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CHICAGO -- Bally Total Fitness’ former accounting firm,
Ernst & Young, agreed to pay the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) $8.5 million in a settlement stemming from Bally’s alleged
accounting fraud from 2001 to 2003.
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LOS ANGELES -- Fitness legend Jack LaLanne, who received
Club Industry’s Lifetime Achievement Award this year, is
recovering from heart valve surgery.
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NEW YORK -- A club member was beaten and stabbed to death in
a dispute over an elliptical machine at the club, police say.
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LUBBOCK, TX -- A man was sentenced to 18 months in federal
prison for embezzling money from a fitness club chain.
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AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND -- U.S. federal authorities, in
cooperation with Les Mills International, broke up a North
Carolina-based group that traded in counterfeit versions of Les Mills
group fitness trademarks and resources, according to Les Mills,
Auckland, New Zealand.
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VIRGINIA BEACH, VA -- A new Navy fitness system will include
customized physical training programs tailored to sailors’ specific
duty roles, as well as a nutritional component. The new Navy Operational
Fitness and Fueling Series will be rolled out to the fleet during the
summer of 2010.
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SAN MARCOS, TX -- Texas State University-San Marcos created
the “largest human power plant in the world” recently when it
debuted 30 ellipticals retrofitted with devices that convert
user-generated energy into electricity.
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CANTON, OH -- Citing membership loss and the down economy,
the Canton Jewish Community Center (JCC) plans to close its physical
education wing, which includes a fitness center and a gymnasium, on Dec.
31.
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MILLINGTON, TN -- The majority of Navy sailors are happy with
their access to fitness facilities and equipment, according to a poll
released yesterday by Navy Personal Readiness and Community Support
(N135).
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SILVER SPRING, MD -- The Sporting Goods Manufacturers
Association (SGMA) has created the Association of Fitness Industry
Retailers & Manufacturers (AFIRM), a new trade association dedicated to
developing benefits, products and services specifically for fitness
industry manufacturers and retailers.
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NEW YORK -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently
asked for fitness trainers to volunteer their time to make the city more
fit. The call for volunteers came during a press conference about the
New York City Service TV ad campaign Give Your BLANK, which promotes
volunteer service in the city.
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SILVER SPRING, MD -- Motionsoft Inc. has been granted Level 1
Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS) certification,
making it one of a handful of software vendors in the health and
wellness space that has been granted PCI compliance.
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SCHILLER PARK, IL -- Royal Caribbean International, Miami,
chose Life Fitness, Schiller Park, IL, to supply equipment for its new
Oasis of the Seas ship.
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IRVINE, CA -- Actors playing rugby players in the new movie
“Invictus” used Power Plate vibration technology machines to
alleviate sore muscles on the set, the company said.
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New Evolution Fitness Co. Founder Mark Mastrov, along
with Steve Nash of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, Fitness World Founder Henry
Polessky and Angelo, Gordon & Co., today announced that Fitness World
has become part of the Steve Nash Sports Club
brand, making it the largest fitness brand in British Columbia, Canada.
The 15 clubs will be known as Steve Nash Fitness World.
Anytime Fitness,
Hastings, MN, announced that Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who
recently won the American League Most Valuable Player Award, will be
appearing in TV commercials for Anytime Fitness. Mauer also will record
radio commercials, appear in print and Internet advertisements and write
a monthly blog for the company’s Web site, AnytimeFitness.com, and its
new Web site, AnytimeHealth.com.
Snap Fitness, Chanhassen,
MN, announced the opening of its 1,000th club, in St. Paul, MN. “This
is a tremendous milestone for us, as we launched our franchise in
Minnesota and are now opening our 1,000th club where it all began,”
Peter Taunton, Snap Fitness CEO and founder, said in a
statement.
Defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp.
celebrated the opening of its Innovation Institute on Dec. 11 in
Linthicum, MD. The five-story, 156,000-square-foot building was designed
to help foster a collaborative employee work environment, company
officials said. It features a ground-floor fitness area and an Internet
café. More than 7,600 employees work at the site.
After a membership drive to
save the South Toledo YMCA failed to enroll enough new members, the
facility will close, the board of directors announced. The campaign
generated only 118 new memberships of the 500 needed for the Y to remain
open. People who joined during the campaign will be allowed to cancel
without penalty.
Elements, a
Miami-based upscale club for women, recently opened a club in Toronto
and another club in Fargo, ND. Although the brand is primarily
considered to be an urban brand, the opening in the smaller city of
Fargo proves that the elements message of health and vitality is
universal and that the franchise offerings can be adapted for a wide and
diverse audience, says brand founder Chris Palumbo.
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Cybex
International, Medway, MA, has added Robert E. Smyth to its board of
directors. Smyth most recently served as president of Citizens Bank,
Massachusetts, where he was responsible for leading the commercial
banking business in four New England states. “I am honored and
delighted to join Cybex’s distinguished board of directors,” Smyth
said in a statement, “and I look forward to working with [CEO] John
Aglialoro to accelerate the growth of Cybex and the growth of the global
fitness industry.”
Cybex International also
announced that golfing great Greg Norman will endorse its products as an
official ambassador for Cybex Golf Fitness. As part of the multi-year
agreement, Norman will serve as a Cybex spokesperson, participate in
strategic marketing initiatives and appear on behalf of Cybex at the
Golf Industry Show, Feb. 10-11, in San Diego.
Regupol America LLC, engineer
of sustainable surfacing material, purchased 10 acres of land
surrounding its Lebanon, PA, manufacturing facility, according to an
announcement from the company. The company will use the land to expand
the plant, starting with a planned groundbreaking in the first half of
next year, says George Soukas, president, Regupol America. The company
now has 25 acres encompassing the manufacturing facility.
Spinning, an indoor cycling brand from Mad Dogg Athletics Inc., is
presenting the third annual Spinning Nation charity event on Feb. 27,
2010. Proceeds from the event will go to Ride 2 Recovery, a charity
benefiting mental and physical rehabilitation of men and women in the
armed forces. This year, more than 100 health clubs nationwide donated
their indoor cycling facility for a few hours on the event day to host a
ride, raising $250,000. Facility operators interested in participating
in the 2010 event can visit www.spinningnation.org.
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I came across a study in the January/February 2010 issue of
the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior about how
overweight and normal weight people feel about exercise. We all know
that few people like to exercise, and we think that overweight people
would feel even more uncomfortable about exercising than normal weight
people. Well, the study found that this is true.
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I read this
story recently, and it made me think about how you really have to
watch for the other types of businesses operating in your building or
strip mall when you are a club owner. The story is about a Gold’s Gym
in Oaks, PA, operated by franchisee Bob LePage.
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