Team USA Joins First Lady, PHA to Get More Than 1.7 Million Children Active During Olympic Year

U.S. Olympians and Paralympians will lead nationwide effort to increase physical activity among kids

WASHINGTON, DC (May 14, 2012) – The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which works with the private sector and its honorary chair First Lady Michelle Obama to end the childhood obesity crisis, today announced a commitment with members of Team USA to get more than 1.7 million kids active in 2012. Through USA Cycling/BMX, US Paralympics, USA Soccer, USA Swimming, USA Track & Field, USA Tennis, USA Gymnastics, the US Olympians Associations, USA Field Hockey and US Volleyball, PHA will provide beginner athletic programming to more than 1.7 million kids in 2012.

Families can go to www.ahealthieramerica.org/olympics and type in their zip code to see programs in their area.

The First Lady, who will lead the Presidential Delegation to the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London this summer, announced today at an event in Dallas that she will use the Olympics as inspiration to get more kids healthy and active. Thanks to today’s commitment, children will now have new opportunities for physical activity.

“This year, 1.7 million young people will be participating in Olympic and Paralympic sports in their communities –many of them for the very first time. And that is so important, because sometimes all it takes is that first lesson, or clinic, or class to get a child excited about a new sport,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “So this summer, together with our children, we can support Team USA not just by cheering them on, but by striving to live up to the example they set. In the end, some of these athletes will bring home the gold, but all of them will make our country proud, and all of them will inspire a generation of young people to get active, to strive for excellence, and to pursue whatever dreams they may hold in their hearts.”

“For a few weeks this summer, Team USA will inspire us all with their skill, their grace and their abilities. Because of today’s commitments, the inspiration will not end after the closing ceremonies,” said PHA President and CEO Larry Soler. “The First Lady’s leadership has brought together a group of organizations that are committed to helping more than a million young people engage in sports in ways that were previously unavailable to them. It’s important for us to remember that being active and moving more doesn’t mean you have to train like our nation’s elite athletes – but being active is part of a healthy lifestyle. And the more opportunities our kids have to move, the healthier lives they will lead.”

“We’re incredibly honored to have Mrs. Obama join us in Dallas to celebrate the accomplishments of America’s finest athletes and announce new ways we can all work together to increase access to sport for young children,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. “The Let’s Move! initiatives an important one and something the entire Olympic family in the United States is eager to support.”

Members of Team USA are making the following commitments:

USA Cycling/USA BMX will offer free 30-day memberships to tracks and free races/clinics at 350 BMX tracks nationwide this summer. These efforts will engage approximately 88,000 young people, an increase of 40% from 2011.

USA Field Hockey will launch the “FUNdamental Field Hockey” program to introduce kids ages 7-11 to the sport of Field Hockey at 250 locations. This program will engage 15,000 kids this year.

USA Gymnastics will challenge its local member clubs to host introductory clinics and events for National Gymnastics Day on September 22, 2012. These events will reach approximately 40,000 kids – an increase of 80% over USA Gymnastics’ youth engagement last year.The US Olympians Association recently kicked off a “Walk to London” initiative through which 5,456 children will walk a total of 5,456 miles – the distance from Los Angeles to London – at 20 free community-based walks from April 8 through June 23. More than 250 Olympians and Paralympians will participate as walk leaders, and each walk will host other clinics and sports expos alongside the route.

US Paralympics will facilitate 300 Paralympic Ambassador visits to schools and community centers and provide training for an additional 1,000 local leaders. US Paralympics will also work with local partners to establish 80 new Paralympic Sports Clubs to reach a total of 250 clubs by the end of this year. The organization estimates that they will engage a combined 87,500 young people through these programs, an increase of 40% over last year.

The US Soccer Federation will engage 12,000 youth in 13 cities through the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Soccer for Success program, which provides free, afterschool programming to urban youth. In 2011, the program reached 8,000 kids in 8 cities.

USA Swimming will enroll 530,000 new learn-to-swim participants in its “Make a Splash” program at more than 500 local partner sites. Additionally, USA Swimming will engage 70,000 new youth members through its local chapters. In all, USA Swimming will provide beginner programming to 600,000 young people in 2012.

The US Tennis Association (USTA) will introduce 620,000 youth to tennis by training 4,000 physical education professionals in the “10 & Under Tennis” curriculum. USTA will also expand its National Junior Tennis and Learning Network (NJTL) to reach 100,000 youth through local partner sites. Additionally, USTA will involve 30,000 youth in Kids Tennis Clubs that provide after school and summer programming in communities across the country. In all, USTA will reach 750,000 new kids this year.

USA Track& Field will expand its youth programming by 35% this year to reach 120,000 kids across the country. USATF will do this by engaging 80,000 youth in local track clubs and by facilitating beginner clinics and Olympian visits for 40,000 students through its Win with Integrity and Track in a Box programs for schools.USA Volleyball will introduce 30,000 children to volleyball in 2012 by enhancing their “Grow the Game Together” programming, launching a new “Move with a New Player” program, and expanding its existing youth outreach with partners including the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) and the YMCA.

US Olympic Committee will support its National Governing Bodies to ensure that youth are engaged in beginner level Olympic and Paralympic sport programming in 2012. It will utilize the platform of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to promote active, healthy lifestyles through multiple communications channels, events, and media opportunities.

In addition, while not a formal PHA commitment, USA Basketball, as part of its Hoops for Troops initiative, will host a series of events and clinics for military families this summer in collaboration with Let’s Move!, the First Lady’s Joining Forces Initiative, and the Department of Defense. These efforts will coincide with USA Basketball’s 2012 Olympic Tour and the World Basketball Festival in July.

Every organization that works with PHA is required to agree that PHA will monitor and report on progress toward their commitment. USA Cycling/BMX, US Paralympics, USA Soccer, USA Swimming, USA Track & Field, USA Tennis, the US Olympians Associations, USA Field Hockey, USA Volleyball and USA Gymnastics have agreed to work with an independent verifier to report the progress of their commitments for PHA’s annual report.

The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation’s youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with – but independent from – First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move!effort. PHA is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that is led by some of the nation’s most respected health and childhood obesity experts. PHA brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker meaningful commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. Most important, PHA ensures that commitments made are commitments kept by working with unbiased, third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress our partners are making. For more information about PHA, please visit www.aHealthierAmerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.