Warm-Up
The Team here at headquarters is still abuzz after an incredible 35th anniversary celebration at the IDEA® World Convention in Las Vegas! The tidal wave of exhilarating energy we gathered from the estimated 10,000 attendees who poured in from over 50 countries will carry us on a crest that will sustain us until we do it all again in San Diego next year (June 27–July 1).
IDEA World was significant in so many ways this year, but for two people especially—IDEA co-founders Kathie and Peter Davis—it marked a milestone the likes of which could be labeled as legendary. They would never say that or use such grandiose language. In fact, if they had reviewed this column for publication, as they have for more than three decades, any mention of themselves would have been swiftly red-lined. This is my chance to break with that tradition and put them in the spotlight. My column, my rules!
It’s too immense an equation to gauge the impact that the Davises’ vision for, and commitment to, our industry has had since the day they opened for business in 1982. How many hundreds of thousands of fitness pros have been uplifted by their leadership through the years? By extension, how many millions of clients’ lives have been transformed because of a trainer or group ex leader who took to heart IDEA’s challenge to Inspire the World to Fitness®? Kathie and Peter’s tenacious drive to encourage all professionals to break through the status quo and to aspire to greatness as individuals galvanized our fitness community and defined who we are. The industry’s DNA in many ways originated with IDEA, and its legacy of influence will continue to permeate the future.
IDEA was launched with the pure belief that fitness professionals must have high-quality continuing education and success tools to advance their careers. Those mandates remain as our proverbial “north star,” guiding the industry’s most credible and influential content. Whether it’s through first-rate sessions at IDEA World or IDEA Personal Trainer Institute; informative research studies in IDEA Fitness Journal; or great educational videos on ideafit.com, the team here at IDEA remains single-mindedly dedicated to delivering the best of the best for all fitness professionals.
That’s a pretty sweet legacy, and one the IDEA Team is honored, humbled and determined to uphold. As we carry these traditions forward, we will always remember where they originated.
Thank you, Kathie and Peter, for your many years of devotion to a grateful and thriving industry!
For all you do to Inspire the World to Fitness, IDEA salutes you.
Sandy Todd Webster
Editor in Chief
swebster@ideafit.com
@sandytoddwebster
