In BRIEF

XSport Fitness Inc., Big Rock, IL, has signed its 17th and 18th facilities, one in Chicago (where the company is based) and the other its first venture into Long Island, NY. The $8 million, 50,000-square-foot Chicago center will include 150 pieces of cardio equipment, 300 strength training machines, three group exercise rooms, a pool and a three-story rock climbing wall in the South Loop area. The Long Island facility, which will be in Garden City, NY, will be a $9 million, 60,000 -square-foot mega fitness center and will include many of the same amenities as the new Chicago facility.

Sportwall International recently installed its interactive technology for children's fitness into the Spectrum Clubs in San Antonio and Francos Athletic Club in Mandeville, LA. Additionally, Sportwall will introduce its interactive fitness technology to Gold's Gyms at the 2005 Gold's Gym Convention July 11-13 in Las Vegas.

MembersFirst Inc., a provider of interactive Web sites and member communication management services to the private club industry, won first place in The BoardRoom magazine's “Excellence in Achievement” award for Web Site Design Firm of the Year. This year's 2004 award marks the third consecutive year the company has won the honor. An independent panel of industry experts selected the category winners.

Weider Health + Fitness plans to adapt Joe Weider's exercise, nutrition and strength training program into a circuit training format for men and women. It will center its franchise concept around the Master Blaster program, a trainer-supervised, multi-station, total-body circuit workout.

In May, 135 members of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) held 150 meetings with members of Congress, urging them to get America moving during the third annual IHRSA Legislative Summit. Designed to address health issues related to the need for regular exercise, the summit focused on encouraging the passage of the Workforce Health Improvement Program (WHIP) Act (H.R.1634, S.772).