SGMA's 11th National Health Through Fitness Day fact sheet
Sporting Goods Industry Plans Congressional Meetings on March 10. Former Football Great Herschel Walker to Chair Event. ESPN’s Bonnie Bernstein to MC Capitol Hill Reception Night Before.
Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
WHO: Sports celebrities, sporting goods manufacturers, sporting goods retailers, PE teachers, association leaders, and ‘friends of the industry.’ Two of the early celebrity commitments include Herschel Walker and Annika Sorenstam.
More than 30 companies are committed as sponsors: Accusplit, Active Network, Annika Foundation, Callaway, Century, Cramer Products, Easton-Bell Sports, Everlast Climbing Walls, Flaghouse, Franklin Sports, Game Bike, Gatorade, GeoFitness, Gopher, Head, HOPSports, Mizuno, NASPE, NFL, NFL Players Association, National Sporting Goods Association, PlayCore, Polar, Precor, Prince, Rawlings, Reebok, SGMA, SGMA’s Legal Task Force, Speed Stacks, Sportime, Tennis Industry Association, Under Armour, and the U.S. Tennis Association.
WHAT: 11th Annual National Health-through-Fitness Day in Washington, D.C.
Meet with members of Congress to promote two initiatives that will help Americans (of all ages) adopt more physically active and healthy lifestyles.
(1) Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) Bill, which provides grants to school districts to support innovative physical education methods;
(2) PHIT (Personal Health Investment Today) Act, to encourage improved health through increased physical activity for all Americans by making activities more affordable — through the use of tax incentives.
WHEN: Wednesday, March 10, 2010
WHERE: Briefing Breakfast
7:30 am to 9:00 am @ Embassy Suites DC Convention Ctr.
(900 10th Street, N.W.; Washington, D.C. 20001 — 202-739-2001)
Congressional Lobbying on Capitol Hill: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Senate Office Buildings (Hart, Dirksen, and Russell)
House Office Buildings (Rayburn, Cannon, and Longworth)
WHY: With the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reporting that more than 50% of American adults don’t get the recommended amount of physical activity, we need to do more to encourage physically active lifestyles in America. PEP introduces young people to the importance of physical activity and PHIT will help reverse the obesity trend plaguing America — where 129.6 million Americans are overweight, obese, and/or physically inactive.
“With the PHIT Act and PEP grants, SGMA has a chance to work with the U.S. Congress to send a serious message about the importance of regular physical activity. This legislation could possibly lead to the cultural change needed to revolutionize the nation’s attitude about physical fitness with respect to health,” said Bill Sells, SGMA’s vice president of government relations. “Too many people are overweight due to inactivity and the sedentary trend needs to be reversed. If not, the CDC estimates our nation’s health care costs will reach $4 trillion by 2015. Our nation cannot afford to dedicate one of every five dollars generated in the U.S. to health care.”
www.sgma.com• 8505 Fenton Street, Suite 211, Silver Spring, MD 20910 • p: 301.495.6321 f: 301.495.6322
