SportsArt Fitness

The commercial cardio market in the US is served primarily by a handful of "goliaths" that most, if a not all, facility owners can readily identify. However, for the past several years there has been a scrappy "David" that has managed to make significant inroads into a variety of commercial niches.

While there are thousands of satisfied SportsArt commercial customers nationwide, you might still get a blank stare from many club owners if you asked them "Who is SportsArt?" After a brief examination of company history, you might correctly conclude that SportsArt is the largest cardio manufacturer that you know the least about.

SportsArt Industrial, founded in 1977, began manufacturing quality cardio equipment in 1981. For many years, SportsArt was an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) supplier for a number of leading US companies. So, while you may not have known about the SportsArt name, you may well have used their products marketed under various names.

After several years of refining their own engineering, manufacturing and technical processes, SportsArt began marketing their own brands internationally. In fact, during this time, SportsArt became the first cardio equipment manufacturer to receive ISO 9001/9002 certification from the prestigious TUV organization. TUV is the same registrar that certifies the factories of Mercedes and Porsche.

During this time SportsArt gained significant market share in several international markets while retaining their core OEM business in the hotly competitive US market.

In 1995 the decision was made to launch the Aegean line of commercial products — the first products to be marketed directly by SportsArt in the US. Terry Brown, a veteran of nearly a decade and a half at Precor, was brought in as President of the new US operation.

The original Aegean product line consisted of a club treadmill, recumbent, upright, and climber. These products were well regarded for their value and sturdy build quality and experienced solid sales growth through 1996 and 1997.

During this period of establishing a foothold in the marketplace, the management team at SportsArt was devising a series of plans that would, and continues to, have significant impact on their future in the US market.

First, it was determined that to flourish in the club market SportsArt would need a broader, more refined and unique mix of products. Next, a number of vertical market niches were deemed to be underserved by the competition so plans to take advantage of those opportunities were put in motion. Finally the decision was made to put the entire operation under the SportsArt umbrella in order to take full advantage of the brand equity established worldwide.

1998 saw SportsArt embark on an unprecedented path of new product introduction and innovation. In that year alone SportsArt introduced three completely new club and medical treadmills, a new club elliptical and rower, and four new vertical market treadmills. Additionally, their existing club cycles and climber received significant redesigns and upgrades in a number of areas. In an industry where product development cycles are similar to the automotive industry (2-3 years in many cases) this amount of new and redesigned product was indeed stunning.

This was, as they say, just the beginning. 1999 saw the roll out of four completely new from the ground up club series cycles. Of these, the recumbent versions feature a patented 6-position adjustable seat back. Also introduced in ’99 were another new club elliptical, a new vertical market elliptical and treadmill, and an all-new self-generating club stepper.

2000 saw a complete ground up redesign of several vertical market treadmills and continued refinements of many club products.

At some point you might think these guys would take a break or at least step back and let out a collective "Whew!" However, when you’re in a hotly competitive market and your ultimate goal is to knock off a Goliath or two, you can’t afford to let up for even a moment.

Which leads us to the introduction of SportsArt’s most eagerly anticipated new product to date — the patented, adjustable stride, dual action/total body 8300 elliptical. In keeping with SportsArt’s long standing M.O., the 8300 has several unique and/or patented features. First is the patented adjustable stride feature. With a convenient flip of a switch (built into the handle) users can access a stride length of 18"to 26." Besides allowing different size users to find the perfect stride length, this feature can also provide different training effects. For example sprinting while on the shorter stride setting and full stride running at lower settings.

In keeping with the demands of many of today’s club members, the 8300 is a total body conditioner. A wide range of resistance levels are available, the uppermost of which will provide an anaerobic or strength workout. Resistance changes are made from a convenient switch built into the handle. Power supply is self-generating with a two-minute battery backup so users can do all programming before they begin their workout. If you’ve ever had to try programming while pedaling, walking or striding you’ll know what a great feature this is. And talk about programming options — a dozen pre-set courses (all with user override) two custom design courses, multiple HRC options, and contact heart rate are all standard in an attractive, user friendly control module featuring a bright dot matrix display and LED windows with full time readout of all key workout data.

While the 8300 is indeed a breakthrough new product in the popular elliptical category, it will come as no surprise to those familiar with SportsArt. After all, for over two decades they have been designing and manufacturing high quality products packed with value, features, performance and innovations.

SportsArt America, Inc., 19510 144th Avenue NE, Suite A-1, Woodinville, WA 98072, Phone: 1.800.709.1400 or 1.425.481.9479, Fax: 1.425.488.8155.