
with a $5,000 grand prize, for the individual<br />
who lost the most weight, and a<br />
two-night stay at the posh Sirata Beach<br />
resort, in St. Petersburg, for 16 runnersup.<br />
By the conclusion of the challenge,<br />
the 17 finalists had discarded a total<br />
of 754 pounds. David Hastings, the<br />
grand-prize winner, who weighed in,<br />
initially, =at 508 pounds, had lost 106<br />
by the end of the 12-week period, and<br />
reported that the contest had motivated<br />
him to eat healthier and maintain a walking<br />
regimen.<br />
“Lifestyle Family Fitness would like<br />
to applaud everyone who<br />
participated in the challenge,<br />
and strived<br />
to meet their personal<br />
goal of living a healthy<br />
lifestyle,” says Geoff<br />
Dyer, the president<br />
and CEO of LFF,<br />
and former <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
president. “We hope<br />
to encourage each<br />
participant to keep<br />
motivated, and to keep<br />
on exercising.”<br />
LFF operates 20<br />
facilities, serving more<br />
than 86,000 members,<br />
throughout Florida. <br />
GROUP X FLOORING<br />
Designed exclusively for group exercise,<br />
pre-finished Exerflex hardwood floors<br />
provide maximum shock absorption, safety<br />
and performance. Multi-layered Exeraire<br />
padding is ideal for your carpeted<br />
group exercise areas.<br />
RUBBER FLOORING<br />
Heavy duty Flecks Speckled rubber flooring<br />
in convenient rolls, squares or interlocking tiles.<br />
MODULAR FLOORS<br />
Multi-purpose GooseBumps flooring surfaces<br />
snap together in minutes and last for years.<br />
QUALITY. PERFORMANCE.<br />
SELECTION. Our premium<br />
flooring systems are built to last,<br />
easy to install and simple to<br />
maintain. These specialized wood<br />
and rubber flooring products<br />
provide the ultimate solution<br />
for every room in your facility.<br />
Call for a free consultation.<br />
1-800-428-5306<br />
LASTING VALUE UNDER FOOT<br />
www.fitnessfloors.com<br />
68<strong>01</strong> Lake Plaza, Suite A-105 Indianapolis, IN 46220<br />
Telephone: (317) 849-6181 Fax: (317) 842-5384<br />
© 2004 Fitness Flooring, Inc.<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 27
On The Move<br />
continued<br />
welcome,” explains Andrew Eker,<br />
the president of the Alaska Club<br />
Network, which operates the Alaska<br />
Club East. “Making sure those<br />
who can’t afford a monthly gym<br />
membership have the ability to stay<br />
fit and healthy is a gift we’re pleased<br />
to give the Anchorage community.”<br />
Other highlights of the week included<br />
a one-hour Sweat Shop group-fitness<br />
class; a free seminar on how health<br />
and fitness affects everyone; and an<br />
all-day open house (all enrollment fees<br />
collected were donated to the American<br />
Heart Association).<br />
The Alaska Club Network operates<br />
13 clubs in Anchorage, Fairbanks,<br />
Juneau, and Wasilla.<br />
LFF and Subway<br />
Push HeartSmart<br />
Eating, Exercise<br />
> Lifestyle Family<br />
Fitness (LFF), the Tampa,<br />
Florida-based chain, and<br />
Subway Restaurants<br />
both know a thing or<br />
two about the importance<br />
of a sound diet and<br />
regular exercise in<br />
controlling weight, and,<br />
recently, the two got<br />
together to make the<br />
point dramatically.<br />
The 17 finalists lost<br />
a total of 754 pounds.<br />
Gold Family Six winners of free memberships with Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich,<br />
center, and Andrew Eker, second from r., president of the Alaska Club, during<br />
Mayor’s Diversity Week<br />
LFF and Subway joined forces to<br />
sponsor the first annual HeartSmart<br />
Weight-Loss Challenge, a 12-week contest<br />
that gave Tampa-area residents an<br />
opportunity to shed pounds intelligently.<br />
The competition incentivized participants<br />
with a $5,000 grand prize, for the individual<br />
who lost the most weight, and a<br />
two-night stay at the posh Sirata Beach<br />
resort, in St. Petersburg, for 16 runnersup.<br />
By the conclusion of the challenge,<br />
the 17 finalists had discarded a total<br />
of 754 pounds. David Hastings, the<br />
grand-prize winner, who weighed in,<br />
initially, =at 508 pounds, had lost 106<br />
by the end of the 12-week period, and<br />
reported that the contest had motivated<br />
him to eat healthier and maintain a walking<br />
regimen.<br />
“Lifestyle Family Fitness would like<br />
to applaud everyone who<br />
participated in the challenge,<br />
and strived<br />
to meet their personal<br />
goal of living a healthy<br />
lifestyle,” says Geoff<br />
Dyer, the president<br />
and CEO of LFF,<br />
and former <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
president. “We hope<br />
to encourage each<br />
participant to keep<br />
motivated, and to keep<br />
on exercising.”<br />
LFF operates 20<br />
facilities, serving more<br />
than 86,000 members,<br />
throughout Florida. <br />
GROUP X FLOORING<br />
Designed exclusively for group exercise,<br />
pre-finished Exerflex hardwood floors<br />
provide maximum shock absorption, safety<br />
and performance. Multi-layered Exeraire<br />
padding is ideal for your carpeted<br />
group exercise areas.<br />
RUBBER FLOORING<br />
Heavy duty Flecks Speckled rubber flooring<br />
in convenient rolls, squares or interlocking tiles.<br />
MODULAR FLOORS<br />
Multi-purpose GooseBumps flooring surfaces<br />
snap together in minutes and last for years.<br />
QUALITY. PERFORMANCE.<br />
SELECTION. Our premium<br />
flooring systems are built to last,<br />
easy to install and simple to<br />
maintain. These specialized wood<br />
and rubber flooring products<br />
provide the ultimate solution<br />
for every room in your facility.<br />
Call for a free consultation.<br />
1-800-428-5306<br />
LASTING VALUE UNDER FOOT<br />
www.fitnessfloors.com<br />
68<strong>01</strong> Lake Plaza, Suite A-105 Indianapolis, IN 46220<br />
Telephone: (317) 849-6181 Fax: (317) 842-5384<br />
© 2004 Fitness Flooring, Inc.<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 27
Photography: Nancy Kaszerman/Zuma Press<br />
For Her, Exercise Isn’t a Task —<br />
It’s a Rewarding Lifestyle<br />
CINDY CRAWFORD<br />
is <strong>CBI</strong>’s fitness choice<br />
No one needs to tell Cindy Crawford, one<br />
of the most “super” of the past decade’s<br />
supermodels, how she should exercise.<br />
Crawford has not only transformed her<br />
beauty and skills into a $40-million-ayear<br />
career, but has also done what many<br />
people wish they could do—she’s created<br />
her own workout, and revised it over the<br />
years to accommodate her busy schedule<br />
and constantly changing professional and<br />
personal needs.<br />
Her exercise expertise and efforts were<br />
even equal to the challenge of an 80-pound<br />
weight gain that she experienced in 1999<br />
following the birth of her son.<br />
Crawford’s ageless attractiveness and<br />
ongoing marketability owe much to her<br />
faithful adherence, over the years, to a personally<br />
tailored workout regimen. Her commitment<br />
has not only made her a major<br />
model, but also a successful actress,<br />
businesswoman, exercise entrepreneur<br />
(with a host of workout videos), and<br />
corporate spokesperson (for 24 Hour<br />
Fitness, the San Ramon, Californiabased<br />
chain).<br />
In the early ’90s, Crawford,<br />
who turns 39 on the 20th of this<br />
month, cared for her svelte<br />
physique with a regimen consisting<br />
of cardio and strengthtraining<br />
exercises, three days a<br />
week, created for her by Radu<br />
Teodorescu, the personaltraining<br />
guru based in New<br />
York City. Together, they also<br />
produced two best-selling<br />
videos: Cindy Crawford: Shape<br />
Your Body Workout, and a<br />
sequel, The Next Challenge.<br />
Whenever her busy schedule<br />
took her to Los Angeles,<br />
she worked with trainer Valerie<br />
Waters, who developed an<br />
intense circuit-training workout for<br />
Crawford that focused on overall conditioning.<br />
Following the birth of her son<br />
and dramatic weight gain, Crawford<br />
decided to strive for a less muscular figure;<br />
Waters designed a new workout<br />
that cut back on weight training, making<br />
use of lighter weights, and focused,<br />
instead, on core conditioning, yoga,<br />
Pilates-style leg work, and incline walking<br />
on a treadmill. Crawford also credits fitness<br />
expert Kathy Kaehler, who regularly<br />
appears on The Today Show, with helping<br />
her to lose the extra pounds. In 2000, she<br />
and Kaehler released a<br />
three-in-one, total-body<br />
workout video called<br />
Cindy Crawford’s A<br />
New Dimension.<br />
In all, Crawford has<br />
sold more than four<br />
million videos.<br />
ShortTakes<br />
From<br />
supermodel,<br />
to supermom, to<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>’s super fitness role<br />
model of the month,<br />
Crawford convincingly<br />
demonstrates that fitness<br />
can—and should<br />
—fit any lifestyle. <br />
Super-role-model<br />
Cindy Crawford<br />
CAN YOU REALLY<br />
GET RESULTS IN A<br />
NEW YORK MINUTE?<br />
Fitness guru and club<br />
owner David Kirsch<br />
has been helping people<br />
get in shape for<br />
years, and is convinced<br />
that Americans<br />
want results fast.<br />
That’s the premise of<br />
his newest book, The<br />
Ultimate New York<br />
Body Plan, which<br />
claims that, in just 14 days, the truly<br />
determined can drop a dozen pounds.<br />
Kirsch, the owner of the Madison<br />
Square Club in New York City, works<br />
with a host of sleek celebrities, including<br />
supermodels such as Heidi Klum,<br />
Naomi Campbell, and Linda Evangelista,<br />
and, recently, trained participants<br />
on ABC’s prime-time, reality TV show,<br />
Extreme Makeover, leading a group of<br />
women through a grueling workout and<br />
weight-loss regimen.<br />
Kirsch’s program is an exercise in<br />
extremes. It involves a strict diet and<br />
intense full-body workouts that burn up<br />
to 2,000 calories a day. His approach<br />
has its fans, including actress<br />
Liv Tyler, who proclaims her enthusiasm<br />
on the book’s back cover:<br />
“Within two weeks, I’ve seen huge<br />
results and feel stronger, healthier<br />
and 100% better inside and out.”<br />
(For more information, log on to<br />
www.theultimatenewyorkbodyplan.com).<br />
Many health and fitness professionals,<br />
however, are a bit more skeptical.<br />
The American Council on Exercise<br />
(ACE), for example, lists quick-fix<br />
schemes among its Top Six Fitness<br />
Myths. ACE concludes that “a wellbalanced<br />
diet, coupled with regular<br />
exercise, is still the safest and most<br />
effective way to achieve weight loss or<br />
performance goals.” <br />
w.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 29
ShortTakes<br />
MY, OH, MAYA!<br />
She’s the Hottest Trainer in Town!<br />
If you’re thinking of expanding your<br />
fitness staff, there’s a new, albeit somewhat<br />
unconventional, trainer you may<br />
want to consider employing. Her name is<br />
Maya, and she’s… well, superhuman. She<br />
knows a virtually unlimited number of<br />
workout routines, and is never too tired or<br />
busy to accommodate her clients’ schedules.<br />
Maya, the star of a unique new video<br />
game, Yourself!Fitness, produced by respon-<br />
DESIGN, is the first-ever, computer-animated,<br />
fully interactive personal trainer. She’s<br />
also the brainchild of Ted Spooner and<br />
Phin Barnes, both exercise enthusiasts and<br />
co-founders of the Oregon-based firm.<br />
Though video games have often been<br />
blamed for Americans’ increasingly sedentary<br />
lifestyles, they’re now being viewed as<br />
a promising tool for promoting physical<br />
activity. Unlike other games or workout<br />
videos, however, Yourself!Fitness personalizes<br />
the exercise experience with a complete<br />
The nation and media are clearly consumed<br />
by the dire details of the obesity<br />
epidemic, but the encouraging stories—<br />
about those who are waging and winning<br />
the battle of the pounds—are, all too often,<br />
overlooked. One of the most positive, and<br />
inspiring, outcomes that <strong>CBI</strong> has come<br />
across recently is that of Patrick Deuel, 42,<br />
a former restaurant manager from Valentine,<br />
Nebraska, who, before he took action,<br />
tipped the scales at 1,072 pounds. At the<br />
time, Deuel was bedridden, had difficulty<br />
breathing, and suffered from diabetes and<br />
high blood pressure related to his obesity.<br />
Deuel’s doctors at the Avera McKennan<br />
Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, recommended<br />
gastric bypass surgery as the<br />
most feasible route to permanent weight<br />
loss, but had to prepare him for the sometimes-hazardous<br />
procedure. They asked<br />
fitness analysis, goal-setting, customized<br />
meal planner, fitness calendar, a variety of<br />
music options and workout environments,<br />
and more than 200 tips gleaned from<br />
the pages of Prevention magazine. The program,<br />
created by a team of fitness trainers,<br />
generates customized routines from a database<br />
of more than 500 exercises, which<br />
encompass everything from basic strength<br />
training to Pilates, and integrate equipment<br />
such as hand weights, step benches, and<br />
balance balls. Maya also dispenses meal<br />
plans and recipes (4,500 in total), provided<br />
by Allrecipes.com.<br />
The game is even able to monitor users<br />
along the way; Maya not only notices if a<br />
workout is missed, but will inquire why.<br />
Yourself!Fitness is currently available<br />
for Microsoft’s Xbox and PCs and Sony’s<br />
PlayStation 2. A sequel that’s now in the<br />
works will offer expanded Pilates, kickboxing,<br />
and weight-training options. <br />
Deuel to lose enough weight so that he could<br />
walk on his own and demonstrate that he<br />
was strong and healthy enough to survive<br />
the operation. Deuel embarked on a daily<br />
regimen that involved a 1,200-calorie diet<br />
and regular exercise, which included swimming<br />
and climbing stairs. His efforts made<br />
30 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
Tech-fitness from a fine virtual trainer<br />
Overcoming Obesity: No Challenge Too Great<br />
Half-ton triumph Patrick Deuel weighed 1,072 pounds at start of weight-loss program<br />
it possible for him to lose 421 pounds, and to<br />
stabilize his diabetes and blood pressure,<br />
before the surgery, which took place, without<br />
incident, last June. Hopefully others, regardless<br />
of their weight, will be encouraged by<br />
Deuel’s success to wage their own winning<br />
weight-loss campaigns.
ShortTakes<br />
MY, OH, MAYA!<br />
She’s the Hottest Trainer in Town!<br />
If you’re thinking of expanding your<br />
fitness staff, there’s a new, albeit somewhat<br />
unconventional, trainer you may<br />
want to consider employing. Her name is<br />
Maya, and she’s… well, superhuman. She<br />
knows a virtually unlimited number of<br />
workout routines, and is never too tired or<br />
busy to accommodate her clients’ schedules.<br />
Maya, the star of a unique new video<br />
game, Yourself!Fitness, produced by respon-<br />
DESIGN, is the first-ever, computer-animated,<br />
fully interactive personal trainer. She’s<br />
also the brainchild of Ted Spooner and<br />
Phin Barnes, both exercise enthusiasts and<br />
co-founders of the Oregon-based firm.<br />
Though video games have often been<br />
blamed for Americans’ increasingly sedentary<br />
lifestyles, they’re now being viewed as<br />
a promising tool for promoting physical<br />
activity. Unlike other games or workout<br />
videos, however, Yourself!Fitness personalizes<br />
the exercise experience with a complete<br />
The nation and media are clearly consumed<br />
by the dire details of the obesity<br />
epidemic, but the encouraging stories—<br />
about those who are waging and winning<br />
the battle of the pounds—are, all too often,<br />
overlooked. One of the most positive, and<br />
inspiring, outcomes that <strong>CBI</strong> has come<br />
across recently is that of Patrick Deuel, 42,<br />
a former restaurant manager from Valentine,<br />
Nebraska, who, before he took action,<br />
tipped the scales at 1,072 pounds. At the<br />
time, Deuel was bedridden, had difficulty<br />
breathing, and suffered from diabetes and<br />
high blood pressure related to his obesity.<br />
Deuel’s doctors at the Avera McKennan<br />
Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, recommended<br />
gastric bypass surgery as the<br />
most feasible route to permanent weight<br />
loss, but had to prepare him for the sometimes-hazardous<br />
procedure. They asked<br />
fitness analysis, goal-setting, customized<br />
meal planner, fitness calendar, a variety of<br />
music options and workout environments,<br />
and more than 200 tips gleaned from<br />
the pages of Prevention magazine. The program,<br />
created by a team of fitness trainers,<br />
generates customized routines from a database<br />
of more than 500 exercises, which<br />
encompass everything from basic strength<br />
training to Pilates, and integrate equipment<br />
such as hand weights, step benches, and<br />
balance balls. Maya also dispenses meal<br />
plans and recipes (4,500 in total), provided<br />
by Allrecipes.com.<br />
The game is even able to monitor users<br />
along the way; Maya not only notices if a<br />
workout is missed, but will inquire why.<br />
Yourself!Fitness is currently available<br />
for Microsoft’s Xbox and PCs and Sony’s<br />
PlayStation 2. A sequel that’s now in the<br />
works will offer expanded Pilates, kickboxing,<br />
and weight-training options. <br />
Deuel to lose enough weight so that he could<br />
walk on his own and demonstrate that he<br />
was strong and healthy enough to survive<br />
the operation. Deuel embarked on a daily<br />
regimen that involved a 1,200-calorie diet<br />
and regular exercise, which included swimming<br />
and climbing stairs. His efforts made<br />
30 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
Tech-fitness from a fine virtual trainer<br />
Overcoming Obesity: No Challenge Too Great<br />
Half-ton triumph Patrick Deuel weighed 1,072 pounds at start of weight-loss program<br />
it possible for him to lose 421 pounds, and to<br />
stabilize his diabetes and blood pressure,<br />
before the surgery, which took place, without<br />
incident, last June. Hopefully others, regardless<br />
of their weight, will be encouraged by<br />
Deuel’s success to wage their own winning<br />
weight-loss campaigns.
Photography: Lori Shepler/Los Angeles Times<br />
MISSION POSSIBLE:<br />
MAKING EXERCISE MORE THRILLING<br />
Members learn tricks of the intelligence<br />
trade at a one-of-a-kind SpySchool<br />
Counterattack Student Julie Scott kicks her faux assailant, instructor Perry Hauck<br />
Unlike James Bond, they may never<br />
have to disarm an assassin or scale<br />
a 50-storey building, but the members<br />
of the Absolution Studio, in West<br />
Hollywood, California, are learning how<br />
to do so in the studio’s unique SpySchool.<br />
In the process, they’re also discovering<br />
how exciting a workout can be.<br />
Sascha Ferguson, a former entertainment-industry<br />
executive, founded Absolution,<br />
a 5,000-square-foot Pilates and<br />
workout “playground,” five years ago,<br />
and has recently livened things up with<br />
workshops designed to produce spy-like<br />
skills. Members are flocking to her<br />
SpySchool sessions to learn about selfdefense,<br />
rock climbing, and even aerial<br />
acrobatics; last year, all of the classes<br />
operated at capacity, and, this year,<br />
there’s a waiting list.<br />
When she was growing up, “All the<br />
other girls wanted to be a Bond girl, but<br />
I wanted to be Bond,” Ferguson told the<br />
Los Angeles Times. “I wanted to learn<br />
how to do the things spies do, and I<br />
noticed my clients felt the same way.”<br />
The workouts constitute a rigorous<br />
conditioning and training regimen that’s<br />
offered in five different levels of difficulty—from<br />
SpySchool I/The Intro Package<br />
($200) to the ultimate SpySchool V:<br />
Sisterhood of the Amazon Death Squad<br />
($1,800). As members advance from<br />
one level to the next, they learn how<br />
to fight while blind-folded; defend themselves<br />
against multiple assailants (twoto-five<br />
at a time); climb and rappel<br />
on indoor and outdoor rock walls; and<br />
seduce enemies (e.g., with belly-dancing,<br />
strip-tease, and pole-dancing techniques).<br />
They also attempt to develop<br />
a “tummy of death” via recurring Pilates<br />
sessions. To add authenticity to the<br />
experience, Ferguson has recruited<br />
top specialists in each field, including a<br />
Cirque de Soleil alumnus, who teaches<br />
aerial arts.<br />
“It’s incredibly empowering when<br />
you realize what you can do,” Evelyn<br />
Iocolano, 36, a SpySchool student, told the<br />
Times. “This is a really nice alternative—so<br />
exercise routines don’t become stagnant.” <br />
ShortTakes<br />
Experts Claim<br />
The Biggest Loser<br />
Makes Big Mistakes<br />
Losing five pounds in a week<br />
would be a triumph—a miracle,<br />
even—for the most aggressive of<br />
dieters. But for Dana, a contestant on<br />
The Biggest Loser, NBC’s primetime<br />
reality TV show, it wasn’t enough.<br />
Her overweight teammates voted<br />
her off the program because winning<br />
the competition, and a grand<br />
prize of $250,000, required that they<br />
discard pounds more quickly than<br />
the other team, and Dana wasn’t…<br />
well, pulling her weight.<br />
Experts accept that a little healthy<br />
competition can motivate people<br />
during the challenging weight-loss<br />
process, but many agree that The<br />
Biggest Loser is setting an unhealthy<br />
example, and promoting unrealistic<br />
expectations, for overweight individuals.<br />
The show’s participants are put<br />
on a strict diet, and forced to exercise<br />
four hours daily—about eight times<br />
what the U.S. Surgeon General recommends<br />
for an average day. “What<br />
they are doing is starving them, working<br />
them at a pace they cannot<br />
sustain,” observes Kathleen Zelman,<br />
the director of nutrition for the WebMD<br />
Weight Loss Clinic. “I’d stake my life<br />
on this: Whatever weight these people<br />
lose, they’ll gain right back.”<br />
David Katz, the director of the Yale<br />
Prevention Research Center, observed,<br />
in the Washington Post, “You can lose<br />
weight using chemotherapy and crack<br />
cocaine, but would you want to?”<br />
Thomas A. Wadden, the director<br />
of the Weight and Eating Disorders<br />
Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania,<br />
also takes exception to the unnecessary<br />
pressure put on participants and the<br />
cutthroat nature of the show. “Competition<br />
may be a benefit to some people,<br />
but it’s not a benefit when it damages<br />
self esteem,” he told the Post. <br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 33
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<strong>CBI</strong> Interview “The opportunity’s out there, folks!<br />
All we need to do is deliver the message effectively.”<br />
Julie Main appreciates, more than most, what<br />
exercise can do, and, as the president<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: Before you came to the Santa Barbara Athletic<br />
Club, you had no fitness experience. Now you’re<br />
involved with five clubs and serve as the president of<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>. How did you make the transition?<br />
JULIE MAIN: I had a strong background in business,<br />
and I realized, pretty quickly, that health clubs were<br />
a lot like any other business—you have to understand<br />
the numbers, costs, margins, etc., and then you can<br />
operate a club profitably. Since then, I’ve become<br />
much more involved in the fitness side of the business.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: What prompted you to become involved with<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> in a leadership capacity?<br />
Julie Main earned a<br />
bachelor’s degree in political<br />
science from the University<br />
of California, in Santa Barbara,<br />
and enlisted in the fitness<br />
industry in 1987 as a bookkeeper<br />
with the Santa Barbara<br />
Athletic Club (SBAC). Since<br />
then, she’s worked her way up<br />
through the ranks at the<br />
SBAC, serving as pro shop<br />
buyer, program administrator,<br />
and, finally, general manager—the<br />
position she’s held<br />
for the past 11 years. She is<br />
also involved with four other<br />
California clubs: as oversight<br />
manager for the Cathedral<br />
Oaks Athletic Club in Goleta;<br />
and as the general managing<br />
partner of the Hills Swim<br />
and Tennis Club in Oakland,<br />
the Ojai Valley Athletic Club<br />
in Ojai, and the Avila Bay<br />
Athletic Club in Avila Beach.<br />
All five are part of the CalWest<br />
(management) Group.<br />
By Jennifer H. McInerney<br />
of <strong>IHRSA</strong>, is eagerly spreading the word<br />
JM: I’m passionate about the<br />
health benefits that regular<br />
exercise affords, and I wanted<br />
to bring that zeal, that conviction,<br />
to the board. I sincerely<br />
believe that if everyone in the<br />
U.S. understood what exercise<br />
could do for them, it would be<br />
a much better place. As a<br />
board member, I want to make<br />
sure the association continues<br />
to educate people—not just<br />
club members and employees,<br />
but America as a whole—<br />
about those benefits.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: Besides your passion, what<br />
strengths do you believe you<br />
bring to your various duties—as<br />
a club owner, club manager,<br />
and <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s president?<br />
JM: One of the things that distinguishes<br />
me is the fact that<br />
I’ve worn so many different<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>’s main gal Julie Main<br />
Q&A Highlights<br />
• Where <strong>IHRSA</strong> stands<br />
• Benefits of exercise<br />
• State of the industry<br />
• Work still to be done<br />
hats. I have been, and still am, an employee, a manager,<br />
and a club owner. I oversee five clubs—at two<br />
of them, I’m an employee, and at three of them, I’m a<br />
part owner. In these capacities, I’m<br />
actively involved in the day-to-day<br />
operations: I still give tours,<br />
work the front desk, and load<br />
laundry in the washing<br />
machine! I’ve also served<br />
on the board of a regional<br />
association, the California<br />
Clubs of Distinction,<br />
in a state that’s<br />
very active politically.<br />
All of these experiences<br />
have given me<br />
an eclectic perspective<br />
and wideranging<br />
skill-sets<br />
that, I hope, will<br />
prove valuable<br />
to <strong>IHRSA</strong>.
