Chart Our Future City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Master Plan | Page 98
While many Americans enjoy watching team
sports, both in-person and on television, they are
increasingly disinterested in participating in them
for their fitness needs. Ultimate frisbee and touch
football had the largest decrease in participation
over the past three years with other team sports
including basketball, soccer, softball, wrestling,
volleyball, and track and field are also declining.
While team sports participation is declining as a
whole, a few team sports are growing: rugby, roller
hockey, and lacrosse.
Racquet sports such as squash, tennis, cardio tennis,
and pickleball have maintained popularity over the
last three years. Pickleball, in particular, is a trend
to watch, as it has been growing in popularity in
the recreation industry but was overtaken in 2016
by cardio tennis in growth and had nearly equal
participation.
The above findings are confirmed by the Worldwide
Survey of Fitness Trends for 2017 which conducts an
annual international survey among practitioners in
the commercial, clinical, community and corporate
fitness industries. In their predictions for 2017,
the majority of activities in the top ten and the
top 20 could be described as fitness related, while
other trends can be classified as outdoor sports
or technology. 17 of the top 20 trends reported
remained from the previous year but worksite
health promotion, smartphone exercise apps, and
outcomes measured all moved out of the top 20
trends for 2018.
• High-intensity interval training (HIIT uses short
bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by
short recoveries)
• Group training (motivational, instructor lead
classes of five or more people)
• Wearable technology (activity trackers, smart
watches, heart rate monitors, GPS trackers, and
smart eyeglasses)
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• Body weight training (uses minimal equipment
for cost savings)
• Strength training (common but limited to using
weights, strength training is often incorporated
into comprehensive exercise routines)
• Educated, certified, and experienced fitness
professionals (training by third-party accredited
exercise professionals)
• Yoga (utilizes a series of specific bodily postures
for health and relaxation)
• Personal training (services provided by
professionals with proper education, training,
and credentials)
• Fitness programs for older adults (older, retired
adults are increasingly healthier than previous
generations and interested in participating in
safe, age-appropriate exercise)
• Functional Fitness (uses strength training to
improve balance, coordination, force, power,
and endurance as applies to one’s daily
functions)
CITY OF LAKE FOREST PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN
OUTDOOR SPORTS & PARTICIPATION
According to the Outdoor Foundation 2017
Topline Report, almost half the U.S. population
(48.6%) participated in one or more outdoor
sport or activity. These 144 million people went
on a reported total of 11 billion outings over the
course of the year. While these numbers reflect an
overall increase in participation, the total number
of outings declined as individuals went on fewer
outings each. Compared to previous years, outdoor
sports participation have increased. The largest
increase last year compared to all other outdoor
sports has been in BMX biking while Stand up
paddling has had the most growth over the last
three years. Running, jogging, and trail running
has continued to be the most popular activity by
participation for several years.
Across all age groups, running, jogging and trail
running remained the top form of outdoor outings
by both participation rates and frequency. Bicycling
and fishing were also among the top five activities
for all ages. The most popular activities for youth
(age 6-24) determined by participation rates were:
• Running, jogging, and trail running (25.3% or
20.3M)
• Bicycling (road, mountain, and BMX) (22.6% or
18.2M)
• Fishing (fresh, salt, and fly)(19.5% or 15.6M)
• Camping (car, backyard, and RV) (19.0% or
15.3M)
• Hiking (15.5% or 12.5M)
The favorite activities for youth, based on the
frequency of participation, were running, jogging
and trail running, bicycling, fishing, skateboarding,
and camping.
CHAPTER 4