BOYS & GIRLS CLUB MEMBERS COMPETE FOR
NATIONAL FITNESS AUTHORITY TITLE

SATURDAY AUGUST 9th IN MIAMI, FLORIDA

South Portland, Maine – Two members of the South Portland Boys & Girls Club (unit of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Portland) competed in the finals of the FITNESS AUTHORITY National Decathlon in Miami, Florida on Saturday, August 9. Antonio Anderson, age 15, and Brody Preston, age 12, both of South Portland, earned their weekend trip to Florida, by coming in first place in their respective age divisions in the Northeast Region finals, held in Boston on June 20.

Through FITNESS AUTHORITY, a program developed by Boys & Girls Clubs of America and The Sports Authority to promote fitness in all youth, Tony and Brody first competed on the local level FITNESS AUTHORITY Pentathlon at the South Portland Boys & Girls Club. They both achieved scores at their Club qualifying them for advancement to the regional competition. About 250,000 girls and boys competed in FITNESS AUTHORITY events at their local Clubs.

With each level of FITNESS AUTHORITY competition, more events were added. The ten events conducted at the national finals at the University of Miami included: standing long jump, lateral hops, 100 yard dash, push ups, jump rope, sit ups, shuttle run, half mile run, vertical jump repetitions, and flexed arm hang. Tony finished in 5^th place overall in the 14-15 year old age group, winning two of the event categories. Brody finished in 6^th overall in the 12-13 year old age group.

In addition to a full day of competition, Tony, Brody and the other regional winners got to meet and hear from Fitness Authority representative and former NFL star Chris Carter, as well as the CEO of The Sports Authority and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. They also were treated to a dinner cruise in Biscayne Bay and an exhibition game between the Dolphins and the Bucs. Tony and Brody were both accompanied to the regional and national finals by Boys & Girls Club physical education director, Dennis Gratto.

FITNESS AUTHORITY is designed to create opportunities for Boys & Girls Clubs members to learn the importance of fitness and encourage them to participate in training, fitness evaluations and fitness events.  The goal of this partnership is to help children incorporate fitness into their everyday lives beginning at an early age.

“Children are spending more time in front of computers and less time participating in physical activity,” said Bob Clark, the organization’s chief professional officer.  “The percentage of overweight children has doubled in the last 30 years and we need to end this trend. By offering engaging and fun programs such as FITNESS AUTHORITY, Boys & Girls Clubs of America is taking the lead in helping to instill healthy habits at a young age”.

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