Interview “I sincerely believe that if everyone in the U.S. understood<br />
what exercise could do for them, it would be a much better place.”<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: You’ve attended a fair share of board<br />
meetings. Do any of them stand out as<br />
being particularly memorable?<br />
JM: As a matter of fact, one does. It was<br />
our September, 20<strong>01</strong>, meeting in Sao<br />
Paolo, Brazil—we were there during and<br />
after the September 11th attacks. We were<br />
pretty much stuck in Sao Paolo since none<br />
of the airlines were flying. We spent most<br />
of our time watching the news and working<br />
out, and, as a result, became a very<br />
close-knit group. It was a very interesting<br />
board-bonding experience.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: In terms of ‘walking the walk and talking<br />
the talk’—do your own clubs make heavy use<br />
of <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s services and products?<br />
JM: Oh, yes, absolutely. We bring a large<br />
contingent to the convention and trade<br />
show every year. All of my department<br />
heads read <strong>CBI</strong> religiously. We make<br />
Main Legacy: The Cancer Well-fit Program<br />
In addition to serving as the president of <strong>IHRSA</strong>, and as a<br />
full-time club owner and manager, Julie Main has<br />
become well known for co-founding Cancer Well-fit, a<br />
groundbreaking program that helps patients cope with cancer<br />
through exercise.<br />
In 1993, when she was 36, Main was diagnosed with, and<br />
treated for, breast cancer. Between chemotherapy appointments,<br />
she continued working out at the Santa Barbara Athletic Club<br />
(SBAC), where she is the general manager. During her treatments,<br />
she never missed a day of work, continued to care for her two<br />
young children, and even traveled to Europe. She was in such good<br />
shape, physically and emotionally, that her doctors wanted to know<br />
exactly how she was doing it—how she was maintaining her health<br />
and positive attitude while most cancer patients suffered from<br />
such side effects as anxiety, depression, fatigue, nausea, and a<br />
weakened immune system.<br />
The solution, she told them, was, simply, exercise.<br />
The following year, Main and Paula Lilly, a personal trainer at<br />
SBAC, and has developed the Cancer Well-fit program with the<br />
assistance of members of the local medical community. Since then,<br />
the program has helped more than 2,000 cancer patients at SBAC,<br />
and has been introduced at some 20 other clubs.<br />
“What we teach people here, and at the other facilities<br />
that have implemented the program, is that exercise can<br />
significantly improve their quality of life,” Main explains. “These<br />
good use of the educational materials,<br />
such as the front-desk training video,<br />
and the information that’s provided in<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>’s daily and weekly e-mails. We<br />
take advantage of a lot of the group-purchasing<br />
options, participate in the Passport<br />
Program, and, last year, were very<br />
involved in the first Get Active America!<br />
public-outreach campaign.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: You’ve been working in the industry,<br />
now, for more than 17 years, and—as you<br />
point out—in a wide range of roles. If, as<br />
we embark on the new year, you had to<br />
give a State of the Industry address, what<br />
would you say?<br />
JM: I believe that the main challenge our<br />
industry faces—whether you’re talking<br />
about the owners, employees, or vendors—<br />
is to determine what brings people into<br />
our clubs initially, and what keeps them<br />
motivated and participating ultimately. The<br />
36 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
number of members belonging to health<br />
clubs has grown, but it hasn’t grown that<br />
much as a percentage of the total population.<br />
What is it that’s keeping people from<br />
coming to our doors?<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> has done an excellent job of<br />
producing publications having to do with<br />
the capital markets, the banking industry,<br />
and member-retention strategies, but we<br />
need to look industry-wide and identify<br />
the information that still needs to be<br />
disseminated. What’s next? Maybe an<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> guide on the barriers to entry?<br />
The industry also needs to support<br />
and promote initiatives, by the federal government<br />
and others, to incentivize regular<br />
exercise. The <strong>IHRSA</strong>-authored Workforce<br />
Health Improvement Program (WHIP) Act,<br />
which would provide for the equitable tax<br />
treatment of fitness services whether delivered<br />
on or off site, is well on its way to being<br />
enacted. The next task: approval of Section<br />
125, which would facilitate reimbursement<br />
are people who have become so sedentary—either by virtue of<br />
their previous lifestyle, or from the cancer treatment itself—<br />
that simple tasks, such as going to the grocery store, have<br />
become a challenge. So we work on balance, core strength, and<br />
resistance training to build lean body tissue so they can safely<br />
tackle everyday chores.<br />
“This isn’t about how much more somebody can bench-press<br />
after 10 weeks,” she stresses. “This is about people realizing<br />
that they can regain some control of their own bodies… because,<br />
when you’re a patient, you have no control.”<br />
It is a lesson, and an experience, that has continued to serve<br />
Main well. Last August, fresh from the <strong>IHRSA</strong> Institute outside of<br />
Boston, she learned that her doctors were concerned about a<br />
possible recurrence of her cancer, and that additional tests would<br />
be required. While many people would be paralyzed by such<br />
uncertainty, Main kept to her regular schedule and normal<br />
activities. Within a week, she jetted off to Australia to preside over<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>’s Asia Pacific Forum, and then returned home to continue<br />
caring for her two children, Sarah and Allison, and husband,<br />
Michael, managing her five clubs, and exercising regularly.<br />
Make A Difference<br />
For more information about the Cancer Well-fit program, log on<br />
to www.cancerwellfit.com. If you’ve already implemented the<br />
program, please contact Julie Main, at info@cancerwellfit.com,<br />
so she can refer local patients to your club.
Interview “Capitol Hill is beginning to recognize that the<br />
fitness industry is an important and powerful constituency.”<br />
of health club dues. And, beyond that—possibly<br />
working with insurance companies<br />
to reduce premiums for people who engage<br />
in healthy lifestyles.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: Similarly, if you were obliged to deliver<br />
a State of <strong>IHRSA</strong> address, what would you<br />
focus on?<br />
JM: I’m sure that I’d talk about the incredible,<br />
unprecedented, opportunity that we<br />
now enjoy. Whether it’s working with the<br />
government, insurance companies, or the<br />
medical community—none of us fully appreciates<br />
the scope of the possibilities that<br />
confront us. We need to educate people<br />
about the fact that they spend too much<br />
time, every day, just sitting—in a car, at a<br />
desk, watching TV—and that, if they want<br />
to improve their quality of life, they have to<br />
spend 30, or 60, or 90 minutes a day<br />
engaged in physical activity. Every club<br />
offers an amazing product, but, for some<br />
Exer-optimist Main believes the value of club services can convert the sedentary<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 37
Interview “At some point, we’re going to have to start talking to, asking<br />
questions of, all those people who aren’t coming into our clubs.”<br />
reason, there’s a disconnect between those<br />
words and getting people to try our facilities.<br />
If I were standing up there, giving a<br />
State of <strong>IHRSA</strong> address, I’d say, ‘The<br />
opportunity’s out there, folks! All we need<br />
to do is deliver the message effectively.’<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: Effectively seems to be the crux of<br />
the problem. What, do you think, is the<br />
best way to communicate that basic,<br />
fundamental, message?<br />
JM: To some extent, it may be different for<br />
everybody. We do know what some<br />
of the obstacles are—there are, for instance,<br />
a lot of sedentary and overweight individuals<br />
out there who think that they have to<br />
be fit before they can come in for a tour. If<br />
38 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
that’s the perception, then we’re clearly<br />
doing something wrong. Obviously, there<br />
are some operators who have done a great<br />
job of eliminating obstacles—we could talk<br />
about Curves, for instance. It’s managed to<br />
launch more than 8,400 clubs in a very<br />
short period of time, and, whether its model<br />
is right or wrong, a short-lived trend or<br />
long-term development, Curves has successfully<br />
tapped a market that wasn’t coming<br />
into full-service clubs before. I’d guess<br />
that 90% of Curves’ members have never<br />
set foot in an <strong>IHRSA</strong> facility. Why? What<br />
motivated them to join Curves? At some<br />
point, we’re going to have to start talking<br />
to—asking questions of—all those people<br />
who aren’t coming into our clubs.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: Touching on a number of important<br />
topics quickly—could you please share<br />
your thoughts about the following subjects,<br />
beginning with… the obesity epidemic:<br />
JM: I’d be a bazillionaire if I had the<br />
answer to the obesity crisis. I think we<br />
have the message right, but, obviously,<br />
we’re not delivering it correctly. There<br />
seems to be a dramatic inconsistency<br />
between what people read, and hear, and<br />
believe, and what they actually do—I don’t<br />
know why. I suspect that, until their health<br />
begins to compromise their lifestyle,<br />
people are reluctant to change.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: AED Mandates.<br />
JM: In 1994, a physician died of a heart<br />
attack while exercising in our club and,<br />
afterward, a group of his colleagues<br />
wanted to contribute an AED to be placed<br />
in the club in his memory. We still have it,<br />
and we’ve never used it thank God—but<br />
we have it just in case. All five of my clubs<br />
now have them. I think AEDs are marvelous,<br />
but I don’t think that they should<br />
be mandated. I think it should be up to<br />
any individual club operator/owner to<br />
decide whether they want one or not.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: Unfair competition.<br />
JM: The YMCA and other nonprofit fitness<br />
providers don’t simply hurt for-profit<br />
clubs; they also injure local communities
Interview “<strong>IHRSA</strong> has evolved into one of the industry’s most valuable<br />
resources, and 25 years from now… that will still be true.”<br />
by not paying their fair share of taxes,<br />
putting an additional, unnecessary, burden<br />
on individual taxpayers. The government<br />
needs to take a long, hard look at both of<br />
these inequities.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s increased involvement in<br />
government relations.<br />
JM: Capitol Hill is beginning to recognize<br />
that the fitness industry is an important<br />
and powerful constituency, and I don’t<br />
mean because of the number of clubs, or<br />
vendors, or associations that comprise it.<br />
I mean because of the number of people<br />
who make use of our clubs—our members—over<br />
whom we have some real<br />
influence. One of the things I’m able to<br />
do, when I walk into a legislator’s office, is<br />
to say, “I have five clubs in California…<br />
That represents more than 10,000 voters.”<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: The WHIP Act.<br />
JM: For me, the WHIP Act is a no-brainer.<br />
When we went to Washington, D.C.,<br />
for <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 2nd Annual Legislative Summit<br />
last year, we discovered that legislators<br />
are beginning to understand that<br />
this is a positive bill; all of the press about<br />
the dangers of obesity and, conversely,<br />
the benefits of exercise is beginning<br />
to have a real impact. The act has strong<br />
bipartisan support, and Congress is now<br />
waiting for it to be ‘scored’—for its cost<br />
to be calculated. I’m confident that WHIP,<br />
or some form of it, will pass by the end<br />
of 2006.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s growing international presence.<br />
JM: <strong>IHRSA</strong>, as you know, is currently<br />
restructuring its entire international program.<br />
The activities that the association<br />
is already involved in, worldwide, and<br />
the size and scope of the international<br />
opportunity oblige us to devote more<br />
resources to the effort. We’ve retained a<br />
key person to represent us in Europe,<br />
and are now looking for individuals to<br />
assume responsibility for Asia and the<br />
Pacific Rim, and for Central and South<br />
America. <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s international role is<br />
one of unimagined promise.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s future—its next 25 years.<br />
JM: The first 25 years have represented a<br />
period of rapid growth, of attempting to<br />
engage and serve as large a segment<br />
of the industry as possible. The next<br />
25 years, I think, will see equally dramatic<br />
growth, but also a significant<br />
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itself. We’ll be redefining who we are,<br />
what we are, whom we serve, and what<br />
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www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 39
Health Clubs<br />
&Plans: A New<br />
Opportunity<br />
CORPORATE AMERICA IS FACING A HEALTHCARE<br />
CRISIS THAT <strong>IHRSA</strong> FACILITIES CAN HELP SOLVE<br />
By George DeVries<br />
fFor more than a decade, employers have been struggling with a healthcare cost<br />
dilemma that has driven health-insurance premiums into the stratosphere. This<br />
persistent problem, coupled with alarming new statistics about the impact of<br />
obesity, is creating a crisis of significant proportions for employers.<br />
Obesity has been directly linked to at least 15 medical conditions—from diabetes<br />
to heart disease—and two-thirds of U.S. adults are now overweight or obese. As a<br />
result, companies are paying dearly in terms of increased absenteeism, reduced<br />
employee productivity, and rising health-benefit expenses. According to the Society<br />
of Human Resource Management (SHRM), obesity already costs U.S. employers an<br />
estimated $12.7 billion per year in both direct health expenses and related, indirect<br />
costs (e.g., reduced productivity), and a study published recently in the Journal of<br />
Health Affairs suggests that the price tag may soon climb to $30 billion.<br />
Few sectors are better positioned to tackle this ongoing crisis, hand in hand, and<br />
in a proactive way, than the health-insurance and fitness industries. How they choose<br />
to respond to the challenge will have a major impact on our ability, as a nation, to<br />
combat obesity and stabilize health-insurance costs; it will also, not unimportantly,<br />
affect the future status, growth, and profitability of <strong>IHRSA</strong> facilities. <br />
42 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 43
Opportunity continued<br />
CONVERGING FORCES<br />
A number of socioeconomic developments—in<br />
addition to rising healthcare<br />
costs and epidemic obesity—are now<br />
converging, in an unprecedented fashion,<br />
to create an opportunity for insurers and<br />
health clubs to work together in a<br />
rewarding way. Among the factors that<br />
confirm the timing is right for such a joint<br />
effort are the following:<br />
• Employers are finally beginning to recognize,<br />
and accept, their role in promoting<br />
fitness among employees. In a survey of<br />
254 U.S. corporations conducted in 2003<br />
by the American Management Association<br />
(AMA), fully 71% of the executives who<br />
responded acknowledged that firms have<br />
a “responsibility” to promote worker wellness.<br />
Yet, ironically, among those companies<br />
polled, less than half (47%) offered<br />
exercise and fitness activities, and only<br />
34% offered weight-management programs.<br />
Given the fact that, currently, most<br />
companies don’t address their employees’<br />
health and fitness needs, clubs enjoy a<br />
wonderful opportunity to reach out to<br />
corporate America, and to provide the<br />
programs and solutions required.<br />
1. Offer a wide range of services: The<br />
more services your club provides, the<br />
greater the chance it will attract the<br />
interest of a health-plan provider.<br />
You should spotlight its convenient<br />
amenities, such as showers, locker<br />
rooms, whirlpools, beverage services,<br />
24-hour access, modern and safe cardiovascular<br />
and strength-training equipment, the latest fitness<br />
classes, and personal trainers who can develop<br />
customized fitness programs for employees, based<br />
on their individual health risks and needs.<br />
2. Offer specialty classes: Develop and schedule classes for<br />
specific populations, e.g., seniors, adults who are obese or<br />
overweight, expectant mothers, couples, or elite athletes.<br />
3. Deliver the data: Employers want to know whether, and<br />
in what ways, their investment in employee wellness is<br />
paying off. You should be able to provide figures that<br />
quantify utilization and progress, both for individuals and<br />
the workforce as a whole.<br />
• Health-plan providers are also coming<br />
to realize that they need to offer their<br />
clients health-promotion remedies, such<br />
as weight-loss counseling, discounts on<br />
club memberships, insured benefits for<br />
memberships, and other similar incentives.<br />
Within the past two years, several<br />
health plans and specialty insurers,<br />
including PacifiCare, Kaiser Permanente,<br />
and American Specialty Health, among<br />
others, have introduced discounts on<br />
memberships and other fitness incentives,<br />
and are now working with chains<br />
such as Curves International and Gold’s<br />
Gym International, Inc.<br />
• Outdated tax laws may soon be modified<br />
to provide tax advantages for employee fitness<br />
programs. Currently, companies can<br />
treat the cost of an on-site fitness center as<br />
a legitimate, tax-deductible, business<br />
expense, but can’t deduct the cost of an<br />
offsite center, or of any contribution they<br />
make toward the cost of a club membership<br />
for an employee (unless the recipient<br />
is referred to the club by a physician).<br />
Workers with a subsidized membership<br />
are also required to declare this benefit as<br />
income and pay tax on it (unless they have<br />
44 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
Crisis control George DeVries touts clubs<br />
a doctor’s referral). All of that, however,<br />
would change with passage of the <strong>IHRSA</strong>authored<br />
Workforce Health Improvement<br />
Program (WHIP) Act, which was introduced<br />
last year and is now being considered by<br />
Congress. The WHIP bill would provide<br />
for the equal tax treatment of employersubsidized<br />
fitness, whether offered on- or<br />
FIVE TACTICS FOR ATTRACTING HEALTH-PLAN PROVIDERS<br />
4. Keep on top of technology: Health-plan<br />
and employer groups are constantly<br />
tracking and managing employees’<br />
health data, and clubs need to be<br />
able to facilitate that task. This may<br />
require: member card-scanning software<br />
that automatically tracks employees’ visits to the club<br />
and the length of their stay; a phone line that allows<br />
members to dial in and log a record of their attendance<br />
each time they visit the club; or an Internet password<br />
access program that allows a personal trainer to log<br />
time spent with an employee, or the club to record<br />
the employee’s attendance, and generate related records.<br />
5. Prepare pricing options: Many employers and health-plan<br />
companies or networks will expect per-member discounts<br />
on pricing in return for the greater volume of business<br />
they deliver. Study your local market and determine<br />
what sort of discounts are currently being utilized in<br />
such arrangements; make sure your organization can<br />
match or beat them.
off-site, and wouldn’t force workers to<br />
declare the value of off-site fitness benefits<br />
as personal income.<br />
• Unlike their predecessor—the baby<br />
boomer generation—Generations “X”<br />
and “Y” are more vocal about employment<br />
benefits, and want perks, including<br />
club memberships, from their employers.<br />
uROI REWARDS<br />
Until recently, many firms thought that,<br />
while their fitness and wellness programs<br />
were good for the labor force, there was<br />
no real evidence that they were good for<br />
the company’s bottom line—in short,<br />
they weren’t able to document a positive<br />
return on investment (ROI). Recently,<br />
however, the reports of promising results<br />
have been proliferating.<br />
For example, at Motorola, Inc., based in<br />
Plantation, Florida, executives claim that,<br />
for every dollar the company spends on<br />
wellness programs, it saves $3.93. The<br />
savings, they say, come from reduced<br />
employee absenteeism and greater<br />
productivity, and from lower health-insurance<br />
costs. Motorola, to its credit, promotes<br />
fitness both on- and off-site. Not all that<br />
long ago, it built a new 6,500-square-foot<br />
fitness center for its headquarters staff, and<br />
it offers each worker $240 a year to spend<br />
on a club membership.<br />
In another study, NASA found that participants<br />
in an exercise program had improved<br />
stamina and work performance, and<br />
enhanced concentration and decision-making<br />
powers, for the final two hours of the<br />
workday, compared to a 50% decrease for<br />
the average office worker during the same<br />
period. This, NASA calculated, amounted to<br />
a 12.5% increase in productivity.<br />
Thanks, in part, to the accumulating<br />
studies, in a wide range of industries,<br />
demonstrating the efficacy of employee<br />
fitness initiatives, more and more companies<br />
have turned to clubs for assistance.<br />
Since 1999, there’s been a 35% increase<br />
in the number of firms offering membership<br />
subsidies or reimbursements, points<br />
out the Society of Human Resource Management<br />
(SHRM). Employees also seem<br />
more inclined to take part: a recent <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
study found that more than 80% of them<br />
would make use of a club regularly if their<br />
company was underwriting their dues.<br />
Today, helping employees improve their<br />
health and fitness is generally regarded as<br />
involving three key steps: (1) raising their<br />
awareness about health-cost issues and<br />
the impact of their lifestyle on these issues;<br />
(2) providing them with assessment tools<br />
to identify their own health risks; and (3)<br />
providing them with the other tools—e.g.,<br />
fitness activities, medical support, incentive<br />
programs, educational campaigns, etc.—<br />
required to implement the changes that<br />
will deliver valuable long-term benefits.<br />
PICKING A PARTNER<br />
Club owners who are interested in making<br />
their business one of the principal<br />
factors in the employer/health-insurer<br />
equation can do so in one of several<br />
ways. They can:<br />
• Enter into contracts, directly, with health<br />
plans: If you enter into a contractual<br />
agreement with a large health plan, your<br />
club will become part of an established<br />
network of fitness facilities marketed to<br />
employer groups that offer a heath club<br />
benefit. You should be aware, however,<br />
that, today, few health plans elect to work<br />
directly with club providers; most prefer to<br />
subcontract this responsibility to a specialty<br />
health organization.<br />
• Make use of a specialty provider network:<br />
Another option is to establish a relationship<br />
with a specialty health network that<br />
offers a variety of health options, along<br />
with outsourcing contracts and administrative<br />
services, to large health plans and<br />
employer groups. These networks already<br />
have contracts with major health plans,<br />
and may be able to simplify your entry into<br />
this market.<br />
CREDITS AND DEBITS<br />
Aligning with a health plan, or specialty<br />
insurer or network, offers a host of advan-<br />
tages—both general and specific—for clubs.<br />
It allows them to serve a real need, establish<br />
profitable relationships in the business<br />
community, grow membership, increase<br />
utilization, ensure prompt dependable<br />
payment, etc. For a new facility that needs<br />
to acquire clients quickly, such contracts<br />
can provide a valuable jumpstart. And, for<br />
older ones that may be experiencing high<br />
attrition because of greater competition or<br />
an aging local population, they can serve as<br />
a form of business insurance.<br />
A number of socioeconomic developments<br />
are now converging, in an unprecedented<br />
fashion, to create an opportunity for insurers and<br />
health clubs to work together in a rewarding way.<br />
Memberships sold this way are often<br />
discounted, but the higher volume of members<br />
generated should more than offset any<br />
reduction in fees/member/month. A club’s<br />
advertising and other costs-of-acquisition<br />
may also be reduced, since enrollment will<br />
be driven by the employer’s informational,<br />
educational, and incentive initiatives.<br />
Club owners should also consider the<br />
possibility that, as corporate concerns about<br />
healthcare costs continue to increase, and<br />
as the obesity epidemic continues to unfold,<br />
more and more companies may turn to<br />
their insurers, and aligned clubs, to suggest<br />
solutions. As that happens, the volume of<br />
traditional, off-the-street, prospects may fall.<br />
Entering into a relationship with a health<br />
plan, or specialty insurer or network, may<br />
be a reasonable way to deal with that<br />
prospect proactively, albeit at a slightly lower<br />
membership fee.<br />
Health-plan affiliations may not be right,<br />
or viable, for every club, but for those with<br />
the interest, resources, and skills, they may<br />
represent a step into the future: a strategy for<br />
building one’s business, while solving some<br />
of society’s most pressing problems. <br />
GEORGE DEVRIES is chairman, president,<br />
and CEO of American Specialty Health<br />
(ASH), a provider of complementary<br />
healthcare products and services, and<br />
can be reached at georged@ashn.com.<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 45
off-site, and wouldn’t force workers to<br />
declare the value of off-site fitness benefits<br />
as personal income.<br />
• Unlike their predecessor—the baby<br />
boomer generation—Generations “X”<br />
and “Y” are more vocal about employment<br />
benefits, and want perks, including<br />
club memberships, from their employers.<br />
uROI REWARDS<br />
Until recently, many firms thought that,<br />
while their fitness and wellness programs<br />
were good for the labor force, there was<br />
no real evidence that they were good for<br />
the company’s bottom line—in short,<br />
they weren’t able to document a positive<br />
return on investment (ROI). Recently,<br />
however, the reports of promising results<br />
have been proliferating.<br />
For example, at Motorola, Inc., based in<br />
Plantation, Florida, executives claim that,<br />
for every dollar the company spends on<br />
wellness programs, it saves $3.93. The<br />
savings, they say, come from reduced<br />
employee absenteeism and greater<br />
productivity, and from lower health-insurance<br />
costs. Motorola, to its credit, promotes<br />
fitness both on- and off-site. Not all that<br />
long ago, it built a new 6,500-square-foot<br />
fitness center for its headquarters staff, and<br />
it offers each worker $240 a year to spend<br />
on a club membership.<br />
In another study, NASA found that participants<br />
in an exercise program had improved<br />
stamina and work performance, and<br />
enhanced concentration and decision-making<br />
powers, for the final two hours of the<br />
workday, compared to a 50% decrease for<br />
the average office worker during the same<br />
period. This, NASA calculated, amounted to<br />
a 12.5% increase in productivity.<br />
Thanks, in part, to the accumulating<br />
studies, in a wide range of industries,<br />
demonstrating the efficacy of employee<br />
fitness initiatives, more and more companies<br />
have turned to clubs for assistance.<br />
Since 1999, there’s been a 35% increase<br />
in the number of firms offering membership<br />
subsidies or reimbursements, points<br />
out the Society of Human Resource Management<br />
(SHRM). Employees also seem<br />
more inclined to take part: a recent <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
study found that more than 80% of them<br />
would make use of a club regularly if their<br />
company was underwriting their dues.<br />
Today, helping employees improve their<br />
health and fitness is generally regarded as<br />
involving three key steps: (1) raising their<br />
awareness about health-cost issues and<br />
the impact of their lifestyle on these issues;<br />
(2) providing them with assessment tools<br />
to identify their own health risks; and (3)<br />
providing them with the other tools—e.g.,<br />
fitness activities, medical support, incentive<br />
programs, educational campaigns, etc.—<br />
required to implement the changes that<br />
will deliver valuable long-term benefits.<br />
PICKING A PARTNER<br />
Club owners who are interested in making<br />
their business one of the principal<br />
factors in the employer/health-insurer<br />
equation can do so in one of several<br />
ways. They can:<br />
• Enter into contracts, directly, with health<br />
plans: If you enter into a contractual<br />
agreement with a large health plan, your<br />
club will become part of an established<br />
network of fitness facilities marketed to<br />
employer groups that offer a heath club<br />
benefit. You should be aware, however,<br />
that, today, few health plans elect to work<br />
directly with club providers; most prefer to<br />
subcontract this responsibility to a specialty<br />
health organization.<br />
• Make use of a specialty provider network:<br />
Another option is to establish a relationship<br />
with a specialty health network that<br />
offers a variety of health options, along<br />
with outsourcing contracts and administrative<br />
services, to large health plans and<br />
employer groups. These networks already<br />
have contracts with major health plans,<br />
and may be able to simplify your entry into<br />
this market.<br />
CREDITS AND DEBITS<br />
Aligning with a health plan, or specialty<br />
insurer or network, offers a host of advan-<br />
tages—both general and specific—for clubs.<br />
It allows them to serve a real need, establish<br />
profitable relationships in the business<br />
community, grow membership, increase<br />
utilization, ensure prompt dependable<br />
payment, etc. For a new facility that needs<br />
to acquire clients quickly, such contracts<br />
can provide a valuable jumpstart. And, for<br />
older ones that may be experiencing high<br />
attrition because of greater competition or<br />
an aging local population, they can serve as<br />
a form of business insurance.<br />
A number of socioeconomic developments<br />
are now converging, in an unprecedented<br />
fashion, to create an opportunity for insurers and<br />
health clubs to work together in a rewarding way.<br />
Memberships sold this way are often<br />
discounted, but the higher volume of members<br />
generated should more than offset any<br />
reduction in fees/member/month. A club’s<br />
advertising and other costs-of-acquisition<br />
may also be reduced, since enrollment will<br />
be driven by the employer’s informational,<br />
educational, and incentive initiatives.<br />
Club owners should also consider the<br />
possibility that, as corporate concerns about<br />
healthcare costs continue to increase, and<br />
as the obesity epidemic continues to unfold,<br />
more and more companies may turn to<br />
their insurers, and aligned clubs, to suggest<br />
solutions. As that happens, the volume of<br />
traditional, off-the-street, prospects may fall.<br />
Entering into a relationship with a health<br />
plan, or specialty insurer or network, may<br />
be a reasonable way to deal with that<br />
prospect proactively, albeit at a slightly lower<br />
membership fee.<br />
Health-plan affiliations may not be right,<br />
or viable, for every club, but for those with<br />
the interest, resources, and skills, they may<br />
represent a step into the future: a strategy for<br />
building one’s business, while solving some<br />
of society’s most pressing problems. <br />
GEORGE DEVRIES is chairman, president,<br />
and CEO of American Specialty Health<br />
(ASH), a provider of complementary<br />
healthcare products and services, and<br />
can be reached at georged@ashn.com.<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 45
CALL-IN PRESS CONFERENCE:<br />
Fair-Competition<br />
ChampBy<br />
Jon Feld<br />
<strong>CBI</strong> spends 10 minutes on<br />
the line with U.S. Senator<br />
Charles E. “Chuck” Grassley<br />
>> STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS<br />
are focusing on nonprofit organizations and the<br />
unfair competition they often breed, as never before,<br />
and, if one man has come to personify the intensified<br />
scrutiny, it’s Senator Charles E. “Chuck” Grassley.<br />
Pick up the Sacramento (California) Bee or the<br />
Washington Post, and, if the topic is tax-exempts, the<br />
principal source, it seems, is invariably Grassley.<br />
Grassley, who has served in Congress for more<br />
than 30 years, not only knows politics intimately, but<br />
also has a special affection for small business.<br />
He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in<br />
political science at the University of Northern Iowa,<br />
and pursued doctoral studies at the University of Iowa.<br />
Following school, he worked on his family’s farm, and<br />
as a sheet-metal shearer and assembly line worker. <br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 47
Champ continued<br />
He was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 1958,<br />
to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974, and to the Senate<br />
in 1980. Today, he serves on several committees, most notably<br />
as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and vicechairman<br />
of the Joint Committee on Taxation. His strong views<br />
on taxes and unwavering support of small business have allied<br />
him with such organizations as <strong>IHRSA</strong>, Americans for Tax<br />
Reform, Citizens Against Government Waste, the National<br />
Federation for Independent Business, the Small Business<br />
Survival Committee, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.<br />
Grassley lives in New Hartford, Iowa, the town in which he<br />
was born, with his wife, Barbara Ann; the couple have five<br />
grown children.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong> caught up with him at his office in the Hart Senate<br />
Building in Washington, D.C.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: You’ve long been a strong proponent of tax reform and,<br />
when appropriate, tax relief, but many people feel that the tax<br />
code still allows many nonprofit organizations to earn income<br />
that isn’t related to their charitable purpose, giving them, in<br />
some cases, an opportunity to compete unfairly with for-profit<br />
businesses. Your views on the subject?<br />
Senator Charles Grassley: The tax code should clearly differentiate<br />
between acceptable and unacceptable behavior on the part of<br />
nonprofits, and the code should be enforced. Nonprofit status is a<br />
privilege, not a right, and everyone should regard it as such.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: <strong>IHRSA</strong> members, who find themselves facing a growing<br />
number of tax-exempt fitness providers—from the YMCA, to<br />
hospital-owned centers, to church-based exercise programs—<br />
are directly affected by, and very concerned about, this problem.<br />
How can you and the Finance Committee help?<br />
CG: As the Finance Committee continues to review tax-exempt<br />
organizations and consider possible reforms, I’m sure that<br />
questions about unrelated business income tax (UBIT) are going<br />
to be raised. The proposed reforms that I’m thinking about<br />
would build in more accountability—make nonprofits more<br />
responsible both to potential donors and taxpayers in general.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: Last year, <strong>IHRSA</strong> staged its second annual Legislative Summit<br />
in Washington, D.C., and, in three months, will return to the<br />
capital again; during the summit, the association’s members meet<br />
with their senators and representatives to discuss important<br />
industry issues. How effective do you think such initiatives can be<br />
in influencing public policy?<br />
CG: I’ve always said that representative government is a two-way<br />
street. My job is to represent my constituents as effectively as I can,<br />
and that means I have to solicit their thoughts and suggestions. At<br />
the same time, they have a real responsibility to communicate<br />
their views and concerns to me. <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s Legislative Summit is<br />
fulfilling its obligation, as a constituent of Congress, to provide that<br />
sort of input, and I encourage everyone involved to keep up the<br />
good work.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: <strong>IHRSA</strong> is currently working with several members in the<br />
House and Senate to pass the Workforce Health Improvement<br />
Program (WHIP) Act, which would provide for the equitable<br />
48 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
tax treatment of employee-subsidized fitness services, whether<br />
provided on- or off-site. What are your thoughts on WHIP?<br />
CG: I believe in giving employers tax incentives, whenever<br />
possible, to encourage job creation, and to attract quality employees.<br />
Tax relief to promote health insurance coverage—which might,<br />
conceivably, include a fitness component, such as a discount on a<br />
club membership—fits into that category. Before committing to any<br />
specific tax incentive, however, I’d have to weigh the proposal<br />
against other pressing needs; I’d also have to determine whether<br />
funds were available to offset the associated costs. The current<br />
mindset in the Senate is that tax relief has to be balanced<br />
by revenue offset. For instance, we just offset the cost of a<br />
comprehensive business tax relief and reform measure by closing<br />
a series of loopholes that had fostered abusive tax avoidance.<br />
“Far too many charities have<br />
broken the understood<br />
covenant between the<br />
taxpayers and nonprofits.”<br />
—Senator Charles E. Grassley, Forbes magazine<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: Many <strong>IHRSA</strong> clubs are small businesses. What, if anything,<br />
have you been able to do recently, from a tax perspective, to<br />
support and strengthen them?<br />
CG: As chairman of the Finance Committee, with jurisdiction<br />
over taxes, I’ve put forward a number of items, over the years,<br />
to promote the growth of small business, which have been<br />
approved by Congress and subsequently signed into law. Most<br />
recently? Well, the 2003 tax law, which I supported, increased<br />
the depreciation deduction, and also decreased the tax rate<br />
applicable to dividend income for taxpayers, which prompts<br />
more investment and growth—for companies of all sizes. And<br />
President Bush just signed the business tax bill that I led<br />
through the Senate, which extends small business expensing<br />
for another two years. This allows small firms to write off as<br />
much as $100,000 a year for new business asset purchases,<br />
and also contains significant S-corporation reforms that make<br />
it easier for small businesses to succeed.<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>: <strong>IHRSA</strong>, of course, is interested in the nation’s fitness, but<br />
it’s also interested in that of each individual. How are you<br />
doing? What can you tell us about your fitness regimen?<br />
CG: I began running a few years ago, and when I’m in Washington,<br />
starting at 5:29 a.m., I run two miles every day, four or five<br />
days a week. I encourage staff members to join me, to keep us all<br />
motivated and fit. After we run, we have a healthy breakfast of oatmeal<br />
and fruit. I generally eat well, but running helps counter the<br />
unpleasant side effects of my favorite treat, which is ice cream. <br />
JON FELD is a contributing editor for <strong>CBI</strong> and can be reached at<br />
kjfeld@rcn.com.
