Issue link: https://lombardparks.uberflip.com/i/1269752
Lombard Park District 56 Chapter Three Outdoor Sports Compared to previous years, outdoors sports and seen a signifi cant increase in participation. BMX has seen the greatest growth with an increase of over 30% in the last two years. Bicycling – BMX 5.4% Bicycling (Road) 1.8% Fishing (fresh) -4.4% Bow Hunting 7.5% The Outdoor Foundation, in association with the Outdoor Industry Association, produces an annual report - The Outdoor Recreation Participation Report that tracks American outdoor recreation trends with a focus on youth, diversity, and the future of the outdoors. The 2012 report is based on an online survey of over 40,000 Americans and covers 114 diff erent outdoor activities. According to the report, nearly 50% of Americans, or 141.1 million people, participated in outdoor recreation in 2011. Almost half of all outdoor participants made an outing at least once a week, while 29% made outings two or more times a week. Outdoor recreation reached the highest participation level in fi ve years, adding more than three thousand participants. Charts of the full participation data summarized below can be found in the appendix. The top fi ve outdoor activities for all Americans, ages 6 and older by number of total outings are: • Running, Jogging, Trail Running • Road Biking, Mountain Biking, and BMX • Bird watching • Freshwater, Saltwater, and Fly Fishing • Hiking Although more youth ages 6-17 are participating in outdoor activities (one percentage point more per age group from 2010), youth still do not spend enough time outdoors. Forty percent take part in outdoor activities less than twice a month and the average outings per youth participant is down from 98 average outings per year to 81. This suggests youth are not getting the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity every day. The top fi ve outdoor activities for American youth, ages 6-17, by number of outings are: • Running, Jogging, and Trail Running • Road Biking, Mountain Biking, and BMX • Skateboarding • Freshwater, Saltwater, and Fly Fishing • Camping Although young adults made one billion fewer outings than youth--1.6 billion compared to youth's 2.6 billion-- each participant averaged 16 more annual outings than youth participants (97 compared to youth's 81). The top 5 outdoor activities for American young adults, ages 18-24, by number of outings are: • Running, Jogging, and Trail Running • Road Biking, Mountain Biking, and BMX • Freshwater, Saltwater, and Fly Fishing • Bird watching/Wildlife Viewing • Hunting