Sportwall's "Computer Game that
Makes You Sweat" Provides First Real Solution to
Sedentary Epidemic
March 7, 2003, Santa Barbara, CA - The sad,
but undeniable fact is that as more people in today's
society spend increasing amounts of time working on
computers, surfing the Internet and playing video games,
an inactive and sedentary lifestyle is growing in epidemic
proportions. Technology is having a direct and negative
impact on the health and wellness of the world's population.
A Santa Barbara, CA based company, Sportwall International,
may be the first with a real solution which has already
been proven to motivate people of all ages to exercise
while advancing brain and body fitness and motor skills.
Sportwall's three products, SmartBall, ScoobieBall
and Sports-PC, all combine the thrill of computer games
with the simultaneous use of hands, feet, eyes and ears
to achieve a total body workout.
The nation's leading clinical researcher on physical
education Dr. Wayne Wescott, Ph.D, CSC gave a positive
report following his analysis, "We were most impressed
with the attentive focus on the activities, the obvious
enthusiasm for the games, the supportive and cooperative
attitude towards classmates, the high level of activity
and energy expenditure, and the progressive motor skill
development."
The brainchild of company founder and Chief Executive
Officer Catherine Lamberti, Sportwall's technology driven
products are based on "Sensory Integration Training"
- where the individual is required to be "in-the-now"
and participate mentally and physically during the exercise
process.
"Technology has produced a lifestyle swing to
inactivity," said Lamberti. "The consequences
are being evidenced by significant increases in obesity,
diabetes and sensory integration dysfunction diseases
such as ADHD, Autism, Alzheimers and Dyslexia."
Lamberti, one of 13 children who was born in South
Africa, lived in Australia and moved to the United States
in 1989, has an extensive background in education and
technology. While at the Santa Monica Pier in 1993,
she was fascinated by the motivation, focus and hand
eye coordination she witnessed in children playing video
games, but unfortunately understood that those same
video games promoted a sedentary lifestyle.
"I realized at that exact moment that if I could
develop a product that was based on this fascination
with technology and video games that simultaneously
offered cardio-fitness and body fitness, it could have
tremendous health benefits and a variety of applications
in schools, clubs and even fast food restaurants."
Five years after that inspirational moment and thousands
of hours of developing and perfecting a prototype, Lamberti's
first Sportwall product debuted at the US Open Tennis
Championships in New York to incredible reviews. One
of the first individuals to immediately recognize its
impact was tennis great Billie Jean King. "Individuals
are getting cardiovascular fitness, sports
training and having fun at the same time," said
King. "It's a great way to get today's young computer
game players off the couch and exercise again. This
is the wave of the future and will help the youth of
America get fit!"
The original prototype has given birth to three different
products:
Sports-PC: An interactive backboard featuring lighted
targets, scoreboards and time clocks that rewards players
with scores for accuracy, speed, control, strategy and
technique and can be used by individuals of all ages
and abilities for tennis, soccer, baseball, basketball,
fitness and play.
ScoobieBall: The "Physical Fitness Jukebox"
for location based entertainment. This interactive game
that challenges mind and body is McDonalds playground
safety approved and is an ideal solution for active
child care in clubs, parks, fast food restaurants, shopping
malls and other child care facilities.
SmartBall: A curriculum driven system for instructor
led classes in education and fitness which will be added
to more than 300 schools in 2004. The National School
Fitness Foundation recognizes this as a fun, playful
and motivational environment to get kids started in
sports.
Today, Sportwall's three products are in more than
100 schools, 70 McDonalds locations and 20 different
cities and municipalities. Each day, a new Sportwall
product is being installed in some city or town across
the nation.
"With a line of products that has a direct impact
on neurological efficiency, cardiovascular fitness and
basic skills, we will not only have an incredible impact
on the health and wellness of society, but we will become
the leader in "Sensory Integration Training"
for the school, recreation and location based entertainment
markets," said Lamberti.
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