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NA-<strong>01</strong>0A<br />
Drive new business into your<br />
facility by joining our fitness<br />
club/exercise center and<br />
personal trainer networks.<br />
Visit exhibit booth #412 at<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 24th Annual International<br />
Convention & Trade Show in San<br />
Francisco March 16, and attend<br />
our seminar entitled “Trends in<br />
Health Care Reimbursement.”<br />
(Seminar runs from 10:30 a.m.<br />
to noon.)<br />
No fees. No hurdles. No sweat. Here are just a few of the many advantages<br />
fitness clubs/exercise centers and personal trainers receive by participating<br />
in American Specialty Health’s (ASH) affinity and benefit networks:<br />
• New market segments—As health insurers promote healthier lifestyles by offering fitness club/<br />
exercise center and personal trainer services, many individuals who have never visited an<br />
exercise facility may want to visit and join yours.<br />
• Program options—You may choose to participate in our affinity and/or benefit program,<br />
whichever best suits your club’s strategies and goals.<br />
• Marketing exposure—The fitness club/exercise center and personal trainer programs will be<br />
marketed by participating health plans and employer groups to potential members across the country.<br />
• Easy online enrollment—Reduce paperwork and save time when you enroll online. Just go to<br />
ASHCompanies.com and click on “Fitness Center Application” to see how easy it is to enroll!<br />
For more information, visit ASHCompanies.com, or call toll-free<br />
1.888.511.2743.<br />
Benefit programs are not available in all states and may be offered, where available, through American Specialty Health Insurance Company or<br />
made available through American Specialty Health Networks, Inc., subsidiaries of American Specialty Health, Incorporated.
Maximizing the<br />
MEDICAL<br />
CONNECTION<br />
PART 2 OF A TWO-PART SERIES<br />
The more one considers the possibilities inherent<br />
in affiliations between physicians and health<br />
clubs, the more obvious the benefits become. Doctors<br />
obtain a way to help patients remain healthy and fit;<br />
to treat them more effectively when disease or injury<br />
occurs; and to prolong professional care when<br />
medical benefits run out. Clubs profit from, among<br />
other things, ongoing patient referrals, increased<br />
exposure, and enhanced credibility.<br />
It is a relationship rife with promising synergies,<br />
but perhaps the most important is the simple fact<br />
that the end user—the patient or club member—<br />
receives a higher level of care, significantly improving<br />
their quality of life.<br />
Last month (see “Partnering With Physicians,”<br />
January <strong>CBI</strong>, pg. 57), we discussed the three acts that<br />
it takes to forge such ties: (1) convincing practitioners<br />
of the utility, and practicality, of “prescribing”<br />
exercise to patients; (2) providing the services, and<br />
standard of care, at your club that will impress and<br />
reassure medical professionals; and (3) identifying<br />
and accessing potential physician partners. This<br />
month, we’ll explore a variety of ways to make<br />
the new marriage pay off most rewardingly. <br />
By Edward M. Phillips, M.D.<br />
WHAT DOCTORS CAN DO FOR<br />
YOUR CLUB… DEPENDS ON WHAT<br />
YOUR CLUB CAN DO FOR THEM<br />
Tender care<br />
Therapy at DHAC<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 51
MEDICAL CONNECTION continued<br />
BE A REHAB RESOURCE<br />
When their patients are recovering from<br />
strokes, accidents, or even common<br />
sports injuries, doctors often prescribe<br />
physical therapy to help them regain<br />
their strength, mobility, and dexterity.<br />
Unfortunately, dwindling health-insurance<br />
coverage has reduced the number<br />
of visits a patient can schedule. When<br />
coverage expires, the rehab provider<br />
may be eager to find reputable programs<br />
their ex-patients can use to continue<br />
exercising, and to continue progressing<br />
toward general fitness.<br />
This, clearly, is a need that health<br />
clubs are particularly well qualified to fill.<br />
HealthFit, in Needham, Massachusetts, is<br />
an example of a facility that has succeeded<br />
in extending the continuum of care. Owner<br />
John Atwood has worked closely with a<br />
local outpatient center of the Spaulding<br />
Rehabilitation Hospital Network, a teaching<br />
hospital of Harvard Medical School, to<br />
provide a viable post-rehabilitation option.<br />
As a result, the club and its physician friends<br />
are both enjoying increased business.<br />
As part of the relationship, doctors<br />
from the hospital conduct seminars at<br />
HealthFit, obtaining greater exposure,<br />
both among members and the community<br />
at large, which generates referrals.<br />
Members who, for instance, may have<br />
sustained musculoskeletal injuries during<br />
the course of their workouts or daily lives<br />
often turn, for care, to the physicians<br />
they’ve met at the club.<br />
Action flows in the other direction as well.<br />
Atwood says the connection with Spaulding<br />
and other local hospitals has elevated<br />
HealthFit’s status, and produced a dramatic<br />
increase in medical referrals. He calculates<br />
that, during one recent six-month period,<br />
such referrals were responsible for 23% of<br />
all new memberships. In many cases, he<br />
points out, these prospects are ones that,<br />
otherwise, might never have come through<br />
the club’s doors, and, because they’ve been<br />
sent by their doctor, they’re more likely to<br />
join than someone lured in by an ad.<br />
ACTION ITEMS:<br />
• Invite local physical therapists to visit your<br />
club and to bring their patients with them<br />
for a final treatment on the premises. This<br />
will help transition the patients to your<br />
facility for a follow-up to their rehabilitation.<br />
• Ask local physical therapists, and the<br />
physiatrists who work with them, to<br />
deliver lectures or general informational<br />
sessions at your club. They’ll appreciate<br />
the access to your members, who, obviously,<br />
are also potential patients.<br />
• Develop a system to refer members<br />
who require formal, hands-on, physical<br />
therapy to the providers with whom<br />
you’ve established relationships.<br />
EMPHASIZE YOUR EXPERTISE<br />
Many doctors think, incorrectly, that all<br />
health clubs are pretty much the same,<br />
and that most of them focus, nearly<br />
exclusively, on selling memberships.<br />
While hospitals and medical practices<br />
are also businesses and have to balance<br />
their books, they tend to view themselves<br />
as being more altruistic—philosophically,<br />
if not legally, not-for-profit. To get them<br />
to regard you as a peer—someone who’s<br />
attempting to improve the public’s health<br />
by, in this case, dispensing fitness expertise—you<br />
have to rise above the competition.<br />
One way to do so is by promoting<br />
your staff’s academic and professional<br />
qualifications. Lloyd Gainsboro, the owner<br />
52 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
Progress profile The Dedham Health and Athletic Complex (DHAC) sets high standards<br />
and director of business development<br />
for the Dedham Health and Athletic Complex<br />
(DHAC), in Dedham, Massachusetts,<br />
suggests that clubs should also impose<br />
more stringent safety standards. This, he<br />
notes, will reduce the incidence of training-related<br />
injuries, and make physicians<br />
more comfortable referring patients to<br />
the club.<br />
Gainsboro not only employs instructors<br />
with degrees in exercise physiology,<br />
but also has his staff members certified<br />
in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)<br />
and trained in diabetic management at<br />
the Joslin Clinic.<br />
ACTION ITEM:<br />
• When approaching local physicians,<br />
provide them with a handout detailing<br />
the credentials and qualifications of your<br />
fitness staff. Employees with an ACSM<br />
clinical certification or degrees in exercise<br />
physiology make the point that your<br />
club is serious about health and fitness.<br />
CONDUCT EXERCISE RESEARCH<br />
As a researcher who studies mobility and<br />
falls in the elderly, I regularly confront the
challenge of having to recruit subjects for<br />
clinical studies. The task is made even more<br />
difficult when individuals are asked to travel<br />
to a hospital or clinical center far from<br />
their home. One solution to this problem is<br />
to utilize local clubs with the appropriate<br />
equipment as a convenient site for screening<br />
study subjects. This sort of involvement<br />
may not yield a fee or generate new members,<br />
but it strengthens a club’s relationship<br />
with the doctors, hospital, university, and/or<br />
medical school taking part. The affiliation<br />
may also be acknowledged in published<br />
references to the research, and can be<br />
leveraged in the club’s advertising, which<br />
will further enhance its standing in the<br />
community. For the past four years, DHAC<br />
has hosted exercise studies with more than<br />
300 fibromyalgia subjects; the program is<br />
supported by the National Institutes of<br />
Health (NIH), and overseen by physicians<br />
from Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital<br />
in Boston.<br />
ACTION ITEM:<br />
• Solicit leads about worthy studies from<br />
knowledgeable individuals or your membership<br />
at large.<br />
Exam-ease DHAC’s affiliation with physicians enhances medical care for its members<br />
EMPANEL A MEDICAL BOARD<br />
One of the most efficient, and least expensive,<br />
ways to ensure strong support in the<br />
local medical community is to invite prominent,<br />
and receptive, physicians to join a club<br />
advisory board. You might, for instance,<br />
offer them a complimentary membership in<br />
exchange for their participation in a onehour<br />
meeting, held on a quarterly basis.<br />
You could also consult with them occasionally,<br />
one-on-one, or solicit their thoughts<br />
periodically via e-mail. An advisory board<br />
can offer valuable information, insights, and<br />
suggestions, and help cement your relationship<br />
with the medical profession at large.<br />
Joe Cirulli, the owner of the Gainesville<br />
Health and Fitness Centers (GHFCs), in<br />
Gainesville, Florida, offers on-site, physical-therapy<br />
services, and has made<br />
excellent use of such a board. His group<br />
consists of 12 local doctors, who meet at<br />
his club quarterly, to advise him on a wide<br />
range of issues—everything from the success<br />
the of GHFCs’ community outreach<br />
efforts, to the delivery of club programs,<br />
to the need for new offerings. Their recommendations<br />
have, among other things,<br />
led him to introduce programs that deal<br />
specifically with arthritis and back<br />
pain. Their involvement, Cirulli notes, also<br />
drives referrals.<br />
ACTION ITEMS:<br />
• Invite supportive local physicians to join<br />
a club advisory board.<br />
• Run advertisements that recognize the<br />
contributions of local doctors who<br />
encourage people to become more active.<br />
Reaching out to physicians in your market,<br />
and getting them actively involved in<br />
your club, isn’t an easy task. It will take<br />
time, effort, initiative, and may well<br />
require repeated, concerted, attempts.<br />
However, the benefits that accrue—e.g.,<br />
greater professionalism, enhanced reputation,<br />
direct referrals, expert advice<br />
and oversight, new medically based programs,<br />
increased membership sales, and<br />
a positive impact on public health—make<br />
the labor worthwhile. <br />
DR. EDWARD M. PHILLIPS, M.D., can be<br />
reached at ephillips1@partners.org.<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 53
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Profilesof<br />
In 2003, the industry demonstrated that it<br />
loves nothing better than a good workout…<br />
Success 2004<br />
The 2004 edition of <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s Profiles of Success, which is By William C. Howland, Jr.<br />
based on 206 responses from companies representing more<br />
than 1,000 facilities during calendar year 2003, suggests that<br />
health clubs will play an even greater role in the years ahead<br />
The global economy is in a state of flux—significant flux. The dollar is<br />
weak. Deficits are high. The cost of oil and steel sets, then breaks,<br />
records. The U.S. has gone from being the dominant manufacturing,<br />
to the dominant consuming, nation. The European Union has become<br />
a true force. The 21st century, the analysts agree, belongs to China.<br />
Flux creates uncertainty, and, in the midst of so much change, it’s reassuring<br />
to see that the health and fitness club industry seems not to be threatened by<br />
recent developments, but, instead, to be coming into its own. In the old world<br />
order, clubs were a rewarding amenity; in the new world order, they are assuming<br />
the mantle of a necessity.<br />
Though calendar year 2003 was burdened by the lingering effects of<br />
a recession, and beset by its own challenges, the 2004 edition of <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s<br />
Profiles of Success, which reports on the industry’s performance in ’03, details<br />
a period of relative stability and steady growth. Between January and July of<br />
’03, the number of clubs in the U.S. rose from 20,207 to 22,031, a 9% increase,<br />
and, during the same period in ’04, it climbed from 23,497 to 26,046, a 10.8%<br />
increase—one of the largest advances in history.<br />
In ’03, the number of memberships shot from 36.3 million to 39.4 million, an 8.5%<br />
improvement and another record increase. Revenues for the industry, as a whole,<br />
rose from an estimated $13.1 billion to $14.1 billion, up 7.6%.<br />
Take a look at the figures produced by all of the clubs that participated in <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s<br />
Industry Data Survey (IDS), which serves as the basis for Profiles, and you find uniform,<br />
consistent, progress. For ’03, these facilities reported (mean) total revenues of<br />
$2 million, up 6.3% over ’02; revenue per member of $653 (+3.7%); revenue per<br />
square foot of $47 (+5.1%); nondues revenue as a percentage of revenues of 28.3%<br />
(+2.9%); earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA)<br />
as a percentage of revenues of 14.5% (+47.5%); and net membership growth of 3.9%. <br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 55
Profilesof Success 2004 continued<br />
Average membership retention increased slightly, to 65.5%.<br />
Payroll as a percentage of revenues inched up imperceptibly,<br />
to 43.8% (+ 1%), despite a painful 15.3% increase in (mean)<br />
total payroll, precipitated by a 25% jump in healthcare and<br />
retirement-plan expenses.<br />
Among the factors contributing to the industry’s ongoing,<br />
escalating, achievement are: its growing sophistication; a greater<br />
number of business models, some of which have been quite<br />
successful in accessing new populations; the development of new<br />
programs to address both society’s and members’ needs; rising<br />
healthcare costs; increased public appreciation of the benefits<br />
of regular exercise; heightened awareness of the dangers of<br />
epidemic obesity; and a large aging population concerned about<br />
functionality, longevity, and quality of life.<br />
Profiles of Success also sheds light on the shifting, responsive,<br />
nature of club services and programs. In terms of trends, the<br />
following are now among the most popular: personal training,<br />
offered by 91% of the responding clubs; fitness evaluations,<br />
89%; step/bench aerobics, 87%; strength training, 84%; childcare,<br />
67%; yoga, 67%; nutritional counseling, 66%; and weight<br />
management, 63%.<br />
BENCHMARKS BY CLUB TYPE<br />
56 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
STAND AND BE COUNTED<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> is currently conducting its Industry Data Survey<br />
(IDS) for calendar year 2004. If you’d like your club to<br />
participate in this important research project, please<br />
phone 800-228-4772 or 617-951-0055. Participating<br />
facilities will receive a complimentary copy of the 2005<br />
edition of Profiles of Success, a revealing and valuable<br />
report on the IDS findings, a $215 value.<br />
During periods of flux, when societal pressures increase, the<br />
role that clubs play, and the value that they confer, become even<br />
more, ever more, important. If Profiles is any indication, the<br />
industry thrives in trying times. <br />
WILLIAM C. HOWLAND, JR., is <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s director of public<br />
relations and research, and can be contacted at bch@ihrsa.org.<br />
Part of Chain or<br />
All Clubs Multipurpose Fitness-only Multi-club Group Independent<br />
2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003 2002 2003<br />
Total Revenue<br />
(thousands)<br />
EBITDA as<br />
$1,974.0 $2,099.0 $2,151.8 $2,245.9 $1,377.8 $1,618.0 $2,323.5 $2,476.6 $1,459.7 $1,618.0<br />
% of Revenue<br />
Pretax Earnings<br />
9.90% 14.60% 10.90% 17.30% 9.50% 13.60% 11.00% 19.40% 9.80% 13.40%<br />
as % of Revenue 0.90% 6.00% 1.00% 6.00% 0.70% 5.40% 0.50% 7.40% 0.90% 6.00%<br />
Revenue Growth<br />
Total Payroll<br />
— 5.00% — 3.90% — 8.20% — 5.70% — 4.00%<br />
as % of Revenue<br />
Rate of Member<br />
43.40% 43.80% 41.90% 42.70% 46.90% 44.90% 41.20% 42.90% 45.00% 44.80%<br />
Retention<br />
Net Membership<br />
65.00% 65.50% 69.20% 67.50% 59.20% 62.20% 64.70% 61.90% 65.30% 68.00%<br />
Growth<br />
Revenue per<br />
— 3.90% — 3.00% — 6.10% — 3.60% — 4.40%<br />
Individual Member<br />
Indoor Sq. Ft. per<br />
$629.97 $653.56 $676.43 $758.35 $583.66 $558.97 $615.21 $663.00 $663.62 $733.33<br />
Individual Member<br />
Revenue per<br />
14.3 13.5 17.6 16.3 10.8 10.5 17.4 16 14 13.1<br />
Indoor Sq. Ft.<br />
Non-dues Revenue<br />
$45.15 $47.47 $38.19 $40.64 $55.83 $69.29 $48.08 $48.61 $43.56 $44.75<br />
as % of Revenue 27.50% 28.30% 29.00% 29.60% 21.80% 23.10% 24.90% 25.40% 29.30% 30.30%<br />
Note: Data reflects information from those clubs that provided complete responses for both 2002 and 2003, allowing for year-to-year comparison.<br />
Benchmark Data Definitions: EBITDA – Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.<br />
Pretax Earnings – Earnings before income taxes.
The Story of<br />
60 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
Grand entrance – Plymouth Fitness Center<br />
Photography: Joel Meus
Our experts explore the challenges, and<br />
offer solutions, for six areas of your club<br />
While your members may not notice it<br />
consciously, making use of the right<br />
flooring materials throughout your<br />
club can produce a significant visual, and<br />
visceral, impression, affecting their overall<br />
experience. It’s not simply a matter of<br />
aesthetics. A number of important factors<br />
come into play when selecting floor coverings<br />
for the various areas in a modern, stateof-the-art,<br />
health and fitness facility. Cost,<br />
comfort, safety, type of use, size of coverage,<br />
durability, ease of installation, cleaning, and<br />
maintenance—all of these, and more, enter<br />
into the equation. Because flooring choices<br />
are one of the most difficult design decisions<br />
club owners have to make, <strong>CBI</strong> decided to<br />
help. We contacted some of the industry’s<br />
most accomplished architects and designers,<br />
and asked them to describe the challenges,<br />
and to suggest appropriate solutions, for<br />
six critical club areas.<br />
Entrance<br />
In the case of the entrance and lobby—the<br />
first place that members see—the overriding<br />
concern is one of aesthetics. “The entrance<br />
is the spot that makes that crucial first<br />
impression on any prospect or member, so<br />
it needs to be done correctly,” insists Dan<br />
Meus, a principal at Graham/Meus, Inc.,<br />
Architects, based in Boston (www.grahammeus.com).<br />
“Beyond that, you want flooring<br />
that is durable—because of the heavy foot<br />
traffic—and that is easy to maintain, and<br />
works with your budget.”<br />
Gary Graham, also a principal at the<br />
firm, points out that the flooring should be<br />
compatible with, and complement, all of<br />
the other design elements in the entrance.<br />
“Every aspect of the space—millwork,<br />
counters, etc.—needs to mesh in terms<br />
of quality and look,” he explains. “If, for<br />
instance, you’ve gone with a rough-andtumble<br />
look throughout the building, you<br />
wouldn’t want to choose something prissy,<br />
like marble, for flooring.”<br />
In the case of the Plymouth Fitness Center,<br />
in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the thrust<br />
of its club-wide renovation was driven by<br />
changes to its entryway and front desk.<br />
“The club had an older, knotty-pine-faced<br />
desk, which we replaced with one of dark<br />
mahogany,” says Graham. <br />
Flooring<br />
By Jon Feld<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 61
Flooring continued<br />
“For flooring, we selected a granite tile that extends from the<br />
front door to the edge of the front desk. It was fairly expensive—<br />
about $20 per square foot—but it’s among the hardest flooring<br />
materials, easy to maintain, remarkably durable, and quite<br />
elegant. As you move away from the high-traffic entry area, the<br />
flooring switches over to carpeting.”<br />
Group-Cycling Studio<br />
The principal design challenge in group-cycling studios is,<br />
believe it or not, perspiration, attests Steve Kass, the CEO of the<br />
American Leisure Corporation, based in New York City (800-<br />
348-6468). “It has both an immediate and cumulative effect,”<br />
he explains. “For example, if you choose a porous flooring or<br />
carpeting, the sweat that gathers there will tend to breed bacteria,<br />
creating unpleasant odors. This is one part of the club<br />
where function and practicality can’t be ignored for the sake<br />
of aesthetics. Look for nonporous, skid-resistant flooring, such<br />
as a rubber composite,” he recommends. “It’s also easier to<br />
maintain than carpet.”<br />
American Leisure does a lot of work for New York City’s<br />
favorite son and Apprentice star Donald Trump, and has<br />
designed, and now operates, seven fitness facilities at Trump<br />
Place and Trump World Tower in the Big Apple. “If you look<br />
at the typical Trump building, you’ll see that the materials are<br />
all upscale, and utilize a great deal of marble,” says Kass.<br />
“While we can’t use marble in a cycling studio, we found that<br />
we could use a marbleized pattern manufactured by Mondo<br />
USA (www.mondousa.com) that met all of our durability,<br />
Ace Apprentice Mondo flooring stars in Trump cycling center<br />
62 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
design, and other criteria. It provides a wonderful transition<br />
from an adjacent waterfall and swimming pool, both of which<br />
feature a lot of marble. The flooring is sheet-style, and the<br />
continuity of pattern it creates looks just great.”<br />
Locker Room<br />
One of the first things that DelReanne Johnson Lucas, a<br />
principal at drj designs, inc., in Albuquerque, New Mexico<br />
(www.drjdesigns.com), considers when designing a locker<br />
room is the membership demographic. “People spend a lot<br />
of time in the locker room, so it’s essential that the prevailing<br />
aesthetic is one that appeals to your target market,” she<br />
stresses. “Beyond that, you need to be thinking about budget,<br />
slip-resistance, maintenance issues, and, as important as<br />
any other factor—smell. If you use carpet, it should be waterresistant<br />
and have an antimicrobial backing.”<br />
In the case of Fusion Fitness, in Santa Rosa, California, the<br />
owner’s design goal was to extend the club’s “upscale funlooking<br />
attitude” into the women’s locker room. Johnson Lucas<br />
accomplished the task with a clever combination of carpet and<br />
stained concrete. “There was already an actual casino carpet,<br />
and four or five colors of stained concrete, in the club,” she<br />
explains. “For the new carpet, we held onto the casino style,<br />
selecting a pattern and a tight-weave, solution-dyed nylon<br />
that make for easy cleaning; we used it mainly in front of the<br />
lockers, to maximize comfort. We picked up on a cayenne color<br />
in the carpet, and used it for the stained concrete in the wet and<br />
vanity areas, where water is an issue.”<br />
Cardiovascular Exercise Area<br />
When it comes to cardio centers, Joel B. Cantor, a principal at<br />
Joel B. Cantor AIA Architect, in San Francisco (415-957-9755),<br />
is something of an iconoclast. “The common belief is that<br />
cardio areas shouldn’t be carpeted because of all the sweating<br />
that takes place there,” he observes, “but many of my clients<br />
still want carpet—even if it means putting rubber mats<br />
under each piece of equipment. Carpeting that’s aesthetically<br />
pleasing, durable, and stain- and bacteria-resistant can work<br />
well,” he insists. “Another popular flooring alternative for this<br />
area is stained concrete.”<br />
Cantor’s philosophy is illustrated, quite beautifully, by a treatment<br />
he orchestrated for the Prime Time Athletic Club, in Burlingame,<br />
California. “In this case, we selected the carpet to accord to the<br />
general theme of the remodeling project,” he indicates. “To<br />
distinguish different areas, the interior designer and I employed<br />
two different carpet patterns—small repetitive squares for<br />
the equipment areas, and a contrasting linear pattern for the<br />
hallways. Because we knew equipment would be positioned<br />
on the carpet, we chose one with a tight weave and low pile,<br />
made from a durable synthetic fiber; we also required that<br />
it have antimicrobial backing to fight bacteria and odor.<br />
“We used rubber mats under some of the heavier equipment,<br />
but made sure that a great deal of the carpet remained exposed.”
