FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 1, 2001

“EXTREME SPORTS” BONANZA, INCREASINGLY ACTIVE SENIORS, AND PLENTY OF SNOW ALL LIFT U.S. SPORTS PARTICIPATION IN 2000

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But National Tracking Study Unveils a Mixed Year, As Gains in Some Contemporary Activities May Be at the Expense of Traditional American Sports and Pastimes

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Health Clubs and Personal Trainers Motivate Reluctant Exercisers, Buoying Fitness Sector

HARTSDALE, N.Y. -- True to form, Snowboarding, Skateboarding and Wakeboarding -- three of the so-called "Extreme" or "Millennial" sports -- were the fastest growing in the U.S. during the first year of the New Millennium. This was according to the 14th annual Superstudy® of Sports Participation, conducted in January, 2001 by American Sports Data, Inc. of 14,772 Americans nationwide.

During the year 2000, Snowboarding -- once the unwanted stepchild of the ski slopes -- skyrocketed by 51% to 7.2 million participants. The kindred activities of Skateboarding and Wakeboarding surged by 49% and 32% respectively, giving this sub-genre of "board" sports a clean sweep of the top three growth positions. Three other "Alternative Sports" earned a top ten rating. In a statistical tie, Surfing and Artificial Wall Climbing captured sixth place, both leaping by 26% over 1999 measurements. With 2 million participants and an 18% growth rate, Snowshoeing secured tenth position.

These emerging sports (variously dubbed "Millennial", "Alternative", or "New Age") are the province of Generation Y males, and -- depending on the commentator -- also include activities such as Wall-Climbing, Surfing, Paintball, Mountain Biking, BMX, In-Line Skating and Snowshoeing. The common defining feature of Extreme sports is the adrenaline-rush produced by the thrill and excitement of being "on the edge".

In-Line Skating, progenitor of the Extreme sports category, first appeared in the late 1980's, and then grew meteorically -- to a peak of 32 million participants in 1998. After reaching this saturation point, the skating population receded by 13% in 1999 to 27.9 million, and based on dwindling product sales, seemed destined to slide even further. But in the year 2000, presumably on the coattails of its offspring, this original Extreme sport stabilized at 29 million -- a statistically insignificant increase of 4% over 1999. Although it attracted 13.9 million youthful participants (average age 13.2) in 2000, the trendy activity of Scooter Riding (80% were newcomers) did not, as some industry analysts feared, accelerate the decline of In-Line Skating.

In cooperation with the Generation Y trend, an abundance of snow in many regions practically assured a dominant rating for Snowboarding. And so obliging was the weather that every single snow sport -- Extreme or otherwise -- enjoyed growth during 2000. The number of people who operated a Snowmobile jumped 28%, to 7 million, while the ranks of those who engaged in Snowshoeing and Cross-Country Skiing swelled respectively by 18% and 16%. Interestingly, Downhill Skiing was a lesser beneficiary, advancing only 6% for the year.

But the blessings of Extreme sports may come at a price no less dear than that of American traditions. For the year 2000, the survey found 10.9 million Baseball players in the U.S. -- 10% fewer than in 1999 and a 28% deficit from 1987. Basketball declined by 5% in the past year and 17% from its 1997 peak. Since 1987, Softball and Volleyball have plunged by 37% and 36% respectively, with Touch Football falling a little less precipitously -- by 24%. On the positive side of the ledger, Soccer remained flat (+1%), while Fast-Pitch Softball and Tackle Football advanced by 18% and 15% respectively. But since the latter two measurements barely attained statistical significance, they merit further observation, said ASD president Harvey Lauer.

According to Lauer, "traditional team sports such as Baseball, Basketball and Football reflected traditional values: cooperation, teamwork, character-building and group competition. The new Extreme sports are rooted in a diametrically opposite set of values which include fierce individualism, alienation, defiance and some degree of inwardly-focused aggression. Unlike the Scooter craze, which has nothing to do with the changing social fabric, these new sports are an authentic slice of the wider youth culture, and not just a fad."

