According to Thomas B. Doyle, Vice President of Information and Research at the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), female participation in athletic activities has been increasing and changing dramatically in the last five years. He based his remarks on “Sports Participation in 1996”, a two-page report from a NSGA survey of 35,000 US households. In team sports such as soccer and basketball, female participation has increased by more than 55% since 1991, a rate which exceeds the growth for those two sports in the past five years. In the most strenuous fitness activities, including exercising with equipment, running/jogging and working out at clubs, the rate of growth in female participation also surpasses the overall growth. Doyle said women’s outdoor activities are moving towards “more adventuresome categories” such as backpacking, canoeing and kayaking/rafting. Growth for the last activity was most significant; female participation in kayaking/rafting has increased 116%.
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