Spa-cial surface Forbo suggests upscale at Lakeshore Athletic Tile wiles Daltile pool pattern mimics locker-room’s marble<br />
Another advantage of carpeting in the cardio center, Cantor<br />
points out, is sound attenuation. “Although people may have<br />
earphones on,” he says, “the carpet does a lot to deaden sound,<br />
and makes for a more pleasant environment.”<br />
Massage/Treatment Rooms<br />
For many multipurpose clubs, spa amenities aren’t a major<br />
focus, and, as a result, treatment rooms may pose unique<br />
challenges—e.g., the need to achieve a great deal with<br />
limited space, and on a limited budget. However, Doni Visani, a<br />
principal at Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative, in Denver (www.olcarchitects),<br />
offers some words of reassurance. “There are always<br />
things you can do at a reduced scale, and with a limited budget,” he<br />
asserts, “and that includes for flooring.”<br />
Visani identifies five critical flooring attributes that are required<br />
to foster a “spa” feel in a treatment room; (1) The flooring needs<br />
to be attractive, and, in higher-end spas, natural materials are<br />
preferred; (2) It needs to be easy to maintain since the oils and<br />
chemicals used in the room can stain; (3) It needs to be reasonably<br />
priced; (4) It should be resilient to ensure the comfort both of clients<br />
and the technicians who spend most of the day on their feet;<br />
and (5) It should attenuate sound, as peace and quiet are among<br />
a spa’s most important products.<br />
At the Lakeshore Athletic Club, in Broomfield, Colorado, Visani<br />
was asked to create an upscale look and feel for the facility’s two<br />
10'x 12' treatment/massage rooms, but at a reasonable cost. “What<br />
we came up with was Marmoleum, a hybrid linoleum flooring<br />
produced by Forbo (www.forboLinoleumNA.com),” he says. “It has<br />
a marbleized look and texture, and contains cork, which makes it<br />
comfortable for clients and staff, but is much less expensive, and<br />
easier to install and maintain, than other types of flooring. It<br />
was $4-$5 per square foot, which puts it, roughly, on a par with<br />
high-end carpet.”<br />
Pool<br />
There are two, possibly three, principal concerns when you<br />
consider flooring needs for pool or whirlpool areas, reflects<br />
Bryan Dunkelberger, a senior designer with Sasaki Associates,<br />
in Watertown, Massachusetts (www.sasaki.com). The material<br />
employed must be slip-resistant to ensure safety and reduce<br />
liability exposure. It must resist bacteria. And it must be easy<br />
to clean. “You’d never put carpeting in a pool area,” he declares.<br />
“Generally, you’d utilize hard surfaces, such as concrete or<br />
tile. Tile and stained concrete offer great looks and easy maintenance;<br />
and, with tile, you should use an epoxy grout that<br />
won’t show dirt or mold.<br />
“You need to be diligent with respect to maintenance—that’s<br />
an operational, as much as an architectural, issue.”<br />
Many pool floors, he adds, now make use of a product<br />
called Cool Deck, which has a rough texture and is imprinted<br />
with pigment.<br />
At the Bosse Sports and Health Club, in Sudbury, Massachusetts,<br />
Dunkelberger’s challenge was to match the pool<br />
flooring with that in the upscale locker rooms, which boasted<br />
a tumbled marble stone floor. “It was much too expensive<br />
a surface to use in the 3,000-square-foot pool area, so we worked<br />
with the Daltile Corporation (www.daltile.com) to create<br />
an alternative using standard ceramic tile,” he explains. “It<br />
took us about three tries, but, eventually, they were able to<br />
match the beautiful marble color—with a combination of<br />
dark, light, and gray beiges. It was a bit more expensive, but<br />
it would have cost, maybe, $10 per square foot more to move<br />
up to marble. We kept the cost down, and didn’t compromise<br />
on the appearance.” <br />
JON FELD is a contributing editor for <strong>CBI</strong> and can be reached<br />
at kjfeld@rcn.com.<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 63<br />
Photography (right): John Bellenis
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Jay Singer<br />
International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association<br />
Get Active<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>2005<br />
SPECIAL CONVENTION SECTION<br />
The Premier International Convention &<br />
Trade Show for the Fitness & Health Club Industry<br />
We’re Counting the Days!<br />
After a long wait, <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 24th Annual Convention and Trade Show is, finally, just one<br />
month away. As you’ve probably gathered from earlier issues of <strong>CBI</strong>, this is predictably,<br />
invariably, the industry’s most exciting and rewarding event, and the 2005 edition offers<br />
more reasons to access the action than ever before. Among the distinguished keynote<br />
speakers are General Tommy Franks, U.S. Army Ret., the former commander of the<br />
U.S. Central Command; researcher, author, and healthy-lifestyle provocateur Dean<br />
Ornish, M.D.; and football legend Joe Theismann. Like its illustrious predecessors,<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> ’05 also delivers a wealth of informative addresses, insightful seminars, enlightening<br />
forums, networking opportunities, and, of course, the industry’s most comprehensive trade<br />
show. Each day of the four-day (March 16-19) event is filled with thrilling activities, and, to<br />
drive home that point, we’ve listed some of the “featured presentations” for a single day<br />
(Friday, March 18) here:<br />
FRIDAY FEATURES<br />
“Kill Darius!”<br />
If you’ve already seen the movie, Alexander, or even if you haven’t, you should check out this lecture<br />
by Jay Singer, the president of ACCESS Dynamics LLC, a corporate marketing firm. His subject,<br />
Alexander the Great, remains one of history’s most fascinating and celebrated figures. At the tender<br />
age of 20, he acceded to the Macedonian throne, and, at 23, he defeated Darius III and the Persian<br />
Empire at the Battle of Gaugamela. When he died at the age of 32, he had arguably accomplished<br />
more than any other leader in history. Singer will provide an intimate and inspiring account of<br />
Alexander’s life, and detail the brilliant strategy he employed to defeat a much larger opponent in<br />
this pivotal battle. The insights and lessons Singer elicits can help you overcome significant odds to<br />
achieve impressive victories of your own.<br />
Insight Selling<br />
Heather Shea Schultz, of the Canaan Consulting Group, will describe the personal and emotional<br />
attributes that, properly orchestrated, can create long-term, mutually beneficial results when selling<br />
club memberships, products, or services. The presentation is based on her new cutting-edge text,<br />
Insight Selling, which she coauthored with Richard Whiteley. Schultz will also discuss the tactical,<br />
day-to-day, basics that salespeople need to master in order to succeed. Her approach is fast. It’s fun.<br />
And it works.<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 24th Annual International Convention & Trade Show MARCH 16-19, 2005 SPECIAL SECTION 65
SPECIAL CONVENTION SECTION<br />
Get Active<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>2005<br />
Healthy Aging & the Compression<br />
of Morbidity:<br />
The Ultimate Goal of Health Promotion<br />
In 1980, Dr. James Fries, of Stanford University, formulated a groundbreaking hypothesis—i.e.,<br />
Compression of Morbidity—that has since become one of the principal, theoretical building blocks of<br />
contemporary health-promotion and healthy-aging programs. Fries concludes that preventive factors,<br />
such as sound nutrition and regular exercise, have a greater impact on morbidity (disease incidence)<br />
than on mortality: that is, a healthy lifestyle is most effective in preventing chronic medical conditions.<br />
Fries will explore his work and findings with convention attendees. Fries is also active in The Health<br />
Project, a national public/private consortium created to promote healthy-lifestyle initiatives.<br />
Metabolic Biochemistry &<br />
Anti-Inflammatory Sports Medicine:<br />
The Athletes’ Unfair Advantage<br />
Olympic athletes, competitive sportsmen, weekend warriors—all may, by virtue of their exertions,<br />
subject themselves to the physical stress induced by the heavy production of free radicals. Intense<br />
exercise may generate such high levels that free radicals overwhelm the body’s natural antioxidant<br />
defenses, leading to chronic antioxidant insufficiency. Drs. Barry Sears, of Zone Labs, Inc., and<br />
Stephen Sinatra, of the New England Heart Center, will discuss the complex process of intracellular<br />
energy production (ATP), and suggest how nutritional supplements can be used to minimize the problem,<br />
while enhancing athletic performance.<br />
Talking Money<br />
“Americans are addicted to debt!” That’s the battle cry of Jean Chatzky, the financial editor of the<br />
Today Show, on NBC, and the author of Pay It Down: From Debt to Wealth on $10 a Day. Chatzky,<br />
who’s determined to help the nation’s debt junkies shake their habit, will offer a wealth of practical tips<br />
to help them put their financial house in order—from simply eliminating that expensive cup of morning<br />
coffee at Starbucks, to negotiating a lower credit-card interest rate. (For more information on Chatzky’s<br />
presentation and book, see December <strong>CBI</strong>, pg. 58.)<br />
FEATURED PRESENTERS<br />
All featured presentations will be offered on<br />
Friday, March 18, from 11 a.m. to noon.<br />
JAY SINGER<br />
ACCESS Dynamics LLC<br />
“Kill Darius!”<br />
Sponsored by the International Fitness<br />
Club Network (IFCN)<br />
HEATHER SHEA SCHULTZ<br />
Canaan Consulting Group<br />
Insight Selling<br />
DR. JAMES FRIES<br />
Stanford University<br />
Healthy Aging & the Compression<br />
of Morbidity: The Ultimate Goal of<br />
Health Promotion<br />
Presented by the American Journal of Health<br />
Promotion<br />
DR. BARRY SEARS<br />
Zone Labs, Inc.<br />
DR. STEPHEN T. SINATRA<br />
New England Heart Center<br />
Metabolic Biochemistry &<br />
Anti-Inflammatory Sports Medicine:<br />
The Athlete’s Unfair Advantage<br />
Sponsored by the Zone Cafe<br />
JEAN CHATZKY<br />
Today Show<br />
Talking Money<br />
66 SPECIAL SECTION MARCH 16-19, 2005 <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 24th Annual International Convention & Trade Show
Get Active<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>2005<br />
SPECIAL CONVENTION SECTION<br />
WHAT TO SEE AND DO<br />
NEWS ABOUT CRUISES<br />
In the past few issues of <strong>CBI</strong>, we’ve pointed you in the direction of some of San Francisco’s most tempting terrestrial attractions.<br />
This month, we’d like to point out that the setting for <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 2005 convention also has a great deal of aquatic appeal. No trip to<br />
the city is complete without a boat ride around the world-renowned San Francisco Bay! Among the most popular bay-watch<br />
providers are the following:<br />
BAY BREEZE CHARTERS<br />
This company’s fleet of sailboats offers you a unique perspective on Sausalito, historic Alcatraz Island, romantic sunsets<br />
beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, and San Francisco’s breathtaking waterfront (by day) and glittering skyline (by night).<br />
You’ll be invited to help hoist and trim the sails, and take your turn at the helm, for the full sailing experience, or to just sit<br />
back, relax, and enjoy the sights while their professional crew does the work.<br />
Phone: 800-849-9256 www.sailsfbay.com<br />
BLUE & GOLD FLEET<br />
Conveniently located on San Francisco’s historic waterfront at Pier 41 (adjacent to Pier 39), Blue and Gold is the Bay<br />
Area’s largest provider of ferry and water-excursion services, and the exclusive provider of tours to Alcatraz. The firm also<br />
offers a wide variety of cruises, including: spectacular outings on San Francisco Bay; ferries to Angel Island, Sausalito,<br />
Tiburon, Vallejo, and Alameda/Oakland; and tours of San Francisco, the Muir Woods, Monterey/Carmel, the Napa/Sonoma<br />
wine country, and Yosemite National Park.<br />
Phone: 415-773-1188 www.blueandgoldfleet.com<br />
FIVE STAR CHARTERS<br />
Five Stars offers both chartered and public cruises for brunch, lunch, casino gaming, and dinner/dancing. Depending on<br />
your boat’s route—determined, in part, by your captain’s attempt to ensure a smooth ride—you’ll be able to see many<br />
points of interest and types of wildlife.<br />
Phone: 707-538-8059 www.baydelta.com<br />
HORNBLOWER CRUISES<br />
From the decks of the Hornblower boats, you’ll be able to study the endless, interesting features of San Francisco’s skyline,<br />
including the landmark TransAmerica Pyramid, the Embarcadero Center’s four “fingers,” and Coit Tower on Telegraph<br />
Hill. You’ll also be able to sail beneath the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge and marvel at its festive lights at night.<br />
Phone: 888-467-6256 www.hornblower.com<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 24th Annual International Convention & Trade Show MARCH 16-19, 2005 SPECIAL SECTION 67
SPECIAL CONVENTION SECTION<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>’s <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 24th 24th Annual Annual<br />
International International Convention Convention<br />
& & Trade Trade Show Show<br />
March 16-19, 2005<br />
San Francisco, California<br />
Moscone Center South<br />
REGISTER NOW<br />
Website www.ihrsa.org/register<br />
Telephone 800-228-4772 (U.S., Canada)<br />
617-951-0055 (international)<br />
Fax 617-737-3323<br />
Mail <strong>IHRSA</strong> 2005<br />
263 Summer St., Boston, MA 02210<br />
PROGRAM UPDATES<br />
Website www.ihrsa.org/convention<br />
GENERAL INFO REQUESTS<br />
E-Mail meetings@ihrsa.org<br />
ACCOMMODATIONS<br />
Website www.ihrsa.org/hotel<br />
Telephone 617-316-6796 (inquiries only;<br />
voicemail messaging system)<br />
Fax 617-737-3323<br />
Mail <strong>IHRSA</strong> 2005<br />
263 Summer St., Boston, MA 02210<br />
VISITOR INFO REQUESTS<br />
Website www.sfcvb.org<br />
Telephone 415-391-2000<br />
Mail San Francisco Convention<br />
and Visitors Bureau<br />
2<strong>01</strong> Third St., San Francisco, CA 94103<br />
Get Active<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>2005<br />
Win a Free Convention Registration<br />
Through the end of this month, you have the opportunity to win a free four-day convention<br />
registration simply by participating in <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s monthly Convention Trivia Quiz! To play, log on<br />
to www.ihrsa.org/meetings, and submit your answer before March 1. The names of<br />
those who answer the question correctly will be entered in a random drawing. The winner<br />
will be notified by telephone, and their name and their company’s name will also be<br />
announced on <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s Website.<br />
NOTE: If you register early and then become the lucky winner of a free registration, you’ll<br />
receive your choice of a refund or a credit in the amount you paid.<br />
Question: Where did convention speaker and financial expert Jean Chatzky attend college?<br />
SAVE—NOW OR NEVER!<br />
February 15 is the final day you can take advantage of the special price<br />
break for <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 2005 International Convention and Trade Show. Act<br />
now, and you’ll save $55 on the cost of a full four-day registration. Delay<br />
until after the 15th, and you’ll pay the regular on-site registration fees.<br />
Don’t miss out on the chance to hear upscale presenters—e.g., General<br />
Tommy Franks, U.S. Army Ret., football legend Joe Theismann, wellness<br />
guru Dean Ornish, M.D., and financial expert Jean Chatzky—at a bargainbasement<br />
rate. Visit www.ihrsa.org/register to reserve your space today.<br />
Celebrity Watch: Heather Hawk<br />
Model, fitness expert, personal trainer, and<br />
radio and TV show hostess Heather Hawk<br />
will make a special guest appearance on<br />
behalf of SportsArt Fitness, which will launch<br />
its new X-Trainer total-body unit at the <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
trade show. As a young girl, Hawk aspired to<br />
be a dancer, but was denied the opportunity<br />
by spina bifida, which forced her off the<br />
stage and into therapy; there she learned<br />
about the importance of strengthening the<br />
muscles to support the spine and alleviate<br />
pain. Thereafter, Hawk headed to the gym,<br />
built a sound body, and developed a strong<br />
desire to help others achieve their own<br />
health and fitness goals. Today, Hawk hosts<br />
her own radio show and television’s Fit on Fox<br />
Heavenly Heather Hawk<br />
with Heather Hawk. Look for her in booth 1635.<br />
68 SPECIAL SECTION MARCH 16-19, 2005 <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 24th Annual International Convention & Trade Show
Is your Smith Machine<br />
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The Max Rack 3-D Smith Machine is<br />
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The future of weight lifting is here.<br />
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Is your Smith Machine<br />
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Are you tired of the dangerous ups and<br />
downs of an old-fashioned Smith Machine?<br />
The Max Rack® 3-D Machine allows lifters<br />
complete range of motion —<br />
Up, down, backward and forward!<br />
1 2 3<br />
Mitch Clark<br />
NCAA Wrestling<br />
Champion<br />
$ 1,000<br />
We’ll pay you for<br />
your old Smith<br />
Machine!<br />
The Max Rack 3-D Smith Machine is<br />
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The future of weight lifting is here.<br />
The Max Rack 3-D. Call us today or<br />
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Fitness Industry Technology February 2005<br />
Photo sponsored by Balazs
F<br />
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Fitness Industry Technology February 2005 continued<br />
The Group-Exercise HIGH<br />
The growing number, sophistication, and<br />
variety of GROUP-X OPTIONS continue to<br />
TURN EXERCISE FROWNS INTO WORKOUT SMILES<br />
iI ONCE observed a friend emerge from a group-exercise<br />
class that had been packed with people. His shirt was<br />
soaked, and his face was flushed, but he was smiling from<br />
ear to ear. I asked him why he chose the class over some<br />
other form of exercise. After a moment of reflection, he<br />
laughed and said, “Misery loves company, I guess.”<br />
I recall this conversation now because of its<br />
irony—the notion of being miserable and loving it—<br />
which is, in fact, one of the principal attractions of<br />
group exercise. People, as a rule, tend to avoid exercise,<br />
but in a group-x class, where everyone is moving<br />
in harmony, and the instructor is barking out<br />
cues to a pulsating beat, any discomfort is assuaged<br />
by something more profound.<br />
> “Group exercise… differentiates<br />
your club from the competition,<br />
attracts new members, and is<br />
effective in retaining current ones.”<br />
“It’s all about the experience,” explains Rich<br />
Boggs, the CEO of Body Training Systems (BTS),<br />
which markets a number of wildly successful groupx<br />
programs. “In a group environment, people are<br />
establishing relationships with fellow participants<br />
and bonding with the instructor. They’re all working<br />
toward the common goals of getting a good<br />
workout, having fun, and seeing results. There’s so<br />
much energy and excitement that concerns about<br />
age, physical appearance, or athletic ability simply<br />
don’t matter.”<br />
But not all classes are created equal, which is a<br />
matter of some concern for Boggs. “Participation<br />
72 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
has declined 50% in the past 10 years,” he notes. “If<br />
instructors don’t deliver a consistent, simple, and<br />
entertaining class that produces real results, attendance<br />
will drop, and your group-x program won’t<br />
reach its potential.”<br />
And the “potential” is definitely there. In the<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> publication, Why People Stay, Dr. Jim Annesi,<br />
Ph.D., and Patricia Amend report that 90% of people<br />
prefer to exercise in a group rather than going it<br />
alone. “Group exercise, when it’s offered in a consistent,<br />
professional manner,” adds Boggs, “differentiates<br />
your club from the competition, attracts new<br />
members, and is effective in retaining current ones.”<br />
Group-x has continued to evolve in response<br />
to shifting demographics and changing desires.<br />
Patricia Ryan, the vice president of educational<br />
development for the IDEA Health and Fitness Association,<br />
notes that, while classes used to focus on<br />
cardiovascular fitness, today, they’re also concerned<br />
with strength, balance, and core conditioning. “Ten<br />
years ago,” she recalls, “the studios were largely<br />
devoid of equipment. Now, you see steps, tubing,<br />
free weights, weighted bars, stability balls, ‘unstable’<br />
equipment, such as the BOSU trainer, plus rehab<br />
and alternative exercise equipment.” And there’s no<br />
end to the innovative new programs—from Bootcamp<br />
to Cardio Striptease.<br />
My old friend might not recognize group-x in<br />
2005, but he’d surely appreciate the one simple fact<br />
that remains unchanged: If these people are miserable—well,<br />
you certainly can’t tell by the smiles on<br />
their faces. <br />
STEVEN WALLENFELS is a contributing editor for<br />
<strong>CBI</strong> and can be reached at stevewall@charter.net.
F<br />
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GROUP EXERCISE<br />
BALAZS, INC.<br />
SEE F.I.T. OPENER ON PAGE 71<br />
Track System<br />
Fitness Industry Technology February 2005 continued<br />
Have your members been begging for<br />
a high-impact fitness experience? And<br />
have you, until now, claimed that space<br />
was the overriding obstacle? The Balazs<br />
Track System for Heavy Bags can transform<br />
any room into a boxing/kickboxing<br />
studio—and then back to its original<br />
state—in mere seconds. Custom-configured<br />
to meet the needs of individual<br />
clubs, the unique system is ideally suited<br />
for facilities that lack the space to<br />
create a dedicated boxing/kickboxing<br />
studio. It consists of a ceiling-mounted<br />
track, movable trolleys, and a centrally<br />
located switch that operates a brake in<br />
each trolley. The versatile track allows<br />
heavy bags to glide effortlessly from<br />
their storage space to the workout area,<br />
and back, bending around corners and<br />
extending into closets, if necessary.<br />
Combo Gloves and Target/Focus Mitts<br />
With a Balazs Track System for Heavy<br />
Bags in place, the next step is to provide<br />
the right gloves and mitts. Balazs’ leather<br />
boxing gloves are designed for optimum<br />
comfort, protection, and versatility. They<br />
include thick, shock-absorbing foam<br />
padding, a Velcro wrist strap, and a<br />
thumb strap, and can be used with target<br />
mitts, a heavy bag, or a sparring partner.<br />
Youth gloves are also available. The Target/Focus<br />
Mitts, which are made of topgrain<br />
leather or durable synthetic leather<br />
with dense foam padding, include hand<br />
slots and Velcro wrist straps. Boxing and<br />
martial arts coaches and group exercise<br />
instructors use the mitts to develop jabs,<br />
hooks, uppercuts, and kicks.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: $55 Combo Gloves;<br />
$47 Target/Focus Mitts<br />
Boxing Basics Program<br />
For an unbeatable instructional experience,<br />
the Balazs Boxing Basics program<br />
can be taken at regional ACE-approved<br />
classes held regionally or through home<br />
study using the company’s instructional<br />
DVD I-Box Fitness Boxing Fundamentals.<br />
The workshop and DVD both<br />
review basic punching and bag techniques,<br />
target mitt drills, and advanced<br />
combinations. Also included are basic<br />
and advanced workout and boxing conditioning<br />
techniques and teaching and<br />
coaching skills to motivate students.<br />
Workshop participants receive a manual,<br />
Combo Gloves, a Wrapplicator, and<br />
the I-Box video or DVD.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: $195 per person for<br />
3-hour workshop; $25 I-Box DVD<br />
BCUBE<br />
FITBOXE<br />
FITBOXE is an exciting new group<br />
activity that combines aerobics, martial<br />
arts, and self-defense training methods.<br />
This complete package includes the program,<br />
a FITBOXE Punch Bag, gloves,<br />
and wrist wraps. The punching bag features<br />
a red hitting surface, a dark gray<br />
base that can be anchored with sand or<br />
74 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
similar materials, and six, no-slip feet<br />
that prevent it from sliding on the floor<br />
when in use. The FITBOXE Punch Bag<br />
isn’t intended for use in full-fledged boxing<br />
or martial arts programs.<br />
BODY BAR SYSTEMS<br />
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 79<br />
Body Bar<br />
Add power and versatility to your group<br />
exercise classes, personal training sessions,<br />
and members’ individual workouts<br />
with the Body Bar, a weighted fitness bar<br />
made of solid steel encased in easy-grip,<br />
durable rubber. The 4' Classic Bar comes<br />
in increments of 4, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 24<br />
pounds; the Mini–Bar is 2' and comes in<br />
2, 4, and 6 pounds. Body Bar-Light is 3'<br />
and is available in 3, 6, and 9 pounds;<br />
and the 5' and 6' Heavy Personal Training<br />
Bars come in 30 and 36 pounds. The<br />
“Master Your Body” program is committed<br />
to enhancing professional education<br />
and creative programming through innovative<br />
use of the Body Bar, and, to that<br />
end, the company offers workshops,<br />
master classes, club programs and an<br />
ongoing series of videos/DVDs.<br />
BODYBLADE<br />
Bodyblade Workshops<br />
Through Bodyblade, you can become a<br />
fitness training leader. If your facility<br />
registers to host a Bodyblade workshop,<br />
you will receive marketing materials, a<br />
free mini master class for members, a<br />
25% discount on Bodyblade Club Packs,<br />
and you will be provided with a Bodyblade<br />
master trainer to lead the event.
