FEBRUARY 2005

Our special supplement is a complete guide for all things aquatic. We take a look at facility management (including case studies of successful centers), safety, equipment, staffing, maintenance and more. From risk management to programming, our aquatics guide has it all.

Wanting to add programming that exercises the mind and spirit as much as the body, some rec facilities are looking to challenge courses and climbing walls to build more than muscles. These "experiential learning" courses, along with their climbing wall cousins, help build cooperation, leadership, self-esteem and problem-solving skills, as well as add a new level of youth and adult programming. We take a look at the highs and lows of challenge courses and walls—design issues, along with safety, liability and training considerations.

When it comes to restroom structures in the great outdoors, offering a durable restroom setting with comfortable features and designing for convenience will communicate volumes about the quality and care patrons can expect from the rest of their recreation experience. Find out how to make the most of current materials and design ideas to make a facility's restrooms structures nice necessities patrons will appreciate.

To run a successful facility and retain clients, you need to offer programs that meet their needs. You can help your clients get healthy and fit—and make a profit for your business—by understanding what people want.

IDEA, one of the world's leading membership organizations of health and fitness professionals, conducts fitness programs and equipment surveys to help members pinpoint what clients like. Here are some of the statistics from the 2004 IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey, the ninth annual survey.

America is facing a startling setback in the new millennium, a crisis of obesity in our children. Childhood obesity knows no cultural, socioeconomic or age boundaries, and in fact it can be found in every city and town across America. The irony is that, despite the steady progress we are constantly making in health advancements and treatments for children, we continue to see our youth gaining weight at an alarming rate. Almost 9 million children are overweight, triple the number of just 20 years ago.

As our world's population continues to increase and our natural resources decrease, the need to change the way we do things becomes more imminent. But just how do we advance conservation efforts and enhance the quality of life for all people?

Incorporating green design is one solution to improve our built environment.

You can learn a lot from Powell, Ohio.

The community just 14 miles north of Ohio's capital city, Columbus, recently underwent an extensive park improvement program, involving nine simultaneous master plans. The advantage of this approach of developing multiple parks at once translated into at least $750,000 to $1 million in savings for the citizens of Powell.

Sports—only a game? That may be true for some people, but it's not a statement you're likely to hear at the Born 2 Run Sports Complex, a unique youth athletic facility that opened in southwestern Pennsylvania last April.

Sports—only a game? That may be true for some people, but it's not a statement you're likely to hear at the Born 2 Run Sports Complex, a unique youth athletic facility that opened in southwestern Pennsylvania last April.