Healthy Active Lifestyles (HAL)

Indianapolis Tennis Championships

The Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented By Lilly is becoming an ally in Indiana’s movement to promote physical fitness and healthy choices by partnering with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Indiana, the United States Tennis Association’s Midwest Section, the Association of Tennis Professionals and Clarian Health through a new statewide initiative that will focus on Healthy Active Lifestyles (HAL). The goal of HAL is to inspire people of all generations to live healthy active lifestyles through the sport of tennis and through partnerships with multiple health organizations who can leverage existing programs that promote well-being. Indiana’s governor and the State Department of Health have placed a high importance on getting Indiana healthier. They have initiated goal-oriented programs to help fight the growing problem of obesity and motivate people to begin regular exercise. More than 15 percent of the state’s youth are classified as obese, and a recent survey indicated nearly 50 percent said they were trying to lose weight.

The new focus on HAL reconnects the Tournament to its original charter objective of aligning its professional tournament with promoting the game of tennis and physical fitness for all, regardless of strata in society.

“Tennis is a life-long sport that is easy to participate in no matter what your age, what your athletic ability or where you live,” said Tournament Director, Kevin Martin. “The Tournament is excited to get back to its charter roots and partner with organizations that place the same values on physical well-being as we do. Over the next few years, we hope this initiative will play a key role in helping people make life-long changes that will give them longer lives.”

The Tournament’s initial goals for the HAL initiative will be to present 3-5 tennis related clinics to school age children in communities across the state in 2008 and to increase the number of those clinics by two every year thereafter through 2013. It is estimated that the clinics will positively impact 3,000-5,000 school children next year and double in subsequent years. Other goals include:

• Partner with manufacturers and other companies to provide school children with discounted sports equipment
• Promote memberships and clinic participation at tennis clubs throughout the state of Indiana
• Increase Tournament attendance by companies, organizations and the public that will ultimately increase the ability to invest proceeds that support healthy active lifestyles throughout Indiana.