F<br />
I<br />
T<br />
EXTRA<br />
Since 1992, Bodyblade has presented<br />
fitness training workshops throughout<br />
the world, and it currently offers three<br />
courses: Driver’s Education, the threehour<br />
mandatory beginning program;<br />
Personal Training, a one-hour session<br />
highlighting one-on-one workouts; and<br />
MindBodyblade, a one-hour yoga and<br />
Pilates-based routine. Bodyblade also<br />
handles all administrative duties associated<br />
with the workshops, including registration<br />
and payment processing, and<br />
promotes the event on the company’s<br />
Website. Participants receive a Bodyblade<br />
CXT unit, a Bodyblade handout,<br />
and continuing education credits from<br />
ACE and AFAA.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: $99 per person<br />
BODYTRAININGSYSTEMS<br />
bodytrainingsystems<br />
Body Training Systems (BTS) currently<br />
offers five group-fitness programs—<br />
BodyPUMP, BodyCOMBAT, BodySTEP,<br />
BodyFLOW, and RPM—that have<br />
enabled more than 8,000 health clubs<br />
worldwide to increase member participation,<br />
enhancing their bottom line.<br />
The company offers high-quality programming,<br />
training, and management<br />
and marketing tools so licensees can<br />
refine their business processes and<br />
increase profitability.<br />
CLUBRAMP.COM<br />
Fitness Industry Technology February 2005 continued<br />
Incline Walking on The Ramp<br />
ClubRamp.com has introduced Incline<br />
Walking on The Ramp, a new groupexercise<br />
program that targets the decon-<br />
ditioned and other relatively inactive<br />
populations, such as walkers, the readyto-be-fit,<br />
and aging exercisers. Developed<br />
by Gin Miller, the legendary fitness<br />
pioneer and creator of step aerobics,<br />
Incline Walking on the Ramp is the first<br />
group-walking program for the aerobics<br />
studio. It consists of a simple series of<br />
linear, low-impact walking movements<br />
that burn calories and fat as fast as a<br />
4-mph treadmill workout. The 30-minute<br />
sessions simulate walking up a hill,<br />
causing exercisers to feel their heart<br />
rates increase and their glutes and<br />
thighs burn. An Introduction to Incline<br />
Walking video is available upon request.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: $89.95 for the Ramp<br />
with volume discount, plus S&H<br />
CONCEPT2, INC.<br />
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 91<br />
Group Rowing<br />
Group Rowing is a 30-60-minute<br />
group-training program that effectively<br />
exercises all of the major muscle<br />
groups. This instructor-led, impact-free<br />
class makes use of the Concept2 Indoor<br />
Rower, with participants engaging in<br />
synchronous rowing. The routine<br />
includes a warm-up and cool-down,<br />
and provides both aerobic and anaerobic<br />
conditioning. Instructor certification<br />
is offered through the Concept2 Indoor<br />
Rowing Institute.<br />
COREPOLE, INC.<br />
Corepole<br />
The Corepole offers a fresh, functional,<br />
and safe twist on traditional resistance<br />
exercises for group-fitness classes, personal<br />
training, physical therapy, and<br />
youth and senior programs. The 6'10"<br />
standalone pole has seven different<br />
anchor points that connect to rubber<br />
resistance tubing. Each point can move<br />
a full 360 degrees, providing optimal<br />
variety and functionality for exercises<br />
such as squats, chest presses, lat pulldowns,<br />
and shoulder presses. Up to<br />
12 participants can take part simultaneously,<br />
and exercisers can adjust the<br />
height of their individual tubes to<br />
facilitate different movements. The<br />
resistance tubing, which comes in<br />
three levels of difficulty, is covered<br />
with a safety sleeve to provide protection<br />
in the case of breakage.<br />
EFI SPORTS MEDICINE<br />
GRAVITYSystem<br />
GRAVITYSystem has devised a single<br />
machine that can accommodate all four<br />
of its programming disciplines—group<br />
strength training, personal training,<br />
Pilates, and post-rehab—while effectively<br />
expanding your club’s program variety<br />
and generating additional revenue.<br />
It’s a gravity-training device called the<br />
GTS machine, and it facilitates efficient,<br />
functional, full-body workouts in a minimal<br />
amount of space. The GTS employs<br />
an individual’s body weight to generate<br />
resistance, utilizing a cable-and-pulley<br />
system and a free-motion glide board;<br />
the unit provides eight levels of resistance<br />
and facilitates more than 250<br />
strength-training, stretching, and Pilates<br />
exercises. Personal trainers receive the<br />
Complete GTS Library that details more<br />
than 100 exercises and progressions as<br />
well as information on variation, tempos,<br />
and programs designed to meet<br />
specific client goals.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: $2,695 plus shipping<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 75<br />
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FITTER INTERNATIONAL, INC.<br />
DuraBall PRO<br />
Advanced strength trainers need an<br />
exercise ball that can withstand excessive<br />
amounts of pressure, weight and<br />
wear, and that’s why the DuraBall PRO<br />
exercise ball was created. It is burstrated<br />
to 1,000 pounds and load-rated<br />
to 2,200 pounds, and boasts excellent<br />
firmness, consistency, and durability.<br />
The DuraBall PRO encourages an “s”<br />
shape in the lower back, both to center<br />
body mass over the ball and to provide<br />
a stable pelvis on which to balance the<br />
body.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: From $39.95<br />
Wobble Boards<br />
Incorporating the patented tri-level<br />
Wobble Boards into your fitness program<br />
will help your members gain confidence<br />
and build agility as they tackle<br />
dynamic movements, increasing their<br />
range of motion (R.O.M) and proprioceptive<br />
awareness. These boards effectively<br />
prevent injury, expedite rehabilitation,<br />
and improve overall performance<br />
in sports and daily living. They are suitable<br />
for use in clubs, clinics, homes, and<br />
offices and come in beginner, intermediate,<br />
and advanced levels, each accompanied<br />
by a stand.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: From $59.95<br />
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Fitness Industry Technology February 2005 continued<br />
FREEMOTION FITNESS<br />
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 28<br />
Group and Personal Training<br />
Based on the company’s philosophy of<br />
functional integrated training, FreeMotion<br />
Group and Personal Training gives<br />
health clubs an opportunity to drive<br />
revenues, while providing members<br />
with valuable variety. Each educational<br />
program makes use of the versatile<br />
FreeMotion Cable Column to facilitate a<br />
number of exercises. The Group program<br />
is a classic group-exercise application<br />
that accommodates any class<br />
size, while the Personal Training format<br />
is designed for a smaller number of<br />
participants. Licensed facilities receive<br />
onsite training that covers each program’s<br />
format, techniques to meet the<br />
needs of a diverse population, and tips<br />
on implementation.<br />
Reebok Professional<br />
Studio Products<br />
FreeMotion Fitness has teamed up with<br />
Reebok International and Reebok University<br />
to offer a comprehensive selection of<br />
studio products, including balance balls,<br />
medicine balls, hand weights, and resistance<br />
tubes. FreeMotion also distributes<br />
the Reebok Core Board, Reebok Step,<br />
and the Rep Reebok, which includes a<br />
steel tube barbell, a set of rubber-coated<br />
plates, and spring-locking collars. The<br />
newest addition is the Reebok Deck, an<br />
innovative exercise platform that offers<br />
dynamic, total-body workout options<br />
for personal trainers and group-exercise<br />
instructors. All Reebok Professional<br />
Studio products have been tested for<br />
functionality and durability by Master<br />
Trainers from Reebok University, a<br />
research institute.<br />
76 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
GLIDING<br />
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 10<br />
Gliding<br />
Gliding, a new approach to group exercise<br />
that makes use of a sliding-disk<br />
exercise system to facilitate smooth,<br />
fluid, graceful movements, was created<br />
by Mindy Mylrea, an IDEA Fitness<br />
Instructor of the Year and World Aerobics<br />
Champion. “The specially designed<br />
disks help users achieve optimal range<br />
of motion more easily and consistently<br />
with many exercises, including cardio<br />
and strength,” Mylrea explains. “Gliding<br />
adds a smooth touch to the tough stuff.”<br />
Gliding is extremely versatile, and can<br />
be structured as a standalone class or<br />
incorporated into existing formats, such<br />
as step, hi-low, circuit, yoga, Pilates, and<br />
balance training. The program is supported<br />
by an accomplished group of<br />
Master Trainers, including Lawrence<br />
Biscontini, Maureen Hagan, Gay Gasper,<br />
Rob Glick, Marcos Prolo, Sherri McMillan,<br />
Jeff Howard, and Keli Roberts.<br />
Manufacturer’s retail price: club starter<br />
package (25 units), $199<br />
IM=X PILATES<br />
Pilates Body Bars<br />
Create more flexible workout options for<br />
your members with Pilates Body Bars.<br />
The three-, six-, or nine-pound bars can<br />
be introduced to tone the arms, back, and<br />
abs and add variety to group workouts.<br />
The 4' bars, when used in combination<br />
with the IM=X Ring, increase difficulty<br />
and build muscle strength. Using the
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PilatesBody Bar with any of the IM=X<br />
Floor Videos will enhance workouts and<br />
help deliver results.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: $25<br />
Fitness Industry Technology February 2005 continued<br />
Intensive Certification<br />
Through the six-day Intensive Certification<br />
program, fitness instructors and<br />
personal trainers will obtain all of the<br />
knowledge necessary to teach the IM=X<br />
Pilates Floorwork and Xercizer<br />
(reformer) programs in a group exercise<br />
and/or personal training setting.<br />
IM=X is known for its direct approach<br />
to teaching stabilization, and its athletic<br />
approach to Pilates-style exercise. The<br />
certification is approved for continuing<br />
education credits by ACE, (1.5), AFAA<br />
(14.7), and ISSA.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: $1,595<br />
Pilates Rings<br />
In teaching group IM=X Pilates floor<br />
programs, the IM=X Ring is an essential<br />
tool because it helps to quickly<br />
enhance pelvic stability and core muscle<br />
recruitment patterns. The Ring is<br />
an important device in achieving spine<br />
stabilization, and it also allows exercisers<br />
to add resistance to abdominal, hip,<br />
thigh, chest, and back exercises. The<br />
lightweight, one-pound ring has a 15"<br />
diameter and cushioned handles for a<br />
comfortable, easy grip.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: $29.95 each; 10 or<br />
more: $24.95 each; bulk discounts are available<br />
IRON GRIP BARBELL<br />
COMPANY<br />
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 7<br />
Group Strength<br />
Strength trainers will gladly gather<br />
’round the Group Strength equipment<br />
system, which offers versatility, unique<br />
safety features, and easy handling.<br />
Group Strength’s most unique feature is<br />
its set of rubber-encased weight plates<br />
with two integrated handgrips, designed<br />
to facilitate quick and safe transitions<br />
between exercises. The handgrips also<br />
allow the plates to be utilized for exercises<br />
that normally require a dumbbell.<br />
For added versatility—and weight—<br />
each set includes a lightweight, straight<br />
chromed bar that can hold up to 100<br />
pounds and commercial-grade collars.<br />
The heavy-duty, welded Group Strength<br />
storage rack can be easily locked to<br />
keep the equipment secure. Group<br />
Strength equipment is designed to<br />
complement a variety of group strengthtraining<br />
programs, including existing<br />
classes, and is endorsed by Body Training<br />
Systems, the creators of BODYPUMP.<br />
KEISER CORPORATION<br />
Keiser Performance and Kic-It<br />
For cycling instructors who want to go<br />
the extra mile, Keiser offers two different<br />
types of certification programs for indoor<br />
group cycling. Keiser Performance<br />
Cycling is a one-day introductory course<br />
designed to teach instructors the basics of<br />
setting up and leading an energetic, effective<br />
class using proper cycling techniques.<br />
Kic-It is a comprehensive, two-day course<br />
that allows for more instruction and indepth<br />
knowledge of proper cycling techniques<br />
as well as other skills that will<br />
allow instructors to produce diverse,<br />
high-quality cycling class formats.<br />
KETTLEBELL CONCEPTS<br />
Continuing Education Courses<br />
Kettlebell Concepts (KBC) can augment<br />
your club’s offerings and revenues with a<br />
complete, turn-key fitness program that<br />
can be added to your group fitness and<br />
personal training options. The program<br />
involves training with Kettlebells, a oneof-a-kind<br />
exercise tool with a U-shaped<br />
handle that helps to increase members’<br />
strength, flexibility, coordination, speed<br />
and endurance. To implement the program<br />
in your club, KBC offers three<br />
continuing education courses for fitness<br />
professionals: Kettlebells for General Performance<br />
and Health (Levels 1-3), Kettlebells<br />
for the Creative Mover (Levels 1-3),<br />
and the Kettlebell Group Fitness Program.<br />
Stacey Lei Krauss and Shannon<br />
Griffith lead the Group Fitness Program,<br />
and the company has trained more than<br />
400 fitness professionals to date.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: Group Fitness<br />
Program: $199; Kettlebells for General<br />
Performance and Health: $399 for each level;<br />
Kettlebells for the Creative Mover: $399 for<br />
each level<br />
LIFE FITNESS<br />
SEE OUR AD ON THE BACK COVER<br />
LeMond RevMaster Group<br />
Cycling Programs<br />
The LeMond Academy offers three different<br />
group exercise workshops for<br />
health and fitness instructors. Its introductory<br />
LeMond RevMaster Cycling<br />
Training course is intended for begin-<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 77<br />
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ners, and covers the fundamentals of<br />
stationary cycling and designing an<br />
effective and safe, indoor group exercise<br />
program. The LeMond RevMaster<br />
Advanced Training class, as its name<br />
implies, is designed for seasoned<br />
instructors, and focuses on heart-ratezone<br />
training, and how to effectively<br />
apply participants’ goals and intensity<br />
levels. The third workshop, called Bike<br />
Fit for Indoor Cycling, teaches instructors<br />
how to properly adjust the position<br />
of the bike to best fit the rider, concentrating<br />
on alignment physiology and the<br />
foot-pedal interface.<br />
MAD DOGG ATHLETICS, INC.<br />
Spinning<br />
The Spinning program is the original<br />
indoor cycling program, and combines<br />
coaching, music, mind/body philosophy,<br />
and heart-rate training in energizing,<br />
cycling-inspired rides designed for individuals<br />
of all abilities. First offered in<br />
the commercial market in 1994, the<br />
Spinning program is now taught by<br />
more than 100,000 certified instructors<br />
in thousands of facilities in 80 countries<br />
worldwide. Mad Dogg Athletics develops<br />
and markets the Spinning program,<br />
Spinning Instructor training and continuing<br />
education programs, and the<br />
patented Spinner bike, which is manufactured<br />
by Star Trac. It also operates<br />
SPIN, a member-based program that<br />
offers discounts on gear, apparel, bikes,<br />
and education resources.<br />
MYGYM FITNESS SYSTEM<br />
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 87<br />
NEW<br />
MyGym<br />
MyGym Fitness System will launch a<br />
new product next month, during<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 24th annual International Con-<br />
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Fitness Industry Technology February 2005 continued<br />
vention and Trade Show, that promises<br />
to deliver a revolutionary total-body,<br />
group-exercise workout. MyGym’s<br />
unique design allows users to train the<br />
entire body anaerobically, while, at the<br />
same time, maximizing aerobic benefits.<br />
The company has also devised a<br />
new class format, BodyWave, that’s<br />
guaranteed to add energy and excitement<br />
to group-fitness classes. Participants<br />
train the core body parts in<br />
“waves” of exercises that work the<br />
entire body a number of times to<br />
achieve maximum shaping, toning, and<br />
fat-loss results.<br />
NAUTILUS HEALTH AND<br />
FITNESS GROUP<br />
SEE OUR AD ON THE INSIDE FRONT COVER<br />
Schwinn Cycling<br />
For indoor cycling instructors who want<br />
to get up to speed on the latest protocols,<br />
Schwinn Indoor Cycling offers two<br />
training programs and a multitude of<br />
continuing education workshops. The<br />
12-hour Comprehensive Training Program<br />
is a one-and-a-half-day course<br />
designed for instructors who have no<br />
prior experience with Indoor Cycling.<br />
The eight-hour Integration System is a<br />
one-day training program for instructors<br />
who have already taken another<br />
cycling training course or have been<br />
active in cycling. Both programs teach<br />
individuals how to run an effective,<br />
results-oriented class that focuses on<br />
biomechanics, heart-rate training, and<br />
cadence control.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: $270/person (12hour<br />
training); $200/person (8-hour training)<br />
78 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
POWER PLATE<br />
Power Plate<br />
The Power Plate represents both a powerful<br />
workout tool and a revenue-generator.<br />
Its advanced vibration technology<br />
uses the body’s innate response to disruptions<br />
in gravity or stability to build muscle,<br />
bone strength and range of motion.<br />
Individuals stand on the platform, and the<br />
vibrations between 30-50 times per second<br />
trigger a neural reflexive response<br />
that increases blood flow to muscles to<br />
reduce muscle, tendon, and joint pain.<br />
The Power Plate requires the supervision<br />
of personal trainers and warrants unique<br />
training session fees for personal and<br />
group training settings. Also, because<br />
advanced vibration technology has maximum<br />
session lengths of only 15-20 minutes,<br />
it allows clubs to significantly<br />
increase the number of daily group training<br />
sessions. This unique modality is beneficial<br />
because it can attract anyone reluctant<br />
to try conventional, dynamic physical<br />
activity as well.<br />
POWER SYSTEMS<br />
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 1<strong>01</strong><br />
Kettlebells, CardioBells<br />
More than 100 years ago, powerlifters<br />
and members of the Red Army in<br />
Russia were using kettlebells to<br />
obtain challenging cardiovascular and<br />
strength workouts, and now, thanks to<br />
Power Systems, health club members<br />
in the U.S. can do the same. These<br />
unique weights can be utilized in<br />
swings, lifts, and clean-and-jerks to<br />
develop strength, power, endurance,<br />
and dynamic flexibility. The kettlebells<br />
come in weights ranging from 20 to 50<br />
pounds. The vinyl-coated premium line<br />
is available in 20-, 25-, and 30-pound<br />
denominations; and the vinyl-coated<br />
CardioBells are color-coded and weigh<br />
in at 15, 20, and 25 pounds. An<br />
instructional DVD is provided.
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The PowerCut system is a two-in-one,<br />
full-body cardio and resistance training<br />
program that works each major muscle<br />
group while increasing the heart rate.<br />
It employs the PowerCut weight set,<br />
which consists of one standard 48"<br />
steel bar with a PVC-coated grip,<br />
two 10-pound, two 5-pound, and two<br />
2.5-pound virgin rubber-coated weight<br />
plates, and one pair of spring collars.<br />
The optional PowerCut training video<br />
includes choreography, instruction<br />
on proper stance and technique, and<br />
programming for group fitness and<br />
home use.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: $49.95 (barbell set<br />
and video); $39.95 (barbell set only)<br />
Protect Your Floor and Your Equipment<br />
We’re Your “Department Store”<br />
for Genuine Rubber Mats and Flooring<br />
Large, One-Piece<br />
PowerPads<br />
Widths: 4' to 6'<br />
Lengths: 6' to 16'<br />
BUDGET<br />
PRICED!<br />
48" x 72"<br />
Gymatts<br />
in 4 Colors<br />
one simple bar…<br />
one simple solution…<br />
We’ll show you how.<br />
The Original Body Bar and<br />
Body Bar Club Programs.<br />
Not just a piece of equipment, but a<br />
source of education & new programming<br />
for every instructor and personal trainer.<br />
800.500.2030 • www.bodybars.com<br />
Mention <strong>CBI</strong> & receive a FREE video with your next Body Bar order.<br />
Linear Rubber Products<br />
Top Mat II<br />
48" x 48"<br />
Square or<br />
Interlocking Tiles<br />
Solid or Confetti<br />
Color Flecks<br />
Factory Direct Prices! - - Low Nationwide Freight Rates!<br />
1-800-558-4040 rubbermats.com<br />
Shaping America’s Future<br />
• Non-intimidating, Safe, Fun<br />
• Introduce Kids into a Healthy Lifestyle<br />
• Increase Family Memberships<br />
• New Profit Center<br />
• Improve Member Retention<br />
Kids PE is Ideal for Health Clubs, YMCA’s,<br />
Schools, Community/ Recreation Centers,<br />
Youth Teams, Church Groups, Etc.<br />
For More Information on<br />
Kid’s PE or our adult PACE<br />
Ciruit Training Program,<br />
call 888-604-2244 or visit<br />
www.kidspaceexpress.com or<br />
www.pacegroupexercise.com.
Incredibly durable pump tops - replace less often<br />
New THEFT AND TAMPER RESISTANT dispensers<br />
Easy to refill 32 oz. bottles - stock or custom logo<br />
Silkscreened dispensers, unlike paper labels<br />
which peel and fade, look new for years<br />
FREE shipping on orders over $495.00<br />
To request our FREE catalog<br />
with over 1700 items call:<br />
800-477-4283<br />
www.readycare.com
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VersaBar<br />
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This versatile solid steel fitness bar<br />
is ideal for core strength, functional<br />
training, and cardio workouts, as well<br />
as many other group and individual<br />
exercises. The VersaBar is covered with<br />
a durable rubberized coating that minimizes<br />
tears, rips, cuts, or other damage,<br />
and each unit has a color-coded end cap<br />
to identify its weight. Bars range from 1'<br />
to 6' and from two pounds to 36 pounds.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: $9.95 to $59.95<br />
PRO FIT<br />
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 79<br />
Fitness Industry Technology February 2005 continued<br />
Pro Fit’s PACE circuit-training equipment<br />
is a safe—and fail-safe—way to<br />
boost both member recruitment and<br />
retention. For adults interested in a<br />
quick, effective, never-boring workout,<br />
the PACE Hydraulic Circuit, a patented<br />
30-minute training program, features<br />
hydraulic-resistance machines to<br />
accommodate all fitness levels. For<br />
children, Pro Fit offers the Kid’s PACE<br />
Express (PE), a series of hydraulicresistance<br />
single stations that are completely<br />
safe for participants ages 7-11.<br />
In each case, the machines can be<br />
arranged in a circuit and supplemented<br />
with accessories, such as aerobic steps<br />
and jump ropes, to create fun and nonintimidating<br />
strength and cardiovascular<br />
workouts. A marketing package,<br />
NESTA certification, and accessories<br />
are included with both PACE circuits.<br />
SCIFIT<br />
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 12<br />
Fit-Quik<br />
Scifit’s Fit-Quik is a fun, fast-paced<br />
strength training and cardiovascular<br />
workout that requires as little as 30 minutes.<br />
The classes make use of six pieces<br />
of SCIFIT equipment that are comfortable<br />
and easy to use, and are led by a<br />
Fit-Quik coach, who provides motivation<br />
and instruction. Small class sizes provide<br />
a high level of personal attention. Fit-<br />
Quik is a perfect workout for people who<br />
know they should exercise, but don’t<br />
have much time to do so. SCIFIT’s Fit-<br />
Key system makes class flow seamless<br />
and provides motivating documentation.<br />
SPORTSMITH<br />
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 54<br />
Group Exercise Products<br />
SPORTSMITH catalogs offer an extensive<br />
selection of quality indoor group cycling<br />
parts and the most popular group personal<br />
training products. Replacement<br />
parts, service tools, manuals, and accessories<br />
are available for a variety of indoor<br />
cycling brands, including LeMond,<br />
Reebok, RevMaster, Schwinn and Star<br />
Trac. Group exercise and personal training<br />
products include the original STEP,<br />
aerobic training mats, yoga mats and<br />
props, BOSU Balance Trainer, Body Bar,<br />
and an assortment of accessories. A<br />
range of strength-training products, cable<br />
attachment bars, and accessories are<br />
available as well. Also, the company<br />
offers a comprehensive selection of<br />
treadmill parts, belts, and decks, which<br />
meet or exceed OEM specifications.<br />
All parts include the full SPORTSMITH<br />
warranty and best price guarantee.<br />
SPRINT AQUATICS<br />
Aqualogix Hand Grips<br />
The Aqualogix hand bells are an excellent<br />
training tool to help develop the upper<br />
body in aquatic training, and are applicable<br />
for overall strength development,<br />
sport-specific training, or rehabilitation.<br />
Because the hand bells create resistance<br />
in almost every direction, whether pushing<br />
or pulling, they challenge exercisers to<br />
reach their physical limits. The lightweight<br />
dumbbells are made of durable,<br />
long-lasting, high-impact plastic.<br />
Manufacturer’s list price: $59.99<br />
STAGESTEP, INC.<br />
Plyorobics<br />
This innovative blend of plyometrics and<br />
aerobics is intended to safely and effectively<br />
build endurance, speed, balance,<br />
agility, and explosive power. The challenging,<br />
uncomplicated choreography<br />
alternates periods of modified plyometric<br />
moves with active rest and recovery stations<br />
to create a class that is “hard, yet<br />
easy,” and always fun. The workout is<br />
performed on the AerSquare, a shockabsorbent,<br />
anti-fatigue mat with a surface<br />
specially designed for running, turning,<br />
sliding, and jumping. The unit features a<br />
unique, three-layered design and dimensions<br />
of 42" x 42". Other programs<br />
developed for the AerSquare include<br />
PlyoKick (kickboxing) and PlyoSport<br />
(sports interval training).<br />
Manufacturer’s list price:<br />
$79.95 (AerSquare), $19.99 (Plyorobics video)<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 81<br />
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An open letter to everyone in the fitness business<br />
What’s the power of a new idea worth to you?<br />
To paraphrase an old classic, we are in the worst of times and the best of times in the fitness business. Getting<br />
new memberships is harder, new clubs are opening faster than new members are joining, staffing is a nightmare<br />
on even the good days, and the chains seem to be on a mad track to do as much damage as they can to the<br />
fitness business in general and to the independent operator.<br />
We are also at one of the great turning points in the history of the fitness business. The pendulum is swinging<br />
in our direction as the consumer finally is getting what the fitness industry can offer. Just like the turning point<br />
for smoking a few years back, the consumer is seeing that fitness is real, needed and articles talking about<br />
everything from low carbs to Pilates are in every magazine and newspaper in the country.<br />
Before we can reap the benefits from a more aware and sophisticated consumer the industry itself has to<br />
change. In the next few years in the fitness business there will be a correction. Some clubs will thrive during<br />
these changing times and others will fail unable to compete or take advantage of the newer markets.<br />
What will separate those that make it from those that don’t could be as simple as a few new ideas for your<br />
business. A single but powerful idea, such as a new way to market, more efficient sales, a key staffing tip or<br />
simply a different way to niche your business, could be what separates you from the clubs that will struggle.<br />
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The power to make money in the fitness business
The <strong>IHRSA</strong> Report<br />
INSIDE<br />
85 Letter from<br />
the President<br />
86 In Brief<br />
88 Inside <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
90 Club Advisor:<br />
Photo phones<br />
92 What’s New<br />
95 News From<br />
Associates<br />
99 New <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
Associates<br />
102 New <strong>IHRSA</strong> Clubs<br />
106 Calendar of Events<br />
112 Memo from McCarthy
“The program has taken the stress off of me as Director of<br />
Operations to do training consistently.”<br />
Jim McQuagge<br />
American Family Fitness Center<br />
“I love the training. It’s a great use of our time. The training<br />
works and is very easy to use for any club.”<br />
Linda Hansen<br />
Walnut Creek Sports & Fitness Club<br />
“It’s hard to measure convenience and quality of these training<br />
modules because nothing compares to this program.”<br />
Jeff Houghtaling<br />
Club Sport<br />
“It’s simply amazing! It’s extremely helpful on bringing new<br />
staff members up to speed on specific staff skills.”<br />
Mike Mazzei<br />
Paramount Fitness Center<br />
“The <strong>IHRSA</strong> Sales System is very organized...The representatives<br />
at Summit Learning Systems are diligent in their follow-up and<br />
always more than helpful.”<br />
Karen Hollingsworth<br />
PRO Sports Club
The Association of Successful Clubs<br />
The International Health, Racquet &<br />
Sportsclub Association is a not-for-profit<br />
trade association open to investor-owned and<br />
member-owned fitness, racquet and athletic<br />
facilities. Associate memberships are available<br />
to manufacturers or suppliers of products<br />
and services of use to <strong>IHRSA</strong> members.<br />
The mission of <strong>IHRSA</strong> is to grow,<br />
protect, and promote the industry, and<br />
to provide its members with benefits that<br />
will help them be more successful.<br />
800-228-4772 USA & Canada<br />
617-951-0055 International<br />
617-951-0056 FAX<br />
www.ihrsa.org<br />
www.healthclubs.com<br />
E-mail: info@ihrsa.org<br />
Executive Director: John McCarthy<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> BOARD OF DIRECTORS<br />
Julie Main: President<br />
Santa Barbara Athletic Club<br />
805-966-6147<br />
Carol Nalevanko: DMB Sports Clubs<br />
480-609-6979<br />
Mark Smith: Town Sports International<br />
212-246-6700<br />
David Giampaolo: 24 Hour Fitness Europe<br />
VCR/PiCapital<br />
(44) 020 7514 8920<br />
Joe Moore: Fitworks<br />
937-435-0072<br />
Greg Lappin: Rochester Athletic Club<br />
507-282-6000<br />
Michael Levy: Casaral Inc.<br />
416-961-5556, ext. 242<br />
Ed McCall: Brentwood Associates<br />
310-477-6611<br />
Debra Siena: TCA<br />
773-463-1234, ext. 249<br />
Cy Oskoui<br />
Columbia Athletic Clubs<br />
425-814-5300<br />
Tony de Leede: Fitness First Australia<br />
(61) 2-9387-5266<br />
Lloyd Gainsboro: Dedham Health & Athletic Complex<br />
781-326-2900<br />
Mike Motta: Plus One Fitness<br />
646-312-6200<br />
Ed Williams: The Wellbridge Company<br />
303-866-0800<br />
Tom Behan: Ex-officio The Alaska Clubs<br />
425-830-1507<br />
INTERNATIONAL AMBASSADORS<br />
Asia-Pacific Ambassador<br />
Michael Lamb<br />
Fitness First - Asia<br />
Malaysia<br />
603-2093 7980<br />
Latin American Ambassador<br />
Carlos Heitor Bergallo<br />
Fisilabor<br />
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil<br />
(55)21-539-0448<br />
Letter from<br />
the President<br />
Out of Line?<br />
Out of the Game!<br />
Sports figure prominently in <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s name and<br />
in most of its member clubs. Our facilities offer<br />
basketball, racquetball, squash, tennis—sports<br />
activities and competitions of every sort—and, to their<br />
credit, 99.9% of the time, they do so in a safe, sane,<br />
responsible, and rewarding way.<br />
I’d like to think that, in that regard, we can serve<br />
as a positive role model both for sports enthusiasts<br />
and athletes in the world at large, who, it seems,<br />
have forgotten what the “game” is all about.<br />
Most Americans are sports fans. And whether it’s<br />
the local kids’ soccer team or the U.S. Olympic<br />
teams, we love to cheer on our favorite, root for<br />
the underdog, and, particularly in the case of our<br />
children, celebrate all of the good that sports afford.<br />
Why is it that, increasingly, fans and players let<br />
their enthusiasm, excitement, and loyalty—their<br />
emotional investment in the contest—get out of<br />
hand? Why do they feel entitled to let their passion<br />
take the form of despicable, violent, behavior?<br />
What transpires, daily, in our clubs provides an<br />
appropriate model, but there are plenty of fine examples to be found elsewhere. Last<br />
year’s summer Olympics were an excellent illustration of an appreciative response,<br />
on the part of spectators, and real sportsmanship, on the part of competitors. And,<br />
last fall, when the Boston Red Sox triumphed over the St. Louis Cardinals, winning<br />
the World Series, the fans in both cities were remarkably well behaved.<br />
As a result, Boston’s “Cinderella story” seemed a victory for all those who love baseball.<br />
However, by way of unfortunate contrast, we have soccer moms screaming at<br />
referees, hockey dads attacking (and, in at least one case, killing) coaches, and riots<br />
in the streets following losses by hometown teams. Most recently, we’ve been treated<br />
to the disturbing spectacle of fans and athletes brawling, uncontrollably, with one<br />
another during a basketball game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons.<br />
The situation turned violent, innocent bystanders were injured, and everyone who<br />
loves basketball—lost.<br />
Let’s demand that sports be accorded the respect that they deserve—from those<br />
who participate in them, those who oversee them, those who profit, otherwise, from<br />
them, and those who enjoy them. Any participant who can’t abide by this simple,<br />
fundamental, rule should be ejected, summarily, from the game.<br />
Something more than a score is at stake. It’s something called human decency.<br />
Yours in health,<br />
Julie Main<br />
General Manager<br />
Santa Barbara Athletic Club<br />
juliem@sbathleticclub.com<br />
Let’s demand that sports be<br />
accorded the respect they deserve.<br />
Julie Main<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> President<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 85<br />
Photography: Tracy Powell
In Brief<br />
> Mary Matalin, former assistant<br />
to President George W.<br />
Bush and counselor to Vice<br />
President Dick Cheney, will<br />
discuss “Politics, the Presidency,<br />
and the Press,” during<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>’s third annual Legislative<br />
Summit, which will be<br />
held May 18-20 at the JW<br />
Marriott Hotel in Washington,<br />
D.C. Matalin, who will speak<br />
on May 19, is also the former<br />
cohost of the political talk<br />
shows, Crossfire and Equal<br />
Time, and the wife of Democratic<br />
strategist James Carville.<br />
Known worldwide for her<br />
humor and straightforward<br />
take on the day’s hottest political<br />
topics, Matalin will offer<br />
Summit attendees an exclusive,<br />
authoritative glimpse<br />
inside the world of politics.<br />
The Legislative Summit<br />
will also feature briefings on<br />
key industry issues; meetings<br />
with influential Capitol Hill<br />
policymakers; educational<br />
sessions on how to effectively<br />
meet and communicate with<br />
lawmakers; tips on influenc-<br />
86 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
Legal and Legislative Update<br />
Plan Now to Attend <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s Annual Legislative Summit<br />
GOP pro Mary Matalin<br />
Things to See & Do in D.C.<br />
Washington, D.C., is one of the world’s most important,<br />
historically rich, and culturally rewarding cities. While<br />
visiting it for <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s third annual Legislative Summit<br />
in May, you might also want to check out:<br />
Arlington National Cemetery<br />
Join the more than 4 million visitors who will tour this inspiring,<br />
200-acre cemetery this year. More than 260,000 people—<br />
including veterans from all of the nation’s wars, dating back to the<br />
American Revolution, as well as famous Americans from every<br />
field—are buried here. Points of special interest include the<br />
eternal flame at President John F. Kennedy’s grave, the mast<br />
of the USS Maine, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. (For<br />
more information, log on to www.arlingtoncemetery.org.)<br />
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts<br />
Since 1971, this center has fulfilled President Kennedy’s vision<br />
of enriching the human spirit by presenting a unique variety of<br />
theatrical, musical, dance and ballet, orchestral, chamber,<br />
jazz, popular, folk-music, and multimedia performances for<br />
individuals of all ages (www.kennedy-center.org).<br />
ing legislation; appearances<br />
by guest speakers; networking<br />
opportunities; social<br />
events; and much more. For<br />
details or to register, log on to<br />
www.ihrsa.org/summit.<br />
Voices of Experience<br />
Still not convinced that <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s<br />
Legislative Summit is a mustattend<br />
event? Well, just read<br />
what some of the <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
members who participated in<br />
last year’s Summit had to say:<br />
“The speakers who presented<br />
gave us all of the tools<br />
necessary to prepare us for<br />
‘taking on the Hill.’ When we<br />
met with staff and legislators,<br />
we had the introductions and<br />
information necessary to feel<br />
comfortable and confident in<br />
a situation that, otherwise,<br />
could have been daunting. It’s<br />
important that we all become<br />
politically active, and <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
has given us the vehicle to<br />
do so.” —Julie Main, Santa<br />
Barbara Athletic Club<br />
“Most of the staff that we<br />
met were active members of<br />
health clubs, and the legislators<br />
themselves were also<br />
pursuing active lifestyles.<br />
We’re very confident that<br />
our efforts—along with those<br />
of other industry leaders—<br />
will pay big dividends over<br />
time.” —Geoff Dyer, Lifestyle<br />
Family Fitness<br />
“I was astounded at how<br />
accessible our members of Congress<br />
were.” —Bob Shoulders,<br />
Fayetteville Athletic Club <br />
National Mall<br />
No visit to the nation’s capital would be complete without a stroll<br />
along the beautiful National Mall, which stretches approximately<br />
two miles from the U.S. Capitol Building to the Washington<br />
Monument. Surrounding the park are 200-year-old American<br />
elm trees, the National Archives, the National Gallery of Art, and<br />
the U.S. Botanic Garden (www.nps.gov/nama).<br />
Smithsonian Institution Museums<br />
Washington is also home to the world’s largest museum complex—<br />
16 museums that are free and open to the public, including<br />
the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of<br />
Natural History, the newly opened National Museum of the<br />
American Indian, and the National Zoo (www.si.edu/museums).<br />
White House<br />
Walk through the halls of the 19th-century building where every<br />
president since John Adams has resided. White House tours are<br />
scheduled several weeks, sometimes months, in advance, so<br />
plan ahead if you’d like to be welcomed inside the president’s<br />
home; contact the office of your U.S. senator or representative<br />
for free tickets (www.nps.gov/whho).
