Celebrating 30 years of Achievement Celebrating 30 Years of Achievement | Page 6

NETWORK THROUGH THE YEARS
Early 1980s
1980 – 1987
Nigel Champion delivers ACHPER Fitness Leader courses with Garry Egger, based at various locations around
Sydney, including inside the squash courts in Jim Josephson's 1812 and Unlimited Fitness centres in
St Leonards.
Early 1980s
Greg Hurst wins the National Aerobics Championships in Sydney, and this kickstarts a long tradition of Network
growing and running these events around the country. These competitions attract several thousand people,
and at one time the National Championships were even broadcast on FOXTEL and screened nationally. Many
of the Network champions also go on to achieve success at the World Championship level.
1981/82
Nigel meets Michael Hendler, who has heard about the Fitness Leader courses and wants to sell sports shoes
from the boot of his car to the participants. The shoes are a little known brand called Reebok. As a result of
mutual support in the years that follow, both businesses grow simultaneously.
Mid-1980s
Greg forms TRAX Music, Australia's first dedicated aerobics music service. The service enables aerobics
instructors to purchase ready-made music and requires them to return the cassette tapes each month.
Driven by manager and producer David Hatch, TRAX grows to become Australia's largest and most successful
supplier of aerobics music.
1985
Nigel and Michael Hendler formally establish the Reebok Alliance Program, a revolutionary partnership
providing fitness professionals with access to the latest Reebok gear at heavily discounted prices.
1987
Nigel, Greg and Garry Egger formally establish Australia’s first official fitness organisation, in an old converted
house in Cremorne, Sydney. They call it the ‘Fitness Leader Network’.

In June, at the IDEA fitness conference in the USA, Nigel meets Lisa, who then moves to Australia in November of
this same year. The first issue of Network News is published, featuring the latest aerobics and fitness updates.
Thanks to the ongoing support of Network, during this year Reebok sells its one-millionth pair of shoes in Australia!
While preparing to deliver the Reebok National Aerobics Championships at the University of Sydney, Lisa suggests
that since there will be some 250 fitness professionals attending the Aerobics Championships, Network should
run a small convention for these people. Nigel, Greg, Suzee Miller, and Jamie and Ellen Hayes sit in a lounge room
together and decide who will present what topics. They hand-colour squares on the attendee’s nametags to let
people know which session they are allocated to, and the first Network Fitness convention is born.