Nearly 20 well known figures from the sports world have confirmed their
attendance for SGMAs 11th Annual National Health Through Fitness Day being held March 10 in Washington DC. The honorary chairman this year will be football legend/1982 Heisman
Trophy winner Herschel Walker, care of Franklin
Sports.
Joining him will be LPGA Hall of Fame golfer Annika Sörenstam (The
Annika Foundation/Callaway Golf), internationally renowned golf
instructor David Leadbetter (Callaway Golf), former National League MVP
Steve Garvey (Rawlings Sporting Goods), former NFL All-Pro wide
receiver Tim Brown, ex-big league pitcher Tom Candiotti (Easton-Bell
Sports), nine-time UFC world champion Matt Hughes (Century Martial
Arts), world-class tennis teaching professional/coach Nick Bollettieri
(Prince Sports), boxing champ Andre Berto (Everlast Worldwide), U.S.
Olympic softball gold medalists Michele Smith (Musco Lighting) and
Jennie Finch (Mizuno USA), Iron Man triathlete Katya Meyers (The Active
Network), undefeated professional MMA fighter Gray Maynard (Everlast),
and former NFL players Ken Harvey and John Booty. More celebrity
athletes are expected to commit to the event in the coming weeks.
On that day, SGMA will assemble a series of small groups featuring well
known athletes, sporting goods and fitness manufacturers, physical
educators, and association leaders for a series of face-to-face
discussions with U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators about the
importance of federal funding to (1) support quality physical education
in schools and (2) encourage more physical activity for families by
making it more affordable.
The SGMA-led group will ‘walk the halls of Congress generating support for two specific physical activity initiatives:
(1) Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) provides the only
federal money to school districts and community based organizations for
physical education and innovative physical activity methods.
(2) Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act encourages physically
active lifestyles by making sports, fitness, and recreational
activities more affordable, through the use of tax incentives.
“Physical education is as important as other subjects in school and it
needs to be given the attention and support it deserves,” said football
legend Herschel Walker. “Even though I am no longer an active
professional football player, physical activity remains a major part of
my daily life-as it should be for all Americans.”
The consortium will ask Congress to approve the PEP in Fiscal Year
2011. In Fiscal Year 2001, the PEP Bill was approved for $5 million;
$50 million in FY 2002; $60 million in FY 2003; $70 million in FY 2004;
$73.4 million in FY 2005; $72.7 million in FY 2006; $73 million in FY
2007; $75.7 million in FY 2008; $78 million in FY 2009; and $79 million
in FY 2010.
PEP provides grants to local school districts and community based
programs to purchase equipment and train instructors in innovative
physical education methods. Since 2001, PEP has successfully enhanced
K-12 physical education programs across the country through more than
$600 million in grants used for training in state-of-the-art health and
wellness-based physical education methods. PEP uses new technology
such as heart-rate monitors, pedometers, and the acquisition of
state-of-the-art fitness equipment and facilities.
The PHIT Bill, whose main sponsor is U.S. Representative Ron Kind
(R-WI), has risen from a concept in the fall of 2005 to a viable
vehicle for promoting health and disease prevention in America through
physically active lifestyles. The PHIT Act would change current
federal tax law to allow for the deduction or use of pre-tax dollars to
cover expenses related to sports, fitness and other physical
activities. Once an individual or family spends 7.5% of their income on
qualified medical expenses, they can deduct physical activity expenses
directly. More than 45 million Americans live in families that meet
the 7.5% threshold to deduct medical expenses. PHIT would also allow
Americans to invest up to $2,000 annually in existing pre-tax medical
accounts to pay for physical activities. PHIT would only expand the
eligible expenses for pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Medical
Savings Accounts (MSA), and/or medical reimbursement arrangements.
PHIT would not increase contribution limits to these accounts.
“The great news about SGMAs National Health Through Fitness Day is
that the 40 companies which are sponsoring this event totally
understand the value of this day on the Hill,” said SGMA President/CEO
Tom Cove. “Some of the companies which are sponsoring this event are
doing so by supplying a well-known celebrity to join our lobbying
delegation.”
As of right now, a record total of nearly 40 companies have agreed to be sponsors of the event.
The United States Tennis Association is the Presenting Sponsor. The
Active Network and Accusplit are the Special Event Sponsors. The
Supporting & Celebrity Sponsors are The Annika Foundation, Callaway
Golf, Century Martial Arts, Cramer Products, Easton-Bell Sports,
Everlast Worldwide, Everlast Climbing Industries, Flaghouse, Franklin
Sports, Gatorade, General Mills, GeoFitness, Good Sports, Gopher, Head,
HOPSports, Mizuno USA, Musco Lighting, NASPE, NFL Retired Players
Association, Nike, National Sporting Goods Association, PlayCore, Polar
Electro, Precor, Prince Sports, Rawlings, Reebok, SGMAs Legal Task
Force, Speed Stacks, Sportime, Tennis Industry Association, Ultimate
Fighting Championships, Under Armour, Wilson, and XaviX.
Since the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Associations first National Health Through Fitness Day in 2000, well known figures in sports and fitness have attended this event every year to lend a hand to SGMAs public policy efforts. Some of the great names that have attended this event in the past include NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell, tennis legend Billie Jean King, current NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, former heavyweight boxing champ Larry Holmes, and soccer great Mia Hamm.