Flex Your Mind<br />
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<strong>CBI</strong>-0205
Inside <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
Club Busine s Entrepreneur Launched to Rave Reviews<br />
> Celebrating the entrepreneurial<br />
spirit that drives the<br />
U.S. fitness industry, <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
has launched a new publication,<br />
Club Business Entrepreneur<br />
(CBE), a magazine<br />
and electronic newsletter<br />
that’s written specifically for,<br />
and about, the operators of<br />
small- and medium-sized,<br />
independently owned, health<br />
and fitness facilities.<br />
“Some 60% of the<br />
association’s member clubs<br />
are independently owned<br />
and operated,” notes John<br />
McCarthy, <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s executive<br />
director. “Our goal is to provide<br />
these businesses with<br />
practical, and tactical, information<br />
that will help them<br />
increase their profitability.<br />
We’ll feature the owners<br />
and operators of successful<br />
Member Benefits<br />
Members Only!<br />
Get Active!<br />
Magazine<br />
clubs in the pages of CBE,<br />
and offer valuable advice<br />
from experts in fields that<br />
matter to these operators,<br />
such as law, marketing,<br />
insurance, and real estate.”<br />
CBE will cover a broad<br />
range of issues that are<br />
critical to the success of<br />
the independent club. The<br />
magazine’s “Need to Know”<br />
section will highlight triedand-true<br />
business models<br />
and formulas, such as the<br />
proper way to calculate a<br />
club’s retention rate. The<br />
“Professional’s Corner” will<br />
regularly provide useful tips,<br />
such as how to achieve<br />
OSHA compliance. Since<br />
independent operators<br />
are the heart and soul of<br />
CBE, one such operator<br />
will be profiled in every<br />
> Get Active! is an exciting<br />
new consumer magazine<br />
written, edited, and designed<br />
exclusively for the patrons of<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> facilities. The publication,<br />
which will be distributed<br />
to the association’s member<br />
clubs for free, has been<br />
created to motivate members,<br />
help them achieve their fitness<br />
goals, and prevent them from<br />
abandoning their exercise<br />
regimen: in short, to function<br />
as a powerful retention<br />
tool. Attendees at <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s<br />
24th annual International<br />
Convention and Trade<br />
Show in San Francisco<br />
will enjoy a special sneak<br />
preview of Get Active!<br />
magazine next month,<br />
and the first issue will<br />
be distributed in May.<br />
(For more information<br />
88 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
issue. (John Atwood and<br />
Beth Wald, the owners of<br />
HealthFit, in Needham,<br />
Massachusetts, were featured<br />
in the premier edition.)<br />
CBE has already received<br />
rave reviews from <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
members. “The content<br />
is insightful, appropriate,<br />
and can help create<br />
new ideas and actions,”<br />
enthuses Barry Klein,<br />
the owner of the Elevations<br />
Health Club, in<br />
Scotrun, Pennsylvania.<br />
“This is a great benefit<br />
for the small-medium<br />
club operator—another<br />
tangible benefit that <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
is providing for them,” says<br />
Greg Lappin, the owner of the<br />
Rochester Athletic Club, in<br />
Rochester, Minnesota. “The<br />
magazine has a clean and<br />
about this valuable new<br />
member benefit, log on to<br />
www.ihrsa.org/getactivemag.)<br />
The principal goals of Get<br />
Active! are to:<br />
• Reinforce the reader’s<br />
decision to belong to a<br />
health club by highlighting<br />
the many physical and physiological<br />
benefits of exercise;<br />
• Increase awareness of the<br />
many services that <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
clubs offer (e.g., yoga,<br />
Pilates, group exercise,<br />
personal training, etc.);<br />
• Provide useful lifestyle, diet,<br />
and workout tips to make<br />
exercise fun and rewarding<br />
for everyone; and<br />
• Encourage fitness-conscious<br />
consumers to support government<br />
initiatives that promote<br />
regular exercise.<br />
professional look to<br />
it, and the articles have<br />
so much value.”<br />
To read, subscribe to, or<br />
contribute to CBE, log on to<br />
www.ihrsa.org/entrepreneur. <br />
The premier issue will<br />
boast the following features:<br />
• “Starting Out:” A beginner’s<br />
workout that can give even<br />
the most inexperienced<br />
club-goer a quick start on<br />
a fitness-oriented lifestyle.<br />
• “Cardio Smarts:” How to<br />
maximize your cardio time<br />
with key training strategies.<br />
• “Scrap the Scale.” Why<br />
focusing too heavily on the<br />
numbers can be a big mistake<br />
• “Financial Fitness:” Here’s<br />
how maintaining a healthy<br />
weight can increase your<br />
bottom line.<br />
• “Food Rules:” Interpreting<br />
the carb content on labels.<br />
• “Top 10 Most Nutritious<br />
Fast Foods—and the 10<br />
Worst!” What to choose<br />
when you’re in a hurry.
FEATURES TO MAKE YOUR HEART POUND<br />
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Strong. Smart. Beautiful. Matrix.<br />
Working With an Expert Pays<br />
Dividends for Your Club<br />
When you protect your health, racquet or sports club<br />
employees with the <strong>IHRSA</strong> workers’ compensation program<br />
– you get more than you paid for. Like the opportunity to<br />
earn a safety group dividend. In 2000, for example, 100<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> members shared a workers’ compensation dividend<br />
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Offered by:
Club Advisor A number of chains, including Club One, 24 Hour Fitness, and<br />
The Sports Club Company, prohibit the use of camera cell phones.<br />
Ethics 911: Camera Phones<br />
Create Privacy Problems,<br />
Legal Exposure<br />
By Kristen A. Walsh<br />
The use of camera-equipped cell phones has<br />
exploded in recent years, and their popularity<br />
is now forcing health clubs to take steps to<br />
safeguard their members’ right to privacy. The latest<br />
models function like digital cameras, allowing<br />
users to snap and instantly send photos to family,<br />
friends, and Websites. This, obviously, can pose a<br />
serious problem in locker rooms, dressing areas,<br />
or other locations where people commonly disrobe.<br />
Further complicating the situation is the fact that<br />
many units are virtually indistinguishable from noncamera<br />
phones, and that individuals may not even<br />
realize they’re being photographed; many camera<br />
phones produce a flash or audible noise when triggered,<br />
but some allow the user to disable that feature.<br />
While a survey, conducted by <strong>IHRSA</strong> in 2003, didn’t<br />
uncover a single example of the inappropriate use<br />
of such a device in a club, concern about the potential<br />
for such incidents is justified. That year, some<br />
8.5 million camera phones were already operating<br />
in the U.S., reports the International Data Corp.<br />
(IDC), a Boston-based, computer-industry consulting<br />
company, and, by 2006, it predicts, 80% of all cell<br />
phones sold will include a photo option.<br />
“It appears clear that a club operator who<br />
knows—or who, in the exercise of reasonable care,<br />
should know—that camera phones are being used<br />
on its premises might be liable to members who are<br />
being surreptitiously photographed,” explains attorney<br />
Anthony Ellrod, of the Los Angeles law firm of Manning,<br />
Marder, Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez LLP. To avoid<br />
such legal exposure, Ellrod recommends that clubs<br />
prohibit the use of camera phones on their grounds.<br />
Directory Assistance<br />
Cell phones without cameras can also cause<br />
problems for health clubs. To find out what<br />
they are and how to avoid them, read <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s<br />
“Cellular Telephones TIP” by logging on to<br />
www.ihrsa.org/tips.<br />
90 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
A number of<br />
chains—including<br />
Club One, 24 Hour Fitness,<br />
and The Sports Club<br />
Company—have already done so.<br />
Federal regulation<br />
While there’s no federal law that protects citizens<br />
from secret or intrusive photography (or videotaping)<br />
in public places, legislation recently passed in<br />
Congress which would prohibit such acts on federal<br />
property. The Video Voyeurism Prevention Act of<br />
2004 makes it illegal to photograph, film, videotape,<br />
record, or broadcast such records of a person who<br />
is naked, or dressed in underwear, in a place where<br />
a “reasonable person would believe that he or she<br />
could disrobe in privacy.”<br />
Conviction could bring a maximum fine of up<br />
to $100,000 or up to a year in prison, or both.<br />
President Bush is likely to sign the measure into law.<br />
State legislation<br />
At least 26 states have already enacted laws that<br />
prohibit secret taping with cameras, and some are<br />
now modifying those laws to encompass camera<br />
phones. For example, a Michigan law which took<br />
effect on September 1 states that people who use<br />
gadgets such as camera phones to invade others’<br />
privacy can be punished with jail time or fines as<br />
high as $5,000.<br />
Providing a safe haven<br />
Two British companies, meanwhile, have developed<br />
a patent-pending technology, called Safe Haven,<br />
which generates a signal that disables the cameras<br />
in cell phones within a small area, such as a locker<br />
room, creating a so-called “wireless privacy zone.”<br />
Until such systems, or other solutions, can be effectively<br />
implemented, however, club operators should<br />
seriously consider adopting, and then enforcing,<br />
a “no camera phones” policy in some, or all areas of<br />
their facility to ensure their patrons’ privacy. <br />
KRISTEN A. WALSH is the content editor for <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
and can be contacted at kaw@ihrsa.org.
Products<br />
Indo action by Fitter<br />
For managers who want to spend less<br />
time on paper work—and who doesn’t?—<br />
CheckFree Health and Fitness, a<br />
business unit of CheckFree Corporation,<br />
has created the Schedule Manager, an<br />
Internet-based reservation system for<br />
health clubs. The new software integrates<br />
with RCM Solutions, CheckFree’s complete<br />
club-management system that enables<br />
clubs to streamline scheduling and managing<br />
resources and facilities. Customers<br />
can securely schedule and pay for appointments<br />
online in real time; employees can<br />
also make reservations. CheckFree Schedule<br />
Manager can tailor reservations to<br />
meet the needs of individual clubs, based<br />
on a particular location, specific staff<br />
member, or other data. For more information,<br />
contact the company at 6000<br />
Perimeter Drive, Dublin, OH 43<strong>01</strong>7-3215;<br />
800-242-9522; 614-564-3000; 800-331-<br />
4373 (FAX); www.checkfreecorp.com.<br />
Fitter International,<br />
Inc., has introduced an<br />
innovative way for members<br />
to improve their core<br />
stability, balance and coordination:<br />
the Indo Board<br />
Balance Trainer, the latest<br />
addition to the company’s<br />
FUNctional product line. It<br />
is a specially shaped oval<br />
board balanced on a long<br />
roller that was originally designed to train surfers<br />
out of water, but is now used by snowboarders,<br />
skiers, windsurfers, skaters, and all types of sports<br />
enthusiasts. The Board Balance Trainer requires<br />
only six feet of open space—indoors or out—and a<br />
quick, five- to 15-minute learning curve. For more<br />
information, contact the company at 2600 Portland<br />
St. S.E., #3050, Calgary, AB Canada T2G 4 M6; 800-<br />
348-8371; 866-250-8824 (FAX); www.fitter1.com.<br />
Harbinger’s extensive line-up of training<br />
products now includes two new items priced under<br />
$20. The first is the Balance Trainer, a unique<br />
exercise tool that is ideal for performing push-ups,<br />
sit-ups, and Pilates and yoga poses. It’s a 13" diameter<br />
disk—ribbed on one side and smooth on the<br />
Tic-Tac-Go!<br />
92 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
What’s New<br />
For an exciting twist on aerobic exercise, BroadcastVision<br />
Entertainment has created a new video dance game system, the<br />
Dance Exercise Revolution, or DXR. The DXR combines games, music,<br />
video, and a dance pad controller that “players” use to spin, slide,<br />
dance, and stomp their way toward earning points and burning<br />
calories. Scrolling onscreen arrows show participants where to place<br />
their feet, and points are gained by stepping on the corresponding<br />
dance pad at the appointed time. The DXR system includes a<br />
BroadcastVision 23" or 27" LCD television on a telescopic stand, a<br />
Sony Playstation 2, a dance pad and controller, and game software<br />
discs. For more information, contact the company at 5126 Clareton<br />
Drive, Suite 160, Agoura Hills, CA 913<strong>01</strong>-4526; 800-770-9770;<br />
818-879-9780; 818-879-9790 (FAX); www.broadcastvision.com.<br />
other—made of pliable, anti-burst<br />
PVC that is inflated to a 3" platform.<br />
The second is the Adjustable Grip,<br />
which can be used to prevent repetitive<br />
motion injuries and to strengthen<br />
grip and forearm muscles in tennis<br />
players, golfers, rock climbers, or<br />
weight lifters. It has a patented design<br />
that features ergonomic thermoplastic<br />
handles with cushioning<br />
inserts and interchangeable weightresistance<br />
caps of 30, 35, and<br />
40 pounds. For more information,<br />
Great Grip<br />
by Harbinger<br />
contact the company at 35 Executive Court, Napa,<br />
CA 94558; 800-729-5954; 707-257-5838; 707-257-<br />
5843 (FAX); www.harbingerfitness.com.
Products<br />
continued<br />
Life Fitness has just made exercising more fun,<br />
and more stimulating. Members working out on the<br />
company’s LCD-equipped machines can now enjoy<br />
four new entertainment options: an integrated<br />
Phillips FM radio tuner; language selection (eight<br />
choices); a Custom Workouts program that enables<br />
personal trainers to record and save six unique<br />
workouts for members; and a secure channel<br />
for facility-specific video content. These new<br />
features will be available on<br />
the 95Te and 97Te treadmills,<br />
97Xe total-body elliptical<br />
cross-trainers, 95Ce<br />
Lifecycle upright exercise<br />
bikes, 95Re Lifecycle recumbent<br />
exercise bikes, and<br />
95Se stair climbers. For<br />
more information, contact<br />
the company at 5100 N.<br />
River Road, Schiller Park, IL<br />
6<strong>01</strong>75; 800-735-3867; 847-<br />
288-3300; 847-288-3703<br />
(FAX); www.lifefitness.com.<br />
Magnum Fitness<br />
Systems has expanded its<br />
E-Series of premium selectorized<br />
machines with the new<br />
2044 Functional Trainer and<br />
2043 Abductor/Adductor<br />
Combination. The Functional<br />
Trainer includes a full package<br />
of handles and bars and<br />
facilitates a wide variety of<br />
free-form movements. Resistance<br />
can be adjusted in<br />
five-pound increments. The<br />
Abductor/Adductor Combination<br />
machine boasts a<br />
patent-pending mechanism<br />
that ensures that the exercise<br />
arms engage immediately, to<br />
eliminate any cable slack.<br />
The leg pads rotate freely for<br />
easy set-up, and follow the<br />
thighs throughout the movement;<br />
resistance can be<br />
fine-tuned in five-pound<br />
increments. For more information,<br />
contact the company<br />
at 22<strong>01</strong> 12th Ave., South Milwaukee,<br />
WI 53172; 800-372-<br />
0554; 414-768-7047 (FAX);<br />
www.magnumfitness.com.<br />
What’s New<br />
Clubs interested in adding popular<br />
circuit-training programs to their<br />
offerings can now check out two new,<br />
non-intimidating Quick Circuits from<br />
Quantum Fitness—an Adult Circuit<br />
and a Kids Circuit. Both feature<br />
easy-to-use hydraulic resistance to<br />
accommodate all exercisers; work two<br />
opposing muscle groups simultane-<br />
2-Size Circuits,<br />
by Quantum<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 93
Products<br />
continued<br />
ously with positive resistance; and minimize or eliminate<br />
delayed muscle soreness. These compact<br />
machines are portable and maximize space efficiency,<br />
and the circuit comes with a comprehensive<br />
interactive program. For more information, contact<br />
the company at 10245 West Airport, Stafford,<br />
TX 77477; 800-937-2282; 281-495-3003; 281-495-<br />
7542 (FAX); www.quantumfitness.com.<br />
Welcome a new demographic into your<br />
club with SportsArt Fitness’ new<br />
C53r recumbent exercise bicycle, which<br />
is specifically designed to assist the active<br />
aging market. With a convenient, stepthrough<br />
design and a centrally located<br />
handle, mounting and dismounting the<br />
Super C53r<br />
bike is simple; the company’s proprietary<br />
by SportsArt<br />
Ufit technology incorporates an infinitely<br />
adjustable four-bar linkage and a flexible<br />
mesh seatback for a tailored fit. Push-button controls<br />
let users easily modify their workouts at will, and<br />
easy-to-read LEDs are shown on an oversized dot<br />
matrix display. The C53r is also equipped with the<br />
94 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
What’s New<br />
patented CardioAdvisor heart rate training system.<br />
For more information, contact the company at<br />
19510 144th Avenue NE, Suite A1, Woodinville,<br />
WA 98072; 900-709-1400; 425-481-9479;<br />
425-488-8155 (FAX); www.sportsartamerica.com.<br />
This just in: Star Trac’s treadmill models are<br />
now faster, easier to maintain and better-looking<br />
than ever! The top-of-the-line Elite and Pro models<br />
have been bolstered with five-horsepower motors,<br />
a new maintenance-free, no-wax deck system, and<br />
a five-year parts and labor motor warranty. The Pro<br />
S, TR4500, and Sport treadmills have been upgraded<br />
with three-horsepower motors and a three-year<br />
parts and labor motor warranty. In addition, the<br />
Elite, Pro, and Pro S units have also been given new,<br />
family-look displays that were modeled after the<br />
intuitive, user-friendly versions first released with<br />
Star Trac’s Pro Series upright and recumbent bikes.<br />
For more information, contact the company<br />
at 14410 Myford Road, Irvine, CA 92606;<br />
800-228-6635; 714-669-1660; 714-838-6286<br />
(FAX); www.startrac.com.
