“Fairport 'shoe man' helps solidify foundation for ... - Democrat and Chronicle” plus 1 more

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Fairport 'shoe man' helps solidify foundation for ... - Democrat and Chronicle Posted: 30 May 2010 02:03 AM PDT Message from Five Filters: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. Name brand is always a primary consideration for kids — and for that matter, many adults — when it comes time to buy sneakers or cleats. And once consumers have aligned themselves with a particular company — be it Nike, Adidas, Reebok or whatever — a number of other dominoes in the purchase process begin to fall, such as style, color and eventually, price. Yet the most important factors in choosing the right sneaker or cleat, at least in footwear specialist Tim Hart's view, is the one that very few people ever pay attention to: How does the product fit, and how well is it going to perform? "The lower body is basically a suspension system, and we're trying to get that suspension system working in balance," says Hart, who owns The Balanced Athlete, a small shop along the canal on West Avenue in the village of Fairport that specializes in custom-fit athletic footwear. "It's like in NASCAR, when you change the setup of the cars for different tracks because of how they lean and bend and stuff like that. If the car is out of alignment, it's never going to drive straight, so it's the same thing here." Hart, who refers to himself on his Facebook page as a Masterfit Technician, worked for about 25 years custom-fitting ski boots for both recreational and competitive skiers. He branched off into golf shoes when he opened his Fairport shop a few years ago. And now he has extended his business to youth sports and is fitting cleats for baseball and lacrosse players, as well as ice skates for hockey players and figure skaters. Throughout his career, Hart has studied the impact that properly fit footwear has on an athlete's balance, performance and overall bodily health. There's no question in his mind the right cleats, sneakers, shoes or boots make a big difference. "Right now there's a need in youth athletics," says Hart, whose daughter, Meredith, plays for the Fairport varsity lacrosse team. "These kids are playing longer seasons, multiple seasons, they don't get a break, and that's where you see that higher rate of injury. Five Filters featured article: Into the Abyss. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Parents look for ways to keep kids in shape, healthy - Green Bay Press-Gazette Posted: 30 May 2010 02:39 AM PDT Message from Five Filters: If you can, please donate to the full-text RSS service so we can continue developing it. (2 of 2) "It's a way to help prevent childhood obesity, a way for them to remain safe and (it's) a fun program that also helps them to become involved in their community," she said. The rise in childhood obesity is due to more unhealthy food options and fewer children playing outside, DeLeers said. Grunewald said though one of her sons didn't like running, he stays active by playing baseball. It would be great if there were a program in the winter months for kids to stay active, she said. DeLeers couldn't agree more, and hopes to launch the Just Run program in September. The program allows kids to run at least two times a week year-round. It's incentive-based, she said, and kids get prizes based on how many miles they rack up. The program began in California, and nine area schools already have signed up, DeLeers said. It's important to give kids a chance at running, even those without the means to do so, she said. Founded in 2008, the Schneider National Support Package supplies 104 low-income children from 19 area schools with running items, such as shorts, socks and T-shirts, DeLeers said. "Some of these kids wouldn't even have the correct running shoes to run if we didn't support them with it," she said. The Kids for Running program has a $10 entry fee, which is waived for kids unable to pay, DeLeers said. A positive approach Dave McGillivray, race director of the Bellin Run and the Boston Marathon, makes the solution to childhood obesity sound simple. "It all boils down to one thing, and that's self confidence," he said. "The way I'm trying to attack childhood obesity and the epidemic of it is to come at it from a different perspective — not just the overweight perspective, but to try to get kids to feel good about themselves and to want to improve themselves. Once you have them in that mode of making commitments to themselves, then the obesity part works itself out." Children are more likely to get active if they work out in groups and don't feel singled out. That's why it's important to make fitness a classroom activity, McGillivray said. "The positive approach is to make kids feel like they're somebody, that they're needed and wanted. If they take care of themselves, then one day they'll be in the position to take care of other people." Five Filters featured article: Into the Abyss. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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