If Extreme sports are being propelled by new youth values, the traditional "blood" sports of Hunting, Shooting and Fishing reflect changing adult values. These traditional pursuits, in Lauer's words, "are like a huge glacier, slowly being melted by the irreversible warming trend of humanistic evolution." In the past year, the trendiest of the Shooting sports (Sporting Clays) earned the dubious distinction of losing the most participants (-24%) while a close cousin (Trap/Skeet Shooting) fell by 19%, and Target Shooting declined by 11%. Hunting with a shotgun or rifle remained flat (-2%), but has fallen by 35% since 1987. During 1999-2000, the Bow Hunting population contracted by 11%.

With 54.8 million adherents, Fishing remains the third most popular activity in the U.S., surpassed only by Recreational Walking and Swimming. In the past year, Fishing reflected zero-growth (-1%), and for the 1987-2000 period, a loss of 8%. However, due to a 15% increase in the U.S. population during that period, the actual incidence of Fishing has declined by over 20%.

Further analysis of the data indicates that after the elimination of Extreme and Snow Sports from the top 20 growth list, 6 of the remaining 10 activities may be characterized as driven by an "older" constituency. Whereas the traditional health club member or home exerciser was once an 18-34 year-old "hardbody", today's fitness movement (and many other active pursuits) are underwritten by people over 35, and most strikingly, by those over 55. Between 1987-2000, the number of health club members aged 18-34 increased by only 12%; for people aged 55+, membership skyrocketed by 379%!

Elliptical Motion Trainers -- by far the hottest fitness equipment trend -- have surged to 6.2 million users in 2000, an increase of 22% from 1999 and 160% over 1997. This relatively new cardiovascular equipment involves an elliptical-shaped pedaling motion which has been described as a cross between a Nordic Ski Machine and Stair-Climber. This "no-impact" device is particularly friendly to older fitness enthusiasts -- particularly those with knee problems. Yoga, Aquatic Exercise and Treadmills are also kinder and gentler low-impact activities that credit recent growth to an influx of older converts. In the year 2000, two other populations with a high percentage of older participants -- Golf and R.V. Camping -- each increased by 8%.

But according to the Superstudy® of Sports Participation, mixed signals continue to emanate from the world of fitness. The three forms of outdoors exercise, Running (-1%) Fitness Walking (+1%) and Fitness Biking (-6%) have not advanced. Group Exercise -- a recent health club rage -- appears to have cooled, as Aerobics and Spinning declined by 8% and 22% respectively. After a fiery ascent to 7.6 million participants in 1999, Cardio Kickboxing has reached its apogee, leveling off to 7.2 million in 2000. Slower growth for this predominantly female activity was predicted by the 1999 ASD study, which revealed an average participation frequency of only 33 days -- not the hallmark of an enduring fitness trend.

Other fitness activities were in positive territory: Elliptical Trainer Usage (+22%), Yoga/Tai Chi (+16%), Aquatics (+15%), Weight/Resistance Machines (+10%), and Treadmill Exercise (+9%). Free Weight Training edged up 4% for the year, but rose by 8% from 1998-2000. Within the Free Weights category, the use of light Hand Weights (fueled by women and older participants) increased by 5% for the year and 16% since 1998.

Overall, exactly 50 million Americans over the age of 6 participated at least 100 times in any single fitness activity, nearly identical to the 1999 measurement. But in opposition to the lackluster Megatrend, 32.8 million Health Club members were projected -- a 7% increase over the 1999 measurement of 30.6 million. More dramatically, the number of people who engaged the services of a Personal Trainer surged by 29%, to 5.3 million.

How then do we explain the paradox of both a booming Health Club industry and brisk Personal Trainer business in the face of a stalled fitness movement? Easily, says Lauer: "Health Clubs and Personal Trainers are benefiting from a failure of self-motivation among many fitness participants. It's difficult for people, on their own, to defy the Pleasure Principle -- to do something painful, inconvenient, time-consuming, or all three. People need external motivation, structure and re-enforcement. Some also need social interaction."

The Superstudy® of Sports Participation was conducted in January 2001 and based on a nationally representative sample of 14,772 people over the age of 6, who were among 25,000 respondents targeted in a sample drawn from the consumer mail panel of NFO Research, Inc. 103 sports and activities were measured along over 20 demographic, attitudinal and behavioral dimensions. Data were also collected on health club membership and other subjects pertinent to physical fitness. This annual tracking study has been conducted by ASD every year since 1987, and sponsored by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association of North Palm Beach, Florida. For more information, call (914) 328-8877, or log onto www.americansportsdata.com.

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