Companies<br />
Two powerful forces in the fitness<br />
industry have teamed up to provide nutritional<br />
supplements to gym-goers nationwide.<br />
American Body Building<br />
Products, a subsidiary of Optimum<br />
Nutrition, Inc., has signed a three-year<br />
agreement with 24 Hour Fitness,<br />
which will make the American Body<br />
Building line of RTD drinks and sport<br />
shakes the brand of choice in 24 Hour<br />
clubs nationwide. As part of the deal,<br />
American Body Building (ABB) will provide<br />
coolers with ABB graphics to all<br />
clubs in the 24 Hour Fitness network.<br />
“We are proud to supply our cutting-edge<br />
line to 24 Hour Fitness members—people<br />
who have committed to making fitness a<br />
way of life,” remarks Tony Costello, the<br />
CEO and co-owner of Optimum Nutrition,<br />
Inc. To accommodate its growth, the<br />
company recently expanded its drink factory<br />
in South Carolina and has purchased<br />
additional manufacturing and warehousing<br />
equipment.<br />
The American Council on Exercise<br />
(ACE) and the United States Sports<br />
Academy (USSA) have formed a strategic<br />
partnership to provide continuing and<br />
advanced educational opportunities for<br />
ACE-certified fitness professionals and Academy<br />
students. Through the partnership, ACE-certified<br />
professionals can meet their continuing education<br />
needs and earn an advanced degree at the Academy,<br />
and USSA students can now sit for an ACE exam at<br />
the Academy. This is the first time that ACE has<br />
partnered with a university that offers advanced<br />
degrees in exercise science and sports management<br />
with both traditional and distance-learning options.<br />
“ACE will work with USSA to update existing courses<br />
and develop new curricula that meet both university<br />
credit and ACE requirements,” explains Graham<br />
Melstrand, the director of educational services for ACE.<br />
Body Bar Systems’ stock is rising! With the help of<br />
executives from Body Bar Systems, Inc., the USA<br />
Women’s National Wrestling Team has made history<br />
a second time. As part of a celebration of the historic<br />
first Olympic women’s wrestling team, two members of<br />
the team, Patricia Miranda and Toccara Montgomery,<br />
News from Associates<br />
Georgia Tech Triumph<br />
Life Fitness is the exclusive fitness equipment provider to the<br />
recently renovated Campus Recreation Center at the Georgia Institute<br />
of Technology in Atlanta. The 15,000-square-foot fitness center,<br />
which serves 16,000 students, houses 61 cardiovascular pieces, and<br />
more than 120 strength-training machines from the Life Fitness<br />
Pro2 SE and Signature Series, Cable Motion Series, Hammer Strength<br />
plate-loaded line, Motion Technology Selectorized series, and benches<br />
and racks. In other news, 153 Life Fitness employees recently raised<br />
more than $40,000 for the American Heart Association in the organization’s<br />
annual three-mile walk. Through bake sales, T-shirt sales,<br />
and generous contributions from vendors, Life Fitness far surpassed<br />
its original $15,000 goal. This is the second consecutive year that<br />
the company has participated in the fundraiser.<br />
joined Arno Niemand, the<br />
chairman and founder of<br />
Body Bar Systems, and Sherry<br />
Catlin, the president of Body<br />
Bar Systems, to ring the bell<br />
at the New York Stock Exchange<br />
on September 13. “Body Bar<br />
Systems was honored to be<br />
part of such an all-American<br />
activity that has been<br />
reserved for famous people<br />
over the years,” notes Niemand.<br />
NYSE start, with Body Bar<br />
After three years of planning, building, and managing<br />
a leading chain of large-scale health clubs in<br />
China, Taiwan, and the Philippines, James Campbell<br />
has joined Cybex International, Inc., in the<br />
newly created position of regional sales director<br />
of the Asia Pacific region. In this position, based<br />
in Manila, Philippines, Campbell will work with<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 95
Companies<br />
continued<br />
Exec act<br />
Kathryn Olsen<br />
distributors to better meet the commercial fitness<br />
industry needs in Asia, and will focus on developing<br />
long-term relationships with customers, distributors,<br />
and industry and education professionals.<br />
“Being able to anticipate and exceed customer needs<br />
will promote Cybex as a leading equipment supplier<br />
in the region,” says Campbell, who has more than<br />
30 years of experience in club operations, including<br />
managing 25 facilities as a regional vice president of<br />
24 Hour Fitness.<br />
Promoter Katey Prinz<br />
Pilates U. of Pennsylvania<br />
The Iron Grip Barbell Company<br />
continues to grow in both size and<br />
scope. Kathryn Olsen is a new account<br />
executive for the 17-state Western U.S.<br />
region, responsible for dealer relations<br />
and account development. She<br />
previously worked for American<br />
Exposition Technologies and has a<br />
bachelor’s degree in kinesiology as<br />
well as a personal training certification.<br />
Iron Grip’s new marketing<br />
manager, Katey Prinz, will oversee all<br />
trade shows and events, Website<br />
development, and promotions. She<br />
comes from Frog’s Club One, where<br />
she was advertising manager, and<br />
holds various fitness and personal<br />
training certifications. The company<br />
has also added five new distributors—<br />
Force Fitness, U.K.; PrimaFit, Indonesia<br />
and East Timor; Power Sports,<br />
Malta, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia;<br />
Future Wave, Israel; and Gymco<br />
Sports, Taiwan—for a current total of<br />
50 international dealers covering 56<br />
countries outside the United States.<br />
Peak Pilates has outfitted<br />
one of the only fully<br />
equipped university Pilates<br />
studios in the country. The<br />
1,600-square-foot Pilates<br />
studio at the David Pottruck<br />
Health and Fitness Center at<br />
the University of Pennsylvania<br />
in Philadelphia has eight Total<br />
Workout Systems, one Cadillac,<br />
six chairs, and 12 mats.<br />
Since the studio opened last<br />
96 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
News from Associates<br />
fall, almost all of its classes have sold out, and many<br />
have waiting lists. The university’s department of<br />
recreation also offers an in-depth, three-weekend<br />
certification workshop that covers Intro through<br />
Level III mat, pole, chair, and reformer Pilates.<br />
The Health and Fitness Center serves the campus<br />
community of 40,000 students, staff, faculty, and<br />
local alumni.<br />
Plus One Health Management, a manager<br />
of corporate fitness and spa facilities, is working<br />
with McDonald’s to help Americans lead more<br />
active, balanced lives. Plus One is the provider of the<br />
online fitness and guidance tool for the Interactive<br />
Personal Trainer feature on McDonald’s new<br />
global “Go Active!” Website. Plus One will provide<br />
customized fitness plans powered by its unique<br />
“My Fitness Expert” Website, enabling users to<br />
interact—virtually—with a team of exercise experts<br />
who develop a variety of strength, flexibility, and<br />
cardiovascular programs specific to individuals’<br />
goals. “This partnership represents an extension of<br />
our philosophy to provide people with the necessary<br />
tools and information to successfully improve<br />
their health and fitness,” explains Mike Motta, the<br />
president of Plus One.<br />
To meet increased global demand for Precor<br />
Icarian commercial strength equipment, Precor<br />
is doubling the size of its commercial strength<br />
production facility by relocating to a new 100,000square-foot<br />
building in Valencia, California. The new<br />
site—which replaces a Burbank, California, facility<br />
where the Icarian line had been produced for more<br />
than a decade—features new and improved<br />
welding, paint, packaging, and loading systems, and a<br />
research and development lab. Modern materials–<br />
handling and inventory processes similar to those<br />
used in Precor’s Woodinville, Washington, production<br />
center are also being implemented. By doubling<br />
the facility size and applying sophisticated<br />
manufacturing techniques, Precor significantly<br />
expands capacity and gains incremental quality<br />
improvements, according to company president<br />
Paul Byrne. The new facility is expected to employ<br />
at least 200 individuals.<br />
A reporter from the Seattle Times recently gave<br />
the one-of-a-kind Quadmill from Cascade Fitness<br />
Technologies a trial run, describing the two-minute<br />
workout experience as a “fun and flowing ride…
Companies<br />
continued<br />
that stealthily delivered considerable impact to the<br />
targeted areas”—the legs, abs and core. The eccentric-muscle<br />
training device debuted a few years ago,<br />
but the updated version—which the Seattle Sonics<br />
basketball team, the Navy Seals and the U.S.<br />
Olympic Ski Team all train on—recently began circulating<br />
in clubs nationwide. Users stand on the<br />
Quadmill’s irregularly shaped platform and ride the<br />
motion, while trying to keep their upper bodies level,<br />
as the platform comes up and around them. “A key<br />
element in sports conditioning and injury prevention<br />
is the ability to absorb the downward forces on the<br />
legs and low back, time after time, by regular eccentric<br />
exercise of those muscles,” explains Dr. Kevin<br />
Creelman, co-inventor of the Quadmill.<br />
Employees at SCIFIT Systems, Inc., in Tulsa,<br />
Oklahoma, recently blasted calories, shed pounds,<br />
and increased their fitness levels during the company’s<br />
first-ever Employee Wellness Challenge. Over a<br />
News from Associates<br />
period of 90 days, six teams<br />
of staffers and their spouses<br />
were challenged to complete<br />
two 30-minute strength and<br />
cardio workouts per week<br />
using on-site SCIFIT equipment.<br />
The company’s unique<br />
Fit-Key system automatically<br />
documented sessions and<br />
downloaded information into<br />
a database so participants<br />
could track results. The team<br />
Sofit SCIFIT’s red team<br />
that burned the most calories<br />
won the trophy, and individual awards were also<br />
presented for other accomplishments, such as the<br />
most weight lost. Overall, the company completed<br />
511 workouts and burned 246,422 calories with<br />
57% participation. “Healthy employees make a<br />
healthy company, and that’s what we’re all about,”<br />
says Denton Smith, the president of SCIFIT. <br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 97
Companies<br />
continued<br />
that stealthily delivered considerable impact to the<br />
targeted areas”—the legs, abs and core. The eccentric-muscle<br />
training device debuted a few years ago,<br />
but the updated version—which the Seattle Sonics<br />
basketball team, the Navy Seals and the U.S.<br />
Olympic Ski Team all train on—recently began circulating<br />
in clubs nationwide. Users stand on the<br />
Quadmill’s irregularly shaped platform and ride the<br />
motion, while trying to keep their upper bodies level,<br />
as the platform comes up and around them. “A key<br />
element in sports conditioning and injury prevention<br />
is the ability to absorb the downward forces on the<br />
legs and low back, time after time, by regular eccentric<br />
exercise of those muscles,” explains Dr. Kevin<br />
Creelman, co-inventor of the Quadmill.<br />
Employees at SCIFIT Systems, Inc., in Tulsa,<br />
Oklahoma, recently blasted calories, shed pounds,<br />
and increased their fitness levels during the company’s<br />
first-ever Employee Wellness Challenge. Over a<br />
News from Associates<br />
period of 90 days, six teams<br />
of staffers and their spouses<br />
were challenged to complete<br />
two 30-minute strength and<br />
cardio workouts per week<br />
using on-site SCIFIT equipment.<br />
The company’s unique<br />
Fit-Key system automatically<br />
documented sessions and<br />
downloaded information into<br />
a database so participants<br />
could track results. The team<br />
Sofit SCIFIT’s red team<br />
that burned the most calories<br />
won the trophy, and individual awards were also<br />
presented for other accomplishments, such as the<br />
most weight lost. Overall, the company completed<br />
511 workouts and burned 246,422 calories with<br />
57% participation. “Healthy employees make a<br />
healthy company, and that’s what we’re all about,”<br />
says Denton Smith, the president of SCIFIT. <br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 97
Companies<br />
Since 1994, Apex<br />
Fitness Group has been<br />
a leading resource for<br />
software-driven training programs and<br />
nutrition products. Each year, more than<br />
10,000 fitness professionals participate<br />
in the company’s educational offerings.<br />
To help club members reach their<br />
goals, the company offers personalized<br />
programs with five components: food<br />
plan, cardiovascular work, dietary support,<br />
resistance training, and personal<br />
assistance. To complement the food plan<br />
and dietary support elements, Apex<br />
has more than 100 products, including<br />
nutrition bars, drink mixes, protein<br />
cookies, sports drinks, vitamins, and<br />
supplements. Apex’s Weight Management<br />
Program meets state and federal<br />
standards and complies with recommendations<br />
of the American Dietetic<br />
Association’s Position on Weight<br />
Management. A variety of license options<br />
for Apex programs are available. For<br />
more information, contact the company<br />
at 100 Camino Ruiz; Camarillo, CA<br />
93<strong>01</strong>2; 800-656-2739; 805-504-8049<br />
(FAX); www.apexfitness.com.<br />
The Brazil Connection<br />
imports several lines of<br />
fitness active wear from<br />
South America, including<br />
the popular Annatomy line. This<br />
sportswear is designed and manufactured<br />
in Brazil using thick, highquality<br />
Dupont Suplex, and comes in<br />
a wide variety of styles and colors. Sizes range from<br />
small to extra large. For more information, contact<br />
the company at 1697 Carleton Court; Redwood City,<br />
CA 94061; 415-606-8519; 650-365-3048 (FAX).<br />
Enwright Associates, Inc., a leading architectural,<br />
engineering, and planning firm, has been<br />
creating vibrant environments for clients throughout<br />
the country since 1968. The company’s wellness<br />
design practice is led by James A. Binger, AIA,<br />
who is nationally recognized for his role in shaping<br />
the direction of the industry and for his passion<br />
New <strong>IHRSA</strong> Associates<br />
Let the Sun In!<br />
Unlike conventional saunas that use convection heat, Sunlight<br />
Saunas use infrared light—the same energy that is released<br />
naturally by the sun. The Journal of the American College of<br />
Cardiology reports that infrared sauna treatment significantly lowers<br />
blood pressure, aids weight loss, reduces blood sugar, increases<br />
circulation, decreases cholesterol, and lowers triglycerides. Sunlight<br />
Saunas plug into a standard outlet and use less electricity than an<br />
average hair dryer. Also, because no water is necessary, the saunas<br />
require minimal maintenance as opposed to conventional saunas<br />
and hot tubs. Furthermore, far-infrared heat therapy can generate<br />
as much as $14,800 per year, based on a $15 per session, foursession-per-day<br />
ROI analysis. For more information, contact the<br />
company at 14119 Marshall Drive, Lenexa, KS 66215; 877-892-0020;<br />
www.sunlightsaunas.com.<br />
for wellness. Headquartered in<br />
Greenville, S.C., Enwright Associates<br />
has renovated its site to capture its<br />
100-year history and bring nature<br />
indoors by flooding it with natural<br />
light and exposing the original brick<br />
and hard rock maple floors. For more<br />
information, contact the company at<br />
P.O. Box 5287, Greenville, SC 29606;<br />
864-232-8140; 864-233-8460 (FAX);<br />
www.enwright.com.<br />
FitnessLeasing.com is a premier<br />
financial resource for fitness professionals,<br />
business owners, and vendors,<br />
and has been active in the commercial<br />
Stylin’ digs by Enwright<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 99
efreshing<br />
restorative<br />
invigorating<br />
nourishing<br />
pure<br />
sustaining<br />
original<br />
easy<br />
functional<br />
all-natural<br />
real<br />
A TONIC A DAY<br />
THE HEALTHY<br />
ALTERNATIVE<br />
BEVERAGE<br />
tonic bar kits & more<br />
wholesale & distributer<br />
inquiries welcome<br />
sales@elixir.net<br />
877-4-elixir 323 850-9450<br />
®
Companies<br />
continued<br />
fitness industry since 1987. Backed by the experience<br />
and funding of Innovative Lease Services, Inc., the company<br />
offers a wide range of products and services,<br />
including equipment leasing, local and national vendor<br />
programs, franchise financing programs, working capital<br />
loans, commercial property financing, business<br />
acquisition loans, and SBA programs. For more information,<br />
contact the company at 5937 Darwin Court,<br />
Suite 103, Carlsbad, CA 92008; 800-438-1470; 760-438-<br />
1470; 760-438-2046 (FAX);<br />
www.fitnessleasing.com.<br />
Shake This<br />
offers a simple way<br />
to install and manage<br />
a nutritional<br />
shake bar, and supplies<br />
basic layouts;<br />
an initial stock of<br />
protein powders,<br />
supplement blends,<br />
flavorings and juices; signage;<br />
two sets of recipe cards and<br />
breakdowns of each for calories,<br />
protein, carbohydrates<br />
and fat; five customized fullcolor<br />
countertop menus; a<br />
set of hanging menu boards;<br />
200 customized “to go” menus,<br />
and 12 promotional “Today’s<br />
Feature” ad slicks. For more<br />
information, contact the<br />
company at 3795 W. Blake<br />
Court, Springfield, MO 65807;<br />
866-224-8265; 417.886.3446<br />
(FAX) www.shake-this.com.<br />
TravelFit makes the<br />
TRX, a total-body exercise<br />
system that delivers a unique<br />
workout, combining core<br />
stability, balance and strength<br />
training—all in a lightweight,<br />
non-elastic device that packs<br />
up to the size of a running<br />
shoe. Developed by athletes,<br />
the TRX uses body-weight<br />
resistance to facilitate more<br />
than 100 exercises that can<br />
be modified instantly to suit<br />
the user’s fitness level. The<br />
versatile TRX has many convenient<br />
applications: it can<br />
hang from an overhead<br />
fixture or mount to a wall<br />
in a fitness facility; it can<br />
hang over a door in a home<br />
or hotel room; or it can be<br />
New <strong>IHRSA</strong> Associates<br />
strapped to a pole or a tree<br />
outdoors. The $79.95 system<br />
includes an instructional video<br />
and laminated exercise guide.<br />
For more information, contact<br />
the company at 58 West Portal<br />
Avenue, #108, San Francisco,<br />
CA 94127; 415-753-2681;<br />
www.travelfit.com.<br />
On-the-go, TRX’ TravelFit<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 1<strong>01</strong>
Members<br />
Alabama<br />
24/7 Fitness & Tanning<br />
920 Winchester Road<br />
Huntsville, AL 35811<br />
(256) 851-0574<br />
Ms. Karrah Hopkins<br />
Arkansas<br />
Maumelle Athletic Club<br />
2 Country Club Circle<br />
Maumelle, AR 72113-6198<br />
(5<strong>01</strong>) 851-6263<br />
Mr. Michael Dingler<br />
California<br />
Electronic Arts<br />
Fitness Center<br />
5510 N. Lincoln Ave.<br />
Ste. 5510L<br />
Playa Vista, CA 90094<br />
Ms. Noelle Vincent<br />
Figures!/ ScrImage<br />
Fitness Clubs<br />
6100 Redwood Blvd.<br />
Ste. B-1<br />
Novato, CA 94945<br />
(415) 309-1859<br />
Ms. Brenda Proaps<br />
Fitness Results<br />
1842 W. 11th St., Unit G<br />
Upland, CA 91784<br />
(909) 608-1720<br />
Mr. Lance McCullough<br />
Sportsmen of Stanislaus<br />
(SOS Club)<br />
P.O. Box 3031<br />
Modesto, CA 95353-3031<br />
(209) 578-58<strong>01</strong><br />
Mr. David E. Massa<br />
Florida<br />
Club Boom<br />
Racquet & Fitness<br />
One S. Old Kings Road<br />
Ormond Beach, FL 32174<br />
(386) 672-4044<br />
Mr. Robert Rosetti<br />
Pensacola Athletic Center<br />
P.O. Box 4716<br />
Pensacola, FL 32507<br />
(850) 453-1534<br />
Mr. Whit Wise<br />
Hawaii<br />
Fit for Life<br />
8<strong>01</strong> Dillingham Blvd.<br />
Honolulu, HI 96817<br />
(808) 535-1550<br />
Mr. Eric Okamura<br />
Idaho<br />
Sun Valley Athletic Club<br />
PO Box 3238<br />
Ketchum, ID 83340-3238<br />
(208) 726-3664<br />
Mr. Bill Koretz<br />
Illinois<br />
Motorola Activity Center -<br />
Deer Park<br />
21440 W. Lake Cook<br />
Deer Park, IL 60<strong>01</strong>0<br />
Ms. Wendy Kuminowski<br />
Indiana<br />
Anytime Fitness *<br />
P.O.Box 6<br />
Aurora, IN 470<strong>01</strong><br />
(812) 926-3655<br />
Mr. John Spence<br />
Kansas<br />
Love Box Company Inc.<br />
Fitness Center<br />
700 E. 37th St. N<br />
Wichita, KS 67205<br />
(316) 832-3582<br />
Mr. Todd Wineland<br />
Maximus Fitness<br />
& Wellness<br />
5515 SW 21st St.<br />
Topeka, KS 66604<br />
(785) 271-0200<br />
Mr. Scott Huston<br />
Maine<br />
Basics Fitness Center, Inc.<br />
380 Western Ave.<br />
S. Portland, ME 04106<br />
(207) 774-3536<br />
Mr. Donna Marston<br />
Maryland<br />
Figures Fast Fun Fitness<br />
5798 Morland Drive N.<br />
Adamstown, MD 21710<br />
(3<strong>01</strong>) 607-4591<br />
Ms. Margaret A. Dawson<br />
New Jersey<br />
Atlantis Health & Fitness<br />
600 Plaza Drive<br />
Secaucus, NJ 07094<br />
(2<strong>01</strong>) 271-0202<br />
Ms. Liz Kane<br />
102 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
New <strong>IHRSA</strong> Clubs<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> Membership Eligibility Standards<br />
Members of the association must comply with <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s<br />
baseline health, safety, and ethical standards.<br />
1. The club will open its membership to persons of all races, creeds,<br />
and places of national origin.<br />
2. The club responds to and endeavors to resolve, within 60 days,<br />
any consumer complaints made to the Better Business Bureau or to<br />
state or local Consumer Protection Agencies (or other such agencies).<br />
3. The club will place all presell membership fees in a segragated<br />
escrow account.<br />
4. The club will not sell prepaid, lifetime memberships.<br />
5. The club must conform to all relevant laws, regulations, and<br />
published standards.<br />
6. The club must be able to respond in a timely manner to any<br />
reasonably foreseeable emergency event that threatens the health<br />
and safety of the club users. Toward this end, a club must have<br />
an appropriate emergency plan that can be executed by qualified<br />
personnel in a timely manner.<br />
7. The club must offer each adult member a pre-activity screening<br />
appropriate to the physical activities to be performed by the member.<br />
8. Each person who has supervisory responsibility for a physical<br />
activity program or area at the club must have demonstrable<br />
professional competence in that physical activity program or area.<br />
9. The club must post appropriate signage alerting users to risks<br />
involved in their use of those areas of the club that present potential<br />
increased risk(s).<br />
10. A club that offers youth services or programs must provide<br />
appropriate supervision.<br />
If any club has evidence that a member club is not abiding by the <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
Membership Standards, contact the executive director at jmc@ihrsa.org<br />
or write to: <strong>IHRSA</strong>, 263 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210.<br />
*Indicates clubs participating in the <strong>IHRSA</strong> Passport program.<br />
New York<br />
Hardscrabble Club *<br />
22 Sutton Place<br />
Brewster, NY 10509<br />
(914) 669-9500<br />
Ms. Charlotte Kuey<br />
Pennsylvania<br />
The Fitness Garage<br />
11031 Perry Hwt., Ste. 102<br />
Meadville, PA 16335<br />
(814) 724-2348<br />
Ms. Alicia Reist<br />
Virginia<br />
Fitness Zone at Sportsplex<br />
221 Commonwealth Court<br />
Winchester, VA 22602<br />
(540) 869-<strong>01</strong>00<br />
Mr. Chris Petsko<br />
Australia<br />
Fernwood Womens<br />
Fitness Chatswood<br />
Level 2/370 Victoria Ave.<br />
Chatswood, New South<br />
Wales 2067<br />
Ms. Sue Simnor
Members<br />
Alabama<br />
24/7 Fitness & Tanning<br />
920 Winchester Road<br />
Huntsville, AL 35811<br />
(256) 851-0574<br />
Ms. Karrah Hopkins<br />
Arkansas<br />
Maumelle Athletic Club<br />
2 Country Club Circle<br />
Maumelle, AR 72113-6198<br />
(5<strong>01</strong>) 851-6263<br />
Mr. Michael Dingler<br />
California<br />
Electronic Arts<br />
Fitness Center<br />
5510 N. Lincoln Ave.<br />
Ste. 5510L<br />
Playa Vista, CA 90094<br />
Ms. Noelle Vincent<br />
Figures!/ ScrImage<br />
Fitness Clubs<br />
6100 Redwood Blvd.<br />
Ste. B-1<br />
Novato, CA 94945<br />
(415) 309-1859<br />
Ms. Brenda Proaps<br />
Fitness Results<br />
1842 W. 11th St., Unit G<br />
Upland, CA 91784<br />
(909) 608-1720<br />
Mr. Lance McCullough<br />
Sportsmen of Stanislaus<br />
(SOS Club)<br />
P.O. Box 3031<br />
Modesto, CA 95353-3031<br />
(209) 578-58<strong>01</strong><br />
Mr. David E. Massa<br />
Florida<br />
Club Boom<br />
Racquet & Fitness<br />
One S. Old Kings Road<br />
Ormond Beach, FL 32174<br />
(386) 672-4044<br />
Mr. Robert Rosetti<br />
Pensacola Athletic Center<br />
P.O. Box 4716<br />
Pensacola, FL 32507<br />
(850) 453-1534<br />
Mr. Whit Wise<br />
Hawaii<br />
Fit for Life<br />
8<strong>01</strong> Dillingham Blvd.<br />
Honolulu, HI 96817<br />
(808) 535-1550<br />
Mr. Eric Okamura<br />
Idaho<br />
Sun Valley Athletic Club<br />
PO Box 3238<br />
Ketchum, ID 83340-3238<br />
(208) 726-3664<br />
Mr. Bill Koretz<br />
Illinois<br />
Motorola Activity Center -<br />
Deer Park<br />
21440 W. Lake Cook<br />
Deer Park, IL 60<strong>01</strong>0<br />
Ms. Wendy Kuminowski<br />
Indiana<br />
Anytime Fitness *<br />
P.O.Box 6<br />
Aurora, IN 470<strong>01</strong><br />
(812) 926-3655<br />
Mr. John Spence<br />
Kansas<br />
Love Box Company Inc.<br />
Fitness Center<br />
700 E. 37th St. N<br />
Wichita, KS 67205<br />
(316) 832-3582<br />
Mr. Todd Wineland<br />
Maximus Fitness<br />
& Wellness<br />
5515 SW 21st St.<br />
Topeka, KS 66604<br />
(785) 271-0200<br />
Mr. Scott Huston<br />
Maine<br />
Basics Fitness Center, Inc.<br />
380 Western Ave.<br />
S. Portland, ME 04106<br />
(207) 774-3536<br />
Mr. Donna Marston<br />
Maryland<br />
Figures Fast Fun Fitness<br />
5798 Morland Drive N.<br />
Adamstown, MD 21710<br />
(3<strong>01</strong>) 607-4591<br />
Ms. Margaret A. Dawson<br />
New Jersey<br />
Atlantis Health & Fitness<br />
600 Plaza Drive<br />
Secaucus, NJ 07094<br />
(2<strong>01</strong>) 271-0202<br />
Ms. Liz Kane<br />
102 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
New <strong>IHRSA</strong> Clubs<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> Membership Eligibility Standards<br />
Members of the association must comply with <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s<br />
baseline health, safety, and ethical standards.<br />
1. The club will open its membership to persons of all races, creeds,<br />
and places of national origin.<br />
2. The club responds to and endeavors to resolve, within 60 days,<br />
any consumer complaints made to the Better Business Bureau or to<br />
state or local Consumer Protection Agencies (or other such agencies).<br />
3. The club will place all presell membership fees in a segragated<br />
escrow account.<br />
