Chart Our Future City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Master Plan | Page 99

For adults (age 25+), the most popular activities by
participation rates were:
• Running, jogging, and trail running (14.8% or
32.0M)
• Fishing (fresh, salt, and fly)(14.6% or 31.5M)
• Hiking (13.7% or 29.7M)
• Bicycling (road, mountain, and BMX) (12.8% or
27.7M)
• Camping (car, backyard, and RV) (11.7% or
25.2M)
The top five favorite adult activities based on the
frequency of participation were running, jogging,
and trail running, bicycling, fishing, hiking, and
wildlife viewing.
Three-year growth trends indicated that the
following ten activities have seen increasing
participation and will likely continue to provide
opportunities to engage more people in the future:
• Stand up paddling
• BMX bicycling
• Skiing (cross-country)
• Adventure racing
• Kayak fishing
• Boardsailng/windsurfing
• Trail Running\
• Triathlon (traditional/road)
• Hiking (day)
• Climbing (traditional/ice/mountaineering)
Three-year trends also identified ten activities with
declining participation in the last three years. In
order of largest to smallest decrease, they are:
• Birdwatching more than 1/4 mile from Home/
Vehicle
• Running/Jogging
• Snowshoeing
• Wakeboarding
• Rafting
• Camping within 1/4 mile from Vehicle/Home
• Bicycling (road/paved surface
CONNECT: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
• Wildlife viewing more than 1/4 mile from
Home/Vehicle
• Scuba Diving
• Canoeing
Engaging Inactives
An “inactive” person is defined by the Physical
Activity Council as one who does not participate
in any of the sports/activities covered in the PAC
Overview Report. In the past year, 8.1 million
Americans or 27.5% of the population, were
inactive, reflecting an increase in activity from last
year with 0.2 million people becoming active. By
age group, 6-12 year-olds are the most active with
activity among 13-17 year-olds rising to nearly the
same levels. Of the eight age groups, only 35-44
year-olds saw a decrease in the percent of the
active population from 2015 to 2016. Americans
over 65 have the largest rates of inactivity, reflecting
the trend that people generally become less active
as they age.
In order to understand how to engage inactives
in sports and activities, the PAC survey lists
“aspirational” activities that inactives are interested
in participating in. For all age groups under 65,
camping is within the top three aspirational
activities. Swimming for fitness and bicycling are
also listed in the top ten for every age group and
both are within the top five activities for all groups
over the age of 12.
resulting in four of the ten items focused on
outdoor activities.
Active adults, as well as inactives, are interested
in social programs and sports leagues as well as
active recreation. Active Network recommends the
following activities for adult recreation programs:
• Sports - Broomball, Inner Tube Water Polo,
Pickleball, Wallyball
• Exercise - Zumba Gold, Dance Buffet,
Kettlebells, Outdoor FitnessTechnology -
Beginner’s Guide to iPad, Social Media, Digital
Photography
• Entertainment - Karaoke, Improv, Murder
Mystery Dinners, Speed Dating, Wii for Seniors
• Art - Cooking, Drawing/Painting, Jewelry
Making, Mixed Media Arts, Pottery, Quilting
• Professional/Other - Languages, Estate
Planning, Self-Publishing, Brain Fitness, Voice-
Overs, Memoirs
Many agencies are “branding” their active adult
programs for younger populations than the
traditional senior. Two local examples include
Schaumburg Park District’s Club 55 and 50 Plus! at
the Champaign Park District.
For inactives 6-12, other activities of interest focus
on team sports such as football, soccer and team
swimming. As Americans age, interest in outdoor
sports such as hiking, fishing, and backpacking
grows as does working out with weights and
machines. Adults 65 and older list bird watching/
wildlife viewing followed by fishing as their top
aspirational activities. Hiking and camping are
also within the top ten activities for this age group
CITY OF LAKE FOREST PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN
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