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2004-2005 IDEA Press Release 2004 IDEA FITNESS INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD 
San Diego, CA – The prestigious IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year Award has been presented to Lawrence Biscontini of Fajardo, Puerto Rico. This honor – given at the IDEA Health & Fitness Awards Ceremony at the IDEA World Fitness Convention®, held in San Diego, California, July 7-11 – recognizes an individual whose outstanding leadership inspires staff and influences both active and under active people to commit to a healthy lifestyle through successful, creative and diverse fitness programming. The IDEA Health & Fitness Awards – sponsored by Propel Fitness Water® – are considered to be the fitness industry’s highest form of recognition and have been presented annually since “My professional vision is one of purpose,” Lawrence says. “Every time I teach, I make it a mission to state the purpose of each exercise. Instead of getting caught up in the complexity, I try to focus on the purpose of all exercise prescriptions so participants can reap specific benefits. I believe that if you teach a person something as simple as a breathing technique, it can improve the quality of that individual’s life forever.” As the creator and manager of the fitness department at the Golden Door® Spa at Las Casitas Village in Las Croabas, Puerto Rico, Lawrence develops and trains staff in his signature – and trailblazing – fusion classes. “I strive to combine my extensive mind-body and traditional exercise background with scientifically developed fusion programs and classes for both land and water. Examples of my fusion classes include “Reebok Core Board T’ai Chi,” “Yo-Chi-Stability Ball®,” “Resist-a-Ball T’ai Chi,” “Full Moon Yo-Chi®,” and most recently, “Millennium Foam Roller Mind-Body Circuit Training.” Lawrence has also formed a free T’ai Chi Wellness Group at his local church and it has attracted 45 families that are either underactive or over weight. “In addition to our weekly meetings, I track their progress with personal phone calls and send them e-mail notes of inspiration. I recently secured approval from the Golden Door to co-sponsor these classes so we could conduct them inside of our Spa.” Lawrence also teaches yoga to imprisoned teens at the Juvenile Detention Center in Humacao. He also address the needs of fitness professionals in the Caribbean who cannot attend international fitness conventions by translating educational handouts into Spanish and by providing high-quality continuing education sessions in an effort to raise the standards of fitness instruction in those regions. As the 2004 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year, Lawrence will serve as an IDEA spokesperson on issues pertaining to group fitness. He will also be profiled in the October 2004 issue of IDEA Fitness Journal. Leading authorities in the fitness industry developed the criteria for this award. A review panel of IDEA members who are fitness instructors judged the applications and graded them according to the established criteria. Through this process, three finalists were selected and the award recipient was announced on July 9. The two other finalists for this award were Juliane Arney of Costa Mesa, California and Helen Vanderberg of Calgary, Alberta. “A fitness instructor must have the ability to motivate and lead their students to a program of regular exercise. As part of the effort to Inspire the World to Fitness™, they will have to work with people who have little or no experience with exercise and who frequently put up obstacles to getting fit. They are a critical part of the equation and this award recognizes the important role instructors play in reaching the people most in need of a fitness program,” says Kathie Davis, executive director of IDEA Health & Fitness Association. The IDEA World Fitness Convention is the premier educational event for health and fitness professionals and attracts over 4,000 participants from more than 60 countries. This year’s event has over 300 educational sessions presented by over a 150 of the world’s leading health and fitness educators. Inspire the World to Fitness is the focus of this year’s conference and a wide assortment of lectures and workshops will help fitness professionals address the twin health challenges of obesity and sedentary living. IDEA’s Senior Partners are Nautilus Health & Fitness Group® and STOTT PILATES™. IDEA Health & Fitness Association is the world’s leading membership organization of health and fitness professionals with more than 19,000 members in over 80 countries. Since 1982, IDEA has provided health and fitness professionals with pertinent information, educational opportunities, career development programs and industry leadership while helping them enhance the quality of life worldwide through safe, effective fitness and healthy lifestyle programs. For more information on IDEA events, publications, educational products, member services or other activities, visit the IDEA Web site at: http://www.ideafit.com/ # # #
Lawrence Biscontini may be reached for an interview at (787) 863-1000, ext. 7480 or biscontini@aol.com. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1985. In 2000, Lawrence received the Group Exercise Instructor of the Year Award from the American Council on Exercise. This marks the first time any fitness professional has received both awards.