4. The club will not sell prepaid, lifetime memberships.<br />
5. The club must conform to all relevant laws, regulations, and<br />
published standards.<br />
6. The club must be able to respond in a timely manner to any<br />
reasonably foreseeable emergency event that threatens the health<br />
and safety of the club users. Toward this end, a club must have<br />
an appropriate emergency plan that can be executed by qualified<br />
personnel in a timely manner.<br />
7. The club must offer each adult member a pre-activity screening<br />
appropriate to the physical activities to be performed by the member.<br />
8. Each person who has supervisory responsibility for a physical<br />
activity program or area at the club must have demonstrable<br />
professional competence in that physical activity program or area.<br />
9. The club must post appropriate signage alerting users to risks<br />
involved in their use of those areas of the club that present potential<br />
increased risk(s).<br />
10. A club that offers youth services or programs must provide<br />
appropriate supervision.<br />
If any club has evidence that a member club is not abiding by the <strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
Membership Standards, contact the executive director at jmc@ihrsa.org<br />
or write to: <strong>IHRSA</strong>, 263 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210.<br />
*Indicates clubs participating in the <strong>IHRSA</strong> Passport program.<br />
New York<br />
Hardscrabble Club *<br />
22 Sutton Place<br />
Brewster, NY 10509<br />
(914) 669-9500<br />
Ms. Charlotte Kuey<br />
Pennsylvania<br />
The Fitness Garage<br />
11031 Perry Hwt., Ste. 102<br />
Meadville, PA 16335<br />
(814) 724-2348<br />
Ms. Alicia Reist<br />
Virginia<br />
Fitness Zone at Sportsplex<br />
221 Commonwealth Court<br />
Winchester, VA 22602<br />
(540) 869-<strong>01</strong>00<br />
Mr. Chris Petsko<br />
Australia<br />
Fernwood Womens<br />
Fitness Chatswood<br />
Level 2/370 Victoria Ave.<br />
Chatswood, New South<br />
Wales 2067<br />
Ms. Sue Simnor
Members<br />
continued<br />
Fernwood Female Fitness<br />
Centre Harbour Town<br />
P.O. Box 3048<br />
Robina Town Centre<br />
Robina, Queensland 4230<br />
(61) 75-537-7370<br />
Ms. Caroline Stewart<br />
Fernwood Female Fitness<br />
Centre Robina<br />
P.O. Box 3048<br />
Robina Town Centre<br />
Robina, Queensland 4230<br />
(61) 75-593-0983<br />
Mr. Jeffrey Palmer<br />
104 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
New <strong>IHRSA</strong> Clubs<br />
Five Dock Leisure Centre<br />
Queens Road & William Street<br />
Five Dock, New South Wales 2046<br />
Mr. Dan Skakavac<br />
Genesis Fitness Club<br />
20 Longstaff Rd.<br />
Bayswater, Victoria 3153<br />
(61) 38-727-7777<br />
Mr. Glen Hanegraaf<br />
Hornsby World of Fitness<br />
100-102 George St.<br />
Hornsby, New South Wales 2077<br />
(61) 29-476-5225<br />
Mr. David Simmons<br />
Newtown Gym<br />
Level 1 294 King St.<br />
Newtown, New South Wales 2042<br />
Mr. Jeremy Bratt<br />
Prairiewood Leisure Centre<br />
Rickard & Prairie Vale Roads<br />
Prairiewood, New South Wales<br />
2176<br />
Mr. Peter Hickey<br />
South Pacific Health Club<br />
10-18 Jacka Blvd.<br />
St. Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria 3182<br />
(61) 39-525-4888<br />
Mr. Conn Constantinou<br />
Canada<br />
The Yorkville Club<br />
87 Avenue Road, Ste. 252<br />
Toronto M5R 3R9<br />
(416) 961-8400<br />
Mr. Peter Stevens<br />
Finland<br />
Liikuntakeskus Fressi Oy<br />
Haallituskatu 16a<br />
Tampere 33200<br />
(358) 3-222-6009<br />
Mr. Peter Byman<br />
Italy<br />
Free Time Sport Club *<br />
Via Mameli 63/D<br />
Verona 37124<br />
(39) 4-591-8511<br />
Mr. Federico Bellotti India<br />
Whispering Woods Country Club*<br />
Dreamz Achievers India PVT Ltd<br />
Office No. 4, Jains Arcade<br />
14th Road, Khar West<br />
Mumbai 400 052<br />
(91) 21-147-1887<br />
Ms. Karina Pherwani
1<strong>01</strong>0 East 62nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 900<strong>01</strong>-1598<br />
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<br />
Certifying<br />
For Over<br />
28 Years.<br />
Since 1977, NETA (National<br />
Exercise Trainers Association)<br />
has been helping fitness<br />
professionals actualize their<br />
career goals.<br />
We have certified over<br />
110,000 fitness professionals in<br />
Personal Training,<br />
Group Exercise and Pilates<br />
and our certifications are<br />
recognized in over 18,000<br />
fitness facilities across the U.S.<br />
NETA prides itself on<br />
providing the most up-to-date<br />
hands-on training and<br />
proficiency examinations<br />
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enhance our commitment to<br />
quality training, our Personal<br />
Trainer Program is currently in<br />
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If you’re looking<br />
for top notch<br />
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NATIONAL EXERCISE TRAINERS<br />
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For more information regarding<br />
NETA’s uncompromising<br />
curriculum, call 1.800.237.6242<br />
or visit www.NETAFIT.org
Calendar of Events<br />
2005<br />
February 17-19<br />
BTS Summit<br />
Presented by Body Training Systems<br />
Portland, Oregon<br />
800-729-7837<br />
www.bodytrainingsystems.com<br />
March 11-13<br />
ECA/NYC 2005 Fitness Convention<br />
& Trade Show<br />
Miami Beach, Florida<br />
516-432-6877<br />
www.ecaworldfitness.com<br />
March 14-19<br />
15th Annual Art & Science of<br />
Health Promotion Conference<br />
Presented by the American Journal<br />
of Health Promotion<br />
San Francisco<br />
248-682-0707<br />
www.healthpromotionconference.org<br />
March 16-19<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> 2005<br />
24th Annual International<br />
Convention & Trade Show<br />
Moscone Center South<br />
San Francisco<br />
800-228-4772<br />
617-951-0055<br />
www.ihrsa.org/convention<br />
April 16<br />
2nd Annual Pilates Method Alliance<br />
Pilates Day<br />
Sponsored by Canyon Ranch<br />
More than 20 cities worldwide<br />
www,pilatesday.com<br />
April 17-19<br />
American Spa Expo<br />
New York, New York<br />
800-736-7170<br />
show.americanspaexpo.com<br />
April 28 - May 1<br />
IDEA Fitness Fusion - Chicago<br />
Rosemont, Illinois<br />
800-999-4332<br />
www.ideafit.com<br />
106 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
April 29 - May 1<br />
FILEX<br />
Sydney, Australia<br />
(61) 0-29-908-9908<br />
www.fitnessnetwork.com.au<br />
May 5-8<br />
FIBO<br />
Essen, Germany<br />
www.fibo-messe.com<br />
May 18-20<br />
3rd Annual <strong>IHRSA</strong> Legislative Summit<br />
JW Marriott Hotel<br />
Washington, D.C.<br />
800-228-4772<br />
617-951-0055<br />
www.ihrsa.org/meetings<br />
August 8-12<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 17th Annual Institute for<br />
Professional Club Management<br />
Wellesley, Massachusetts<br />
800-228-4772<br />
617-951-0055<br />
www.ihrsa.org/meetings<br />
September 8-10<br />
24th Annual National Fitness<br />
Trade Show<br />
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino<br />
Las Vegas, Nevada<br />
541-830-0400<br />
www.msfitness.com<br />
Out of Shape by Stan Tran
Calendar of Events<br />
2005<br />
February 17-19<br />
BTS Summit<br />
Presented by Body Training Systems<br />
Portland, Oregon<br />
800-729-7837<br />
www.bodytrainingsystems.com<br />
March 11-13<br />
ECA/NYC 2005 Fitness Convention<br />
& Trade Show<br />
Miami Beach, Florida<br />
516-432-6877<br />
www.ecaworldfitness.com<br />
March 14-19<br />
15th Annual Art & Science of<br />
Health Promotion Conference<br />
Presented by the American Journal<br />
of Health Promotion<br />
San Francisco<br />
248-682-0707<br />
www.healthpromotionconference.org<br />
March 16-19<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> 2005<br />
24th Annual International<br />
Convention & Trade Show<br />
Moscone Center South<br />
San Francisco<br />
800-228-4772<br />
617-951-0055<br />
www.ihrsa.org/convention<br />
April 16<br />
2nd Annual Pilates Method Alliance<br />
Pilates Day<br />
Sponsored by Canyon Ranch<br />
More than 20 cities worldwide<br />
www,pilatesday.com<br />
April 17-19<br />
American Spa Expo<br />
New York, New York<br />
800-736-7170<br />
show.americanspaexpo.com<br />
April 28 - May 1<br />
IDEA Fitness Fusion - Chicago<br />
Rosemont, Illinois<br />
800-999-4332<br />
www.ideafit.com<br />
106 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
April 29 - May 1<br />
FILEX<br />
Sydney, Australia<br />
(61) 0-29-908-9908<br />
www.fitnessnetwork.com.au<br />
May 5-8<br />
FIBO<br />
Essen, Germany<br />
www.fibo-messe.com<br />
May 18-20<br />
3rd Annual <strong>IHRSA</strong> Legislative Summit<br />
JW Marriott Hotel<br />
Washington, D.C.<br />
800-228-4772<br />
617-951-0055<br />
www.ihrsa.org/meetings<br />
August 8-12<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong>’s 17th Annual Institute for<br />
Professional Club Management<br />
Wellesley, Massachusetts<br />
800-228-4772<br />
617-951-0055<br />
www.ihrsa.org/meetings<br />
September 8-10<br />
24th Annual National Fitness<br />
Trade Show<br />
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino<br />
Las Vegas, Nevada<br />
541-830-0400<br />
www.msfitness.com<br />
Out of Shape by Stan Tran
Marketplace<br />
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•Broker • Lease<br />
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800-922-3488<br />
www.firstfitnessequipment.com<br />
Buys-Sells-Reconditions<br />
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CFYWIPES @ <strong>IHRSA</strong> –<br />
SAN FRANCISCO ‘05<br />
• TOSaway Disinfecting Wipes<br />
(EPA #1839-178-80678 )<br />
• Alcohol & Bleach FREE (safe to<br />
use on machines & equipment)<br />
• 150 Count, 7" x 8",<br />
Heavy Duty, Fresh Scent,<br />
Soft Cloth Wipes<br />
• Antibacterial formula that<br />
Cleans and Disinfects<br />
• Streamlined – Stainless,<br />
Wall Mount Dispenser<br />
(6" x 6" x 22")<br />
• TOSaway Stainless<br />
Dispenser Has a Built-in<br />
Disposal Bin<br />
• We customize TOSaway<br />
with your logo – no charge<br />
866.742.4900<br />
www.cfywipes.com<br />
info@cfywipes.com<br />
JOBLINE<br />
Spectrum Clubs, the 10th<br />
largest athletic club company<br />
in the U.S. is expanding in<br />
Southern California and San<br />
Antonio, Texas. "A step up"<br />
from the rest, we provide fitness,<br />
wellness, and sports<br />
programming with cutting<br />
edge technology executed by<br />
award winning professionals.<br />
• General Manager<br />
• Business Office Manager<br />
• Sales Manager<br />
• Sales Representative<br />
• Group Exercise/Pilates/<br />
Yoga Instructors<br />
• Private Trainers/Fitness<br />
Managers<br />
• Receptionist<br />
We offer excellent benefits<br />
and an energetic work atmosphere!<br />
Come be a part of our<br />
growing, ambitious company!<br />
Please submit resume, salary<br />
requirements, and a cover letter<br />
to: tbrown@spectrumclubs.com<br />
or fax 310-727-9310 (CA) or<br />
cguillet@spectrumclubs.com<br />
or fax 210-404-2214 (TX).<br />
108 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
JOIN OUR<br />
EXPANDING TEAM!!!<br />
Capital Fitness, a 14 club chain<br />
in the Chicagoland area is<br />
growing and seeking General<br />
Managers, Sales Directors, and<br />
Sales Representatives for new<br />
and existing clubs. This is a high<br />
energy environment where<br />
rewards are high and growth is<br />
unlimited. Fax: 630-556-4742 or<br />
email: johnt@xsportfitness.com<br />
WORK WHERE YOU PLAY<br />
Wellbridge owns and operates<br />
45 premier athletic clubs and spas<br />
nationwide under the mission of<br />
“improving quality of life through fitness,<br />
wellness, sports and fun.” If you are<br />
highly qualified and seeking a position<br />
where you can utilize your passion to<br />
exceed your career expectations, we<br />
want you to join our team.<br />
• Corporate Sales Management<br />
• Club and Regional Management<br />
• Membership Sales Representatives<br />
• Personal Training Managers<br />
• Personal Trainers<br />
• Fitness Managers<br />
• Group Fitness Instructors<br />
• Pilates/Yoga Instructors<br />
Visit www.Wellbridge.com and send us<br />
your application via our employment<br />
link or fax us at 303.830.7502<br />
To view <strong>CBI</strong> online visit www.ihrsa.org
Marketplace<br />
JOBLINE<br />
JOIN OUR DYNAMIC TEAM<br />
The Tennis Corporation of<br />
America, a leading upscale<br />
club management company<br />
is seeking:<br />
• Club Managers<br />
• Sales Directors<br />
• Fitness Directors<br />
• Personal Trainers<br />
• Group Exercise<br />
• Instructors<br />
• Sales Reps<br />
• and more!<br />
We own and operate over<br />
40 prestigious clubs in North<br />
America and have a strong<br />
track record of stability and<br />
growth. We provide longterm<br />
career opportunities,<br />
training, and a competitive<br />
salary, plus full benefits. If you<br />
are highly motivated and<br />
desire personal growth and<br />
development, we want to<br />
talk to you!<br />
Email your resume to Greg<br />
Snow, National Recruiting<br />
Director, at gsnow@tcaclubs.com<br />
or fax to 877/<br />
881-0200<br />
Also visit TCA’s Job Line at<br />
www.tcaclubs.com<br />
JLR<br />
ASSOCIATES<br />
Executive Search,<br />
Recruitment<br />
and Placement –<br />
Helping You Find<br />
the Right People<br />
Call Jeff Randall<br />
Tel: 781-251-0094<br />
jr@jlrassoc.com<br />
WE HAVE<br />
IMMEDIATE<br />
OPENINGS!<br />
www.jlrassoc.com<br />
CONSULTING<br />
JOIN OUR TEAM IN<br />
SUNNY FLORIDA<br />
Lifestyle Family Fitness is<br />
ranked in top 34 fitness clubs in<br />
N. America and has over 19<br />
locations in Central Florida.<br />
We are currently hiring for the<br />
following positions:<br />
• Operations Managers<br />
• Regional and General<br />
Sales Managers<br />
• Personal Trainers<br />
• Group Fitness Instructors<br />
• Sales Consultants<br />
Lifestyle Family Fitness offers<br />
competitive salaries and benefits<br />
package. For more information<br />
call 1-800-881-8755 or<br />
fax resumes to 727-456-3112;<br />
JOBS@LFF.COM.<br />
Classified<br />
Ad Rates<br />
Member Company/Club<br />
$200/first 50 words,<br />
$1 each additional word<br />
Box<br />
additional $35<br />
Logo<br />
additional $35<br />
For more information,<br />
or to place a classified<br />
advertisment call<br />
800 228-4772 or<br />
e-mail cbi@ihrsa.org.<br />
FITNESS MANAGEMENT<br />
AND CONSULTING<br />
• Troubleshooting<br />
• Sales Training<br />
• Tele-Coaching<br />
• Operational Analysis<br />
• Leasing & Finance<br />
• Lead Boxes<br />
• Direct Mail<br />
• Books, Tapes & Videos<br />
• Investment & Business<br />
Opportunities<br />
www.fmconsulting.net<br />
800-929-2898<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 109
3rd Annual<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong><br />
LEGISLATIVE<br />
SUMMIT<br />
May 18-20, 2005<br />
Washington, DC<br />
JW Marriott Hotel<br />
Featuring Keynote<br />
Speaker Mary Matalin<br />
“Politics, the<br />
Presidency<br />
and the<br />
Press”<br />
Who Should Attend?<br />
• Club owners and general managers<br />
• Anyone in the fitness industry with<br />
an interest in being politically active<br />
For More Information:<br />
• Phone: 800-228-4772 (U.S./Canada),<br />
617-951-0055 (International)<br />
• Fax: 617-737-3323<br />
• Email: meetings@ihrsa.org<br />
263 Summer Street<br />
Boston, Massachusetts 02210 USA<br />
110 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org<br />
Marketplace<br />
CONSULTING<br />
TO PLACE A<br />
CLASSIFIED AD<br />
CALL 800 228-4772<br />
OR E-MAIL<br />
<strong>CBI</strong>@<strong>IHRSA</strong>.ORG<br />
FILL<br />
A JOB,<br />
FIND<br />
A JOB AT:<br />
CLUB FOR SALE<br />
FITNESS STUDIO<br />
FOR WOMEN<br />
Located in southwest Florida.<br />
Full service studio with aerobic<br />
room, pilates reformers,<br />
strength and cardio equipment,<br />
free weights, tanning booth.<br />
Establishing membership.<br />
Beautiful fun location. Asking<br />
$275,000. Owner financing<br />
with $150,000 down. Price<br />
includes significant leasehold<br />
improvements, approximately<br />
4,000 sq ft. Turnkey operation.<br />
E-mail for further info:<br />
starlightc@earthlink.net<br />
www.ihrsa.org/jobs
Index<br />
<strong>CBI</strong> Advertisers<br />
Company Page # Phone # Contact Email/Web Site<br />
ABC Financial Services, Inc. 40 800-622-6290 Paul Schaller www.abcfinancial.com<br />
Airex ® distributed by SPRI Products, Inc. 103 800-222-7774 Terri Selz www.spriproducts.com<br />
Amercian College of Sports Medicine 87 317-637-9200 Chris Kushner www.acsm.org<br />
American Council on Exercise 54 800-825-3636 Ken Germano www.acefitness.org<br />
American Specialty Health 50 888-511-2743 John Donoghue www.ashproviders.com<br />
ASF International 2, 3 800-227-3859 Sean Kirby www.asfinternational.com<br />
Balanced Body Pilates 32 800-745-2837 Dave Littman www.pilates.com<br />
Balazs Boxing 71 888-466-6765 Patrick Gormley www.boxingsource.com<br />
Body Bar Systems 79 800-500-2030 Andrea Dyer www.bodybars.com<br />
Bodyguard Fitness 103 800-373-2639 www.bodyguardfitness.com<br />
BroadcastVision 21 800-770-9770 Mark Blake www.broadcastvision.com<br />
CheckFree Corporation 5 800-242-9522 Ron Poliseno www.rcmsolutions.com<br />
Club Marketing & Management Services 11 406-449-5559 Mike Chaet www.cms-clubweb.com<br />
Club-Pak 107 800-234-6363 Scott Morgan www.Jenkins-Athens.com<br />
Concept2, Inc. 91 800-245-5676 Bill Patton www.concept2.com<br />
Core Spinal Fitness System by MedX 22 866-814-0719 Jennifer Passudetti www.corespinalfitness.com<br />
Creative Agency Group 89 800-888-8381 Jon Denley jdenley@creativeagency.com<br />
CSI Software 31 800-247-3431 Frank McDuff www.csisoftwareusa.com<br />
CYBEX International, Inc. 9 508-533-4300 Deb Cowell www.cybexinternational.com<br />
Elixir Tonics & Teas 100 323-850-9450 Bob Mah www.elixir.net<br />
Exerflex 27 800-428-5306 Steve Chase www.fitnessfloors.com<br />
Fit Rewards Insert 888-762-8156 Maria Parella www.fitrewards.com<br />
FreeMotion Fitness 28 877-363-8449 Brandon Lee www.freemotionfitness.com<br />
Gerstung 87 800-922-3575 Jeff Tarleton www.gerstung.com<br />
Gliding 10 800-464-7309 Stu Turner www.glidingpro.com<br />
Graham Meus Architects 98 617-423-9399 Jennifer Meus www.graham-meus.com<br />
Hitech Trainer 106 877-205-3448 Bedros Kemilian www.hitechtrainer.com<br />
HOIST Fitness Systems 46 800-548-5438 Reina Reeves www.hoistfitness.com<br />
Ideal Products 98 800-88-IDEAL Robert Martin www.idealockers.com<br />
Iron Grip Barbell Company 7 800-664-IRON Donna McCallum www.irongrip.com<br />
Ivanko Barbell Company 19 310-514-1155 Chet Groskreutz www.ivankobarbell.com<br />
John Spencer Ellis Enterprises 105 877-348-6692 Michele Corillo www.thespencermethod.com<br />
K & K Insurance 93 800-637-4757 Sandee Howle www.kandkinsurance.com<br />
KIP Machines 91 (54)341-464-7302 Horacio Moavro www.kipmachines.com<br />
Life Fitness Back <strong>Cover</strong> 800-634-8637 Mike Rotz www.lifefitness.com<br />
Linear Rubber Products 79 800-558-4040 Ron Fechner www.rubbermats.com<br />
M.S. Plastics and Packaging Co. 98 800-593-1802 Keith Howson www.msplastics.com<br />
Magnum Fitness Equipment IBC 800-372-0554 Larry Nelson www.magnumfitness.com<br />
Matrix Fitness Systems, Corp. 89 920-648-6100 ext. 333 Tiffany Kump www.matrixfitness.com<br />
Max Rack 69 866-231-3383 Karen Skilken www.maxrack.com<br />
MembersFirst 34 866-636-3477 Pete Diffendal www.memfirst.com<br />
Mondo USA 64 800-441-6645 Matt Sheafer www.mondousa.com<br />
MyGym Fitness System 87 8<strong>01</strong>-671-6907 Vincent Engle www.mygym.net<br />
National Council of Strength & Fitness 39 800-722-NCSF Damian Stephens www.ncsf.org<br />
National Exercise Trainers Association 105 800-237-6242 Mario Crespo www.netafit.org<br />
Nautilus Health & Fitness Group IFC 800-864-1270 x1611 Pete Dame www.nautilus.com<br />
New Leaf Health & Fitness Products 57 888-826-2751 Kristen Icarella www.newleaf-online.com<br />
Peak Performance Insert 800-574-4400 Jim Smith www.healthclubpros.com<br />
Philips Medical Systems 14 800-453-6860 Thomas Costello www.medical.philips.com<br />
Power Systems 1<strong>01</strong> 800-321-6975 Bruno Pauletto www.power-systems.com<br />
Powerful Promotions, Inc. 58, 59 877-822-5577 Jim Martin www.powerfulpromotions.com<br />
Precor Commercial Division 17 800-786-8404 Chris Torggler www.precor.com<br />
Pro*Fit Enterprises 79 888-604-2244 Rande LaDue www.pacegroupexercise.com<br />
Ready Care Industries 80 800-477-4283 Kevin Hedican www.readycare.com<br />
Salsbury Industries 105 800-562-5377 Ricardo Alva www.lockers.com<br />
SCIFIT 12 800-278-3933/918-359-2000 Denton Smith www.scifit.com<br />
Soft Play 94 888-752-9582 Michaella Zahn www.softplay.com<br />
Sports & Fitness Insurance Corporation 80 888-276-8392 Jennifer Urmston Lowe www.sportsfitness.com<br />
SportsArt America 24 800-709-1400 Scott Logan www.sportsartamerica.com<br />
StairGlider 54 888-716-4747 Kimber Thayer www.StairGlider.com<br />
SPRI Products, Inc. 38 800-222-7774 Customer Service www.spriproducts.com<br />
Star Trac 1 800-228-6635 Paul Ireland www.startrac.com<br />
Stott Pilates 49 416-482-4050 Sales Department www.stottpilates.com<br />
Summit Learning Systems 84 800-666-6404 x3 Raymond Cardinale www.<strong>IHRSA</strong>ClubResults.com<br />
Susan K. Bailey Advertising Insert 888-349-4594 Patrick Kell www.clubads.com<br />
TECHNOGYM <strong>Cover</strong> 800-804-0952 Ivo Grossi www.technogymusa.com<br />
Thomas Plummer Company 82 800-726-3506 www.thomasplummer.net<br />
Tricore Fitness, LLC 97 800-223-1084 Don Brown www.tricorefitness.com<br />
VersaClimber 37 800-237-2271 Brett Collins www.versaclimber.com<br />
X-Vest 70 800-697-5658 George Morrison www.thexvest.com<br />
Yeadon Fabric Domes, Inc. 107 800-493-2366 Steve Flanagan www.yeadondomes.com<br />
www.ihrsa.org FEBRUARY 2005 Club Business International 111
Memo from McCarthy <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s relationship with GNC and FitRewards offers<br />
real, meaningful, benefits for its member clubs.<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> Offers New Programs<br />
with GNC and FitRewards<br />
In an association with members as varied as <strong>IHRSA</strong>’s, not<br />
every membership benefit is right for every club. However,<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> has recently entered into a relationship with two<br />
companies, each of which, I’m convinced, can provide a real,<br />
meaningful, value added for many <strong>IHRSA</strong> facilities. Those two<br />
firms are GNC and FitRewards.<br />
GNC is well-known to most <strong>IHRSA</strong> members. As you’re<br />
probably already aware, in the U.S., it’s the leading retail<br />
supplier of vitamins and nutritional supplements.<br />
We appreciate that many clubs have chosen not to sell vitamins<br />
or supplements, but, at the same time, we recognize that 80%<br />
of the American public, and an even higher percentage of club<br />
members, are now making use of dietary aids of some sort.<br />
Our relationship with the company provides significant<br />
discounts to the members of <strong>IHRSA</strong> facilities whenever they<br />
John McCarthy<br />
purchase something at a GNC store. Last September, GNC<br />
<strong>IHRSA</strong> Executive Director distributed more than 1 million temporary Gold Cards—good,<br />
for one day, for a 20% discount on any GNC product—to the<br />
members of participating clubs. And, last month, GNC put<br />
another 850,000 Elite Gold Cards into circulation through <strong>IHRSA</strong> facilities; these<br />
extend a 20% discount for the first week of every month for a full year.<br />
Each time GNC conducts one of these promotions, it markets it to GNC customers,<br />
either in-store or via direct mail, offering them a free two-week guest membership<br />
at participating clubs.<br />
This benefit costs you nothing. It allows you to give something of real value to<br />
your members. And, perhaps most importantly, it may well generate new memberships.<br />
As I indicated above, this program may not be appropriate for every club, but for<br />
many—it’s a great deal. (For more information or to enroll, contact Brooke Basile at<br />
800-228-4772, ext. 173.)<br />
FitRewards, for its part, has developed a program that fills a huge void in the health<br />
and fitness club industry. Up until now, no one has created loyalty programs for our<br />
business comparable to the “frequent-flier” programs originated by the airline industry.<br />
FitRewards meets that need.<br />
Modeled on the “frequent-buyer” programs instituted by hotels, supermarkets, car<br />
rental agencies, and others, it rewards club members for consistent and long-term<br />
usage, and for purchasing ancillary items, such as personal training, spa services, etc.<br />
Each time a member uses the club, they earn points. Each time they take a tennis lesson,<br />
they earn points. Each time they refer a new member, they earn points. And each time<br />
they buy something in the club, they earn points.<br />
Redemption is painless and seamless. A special Website tracks all of the<br />
member’s activities, keeps a running toll of points earned, and allows them to redeem<br />
their points for a variety of products and services—either standard merchandise or<br />
club-specific products.<br />
FitRewards is, at once, a marketing tool, a revenue-generating tool, a memberrecognition,<br />
-satisfaction, and –retention tool, and even a staff-motivation tool. It’s<br />
clearly worth your consideration. (For more information or to enroll, contact Maria<br />
Parrella at 800-762-8156 or log on to www.fitrewardsclub.com.) <br />
Photo by Tracy Powell<br />
112 Club Business International FEBRUARY 2005 www.ihrsa.org
Magnum fits all the pieces together to help make<br />
your business a success.<br />
Your Single Source<br />
Over the past 25 years Magnum has become a trusted name in the<br />
fitness industry by building integrity into our products and services.<br />
Every project receives our steadfast commitment to craftsmanship, as<br />
well as, the highest caliber of professionalism to help you and your<br />
clients achieve success. Our experienced representatives provide<br />
expertise in equipment selection and facility layout to maximize the<br />
use of your floor space.<br />
Magnum offers a turnkey product package including: strength, cardio,<br />
flooring, weights and accessories, facility layout and planning, and<br />
other support services. The core of what we do is to provide all the<br />
necessary products and services to bring success to your business.<br />
800-372-0554 • www.magnumfitness.com
Picture Perfect<br />
NOW EXERCISE ENTERTAINMENT IS MORE POWERFUL<br />
THAN YOUR MEMBERS EVER IMAGINED.<br />
Customizable, upscale, and truly unique. It’s the power of attraction<br />
that makes our new LCD Technology so appealing. But looks aren’t the<br />
only thing. The interactive touch-screen performance of the Integrated LCD<br />
Console and the simple functionality of the Attachable LCD Entertainment<br />
System deliver the most powerful customized entertainment experience.<br />
Because when you combine the best in LCD Technology with the<br />
best equipment, your members get much more than they expected.<br />
For a closer look at our LCD Technology, visit lifefitness.com<br />
or call 800.634.8637.<br />
AD CODE: AD-<strong>CBI</strong>-LCD<br />
©2004 Life Fitness, a division of Brunswick Corporation. All rights reserved. Life Fitness is a registered trademark of Brunswick Corporation. USC-082-04 (12.04)<br />
Integrated LCD Console<br />
Attachable LCD Entertainment System<br />
lifefitness.com<br />
Built to Lead >>