Fitness benefits of recreational off road motorcycling riding study covered in Globe and Mail

Ontario Federation of Trail Riders News July 2, 2009  Greetings! From time to time we actually get positive coverage about our sport. There is a great article in today's Globe and Mail about the full fitness study underway at York University.   They actually have 75 people involved in the final phase of the study which involves new riders in a rigorous riding schedule to measure the physical benefits of riding ORMs and ATVs. This is awesome!!   Send this artile to all of your doubters....   OFTR Get your motor running... (Globe and Mail - July 2, 2009)    In the Fall of 2005, the OFTR commissioned a pilot study from York University in Toronto that looked into the fitness benefits of recreational off road motorcycling riding. "The main reason for the pilot study was our lead ministry for trails in Ontario is the Ministry of Health Promotion (MHP)" say Ken Hoeverman, Executive Director of the OFTR. "Even our lead ministry was skeptical about any sort of physical benefits and grant applications to the MHP and the Trillium Foundation have always been denied. The general public just can't get thier heads around the idea that riding an ORM, even just for fun, can be beneficial to anyones health". READ THE PILOT STUDY SUMMARY From the Globe and Mail - Non-riders have trouble believing exercise can come from being propelled by a combustion engine, and there's been little previous inquiry into the topic. Riders often refer to a U.S. study from the 1980s that tested the physical fitness of professional athletes from different disciplines. It found motocross racers the second-fittest of the bunch, after soccer players. The York research is the first comprehensive fitness probe of recreational off-roaders. The final phase of the three-year, three-part study is still under way, but many participants report results that match preliminary findings from an earlier phase, suggesting trail riding requires physical exertion levels on par with running or calisthenics. Almost four years later, the final phase of a full study are underway and the Globe and Mail even thought is interesting enough to report about it. (Globe and Mail - July 2, 2009) Globe photographer Ryan Enn Hughes follows York University PhD student Jamie Burr, who is examining the health, fitness and well-being effects of off-road motorcycle and ATV riding using trails in Kawartha, Ont There is even a video... Post your comments and vote on the comments of others on the Globe and Mail website, now is your chance to defend what you do in a national forum. The results of the full study are expected to be released in the fall of 2009. NTC Grant Status   We have submitted 20 project applications worth almost $2 million to the NTC. The next step is a meeting of the Ontario Regional Advisory Committee next week to prepare final recommendations to the national board.   We should have some answers by the 15th of July, perhaps even sooner so stay tuned!   Sincerely,   Ken Hoeverman Executive Director  Ontario Federation of Trail Riders   Our Newsletters are always sponsored by   Parker Bros. Powersports 825 Kipling Ave. Toronto, Ontario, M8Z 5G8 Phone: (416) 234-5750 Toll Free: 1-800 862-4662 Fax: (416) 234-5752 http://www.powersports.ca

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