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Activities Slam-Dunk Obesity

July 18, 2006

As an athlete, physical fitness was just another part of life for Sandy Slade, but the fact that it didn't come naturally to a lot people was not lost on this former Fresno State basketball player.This, along with the realization that she couldn't be an entertainer forever, led Slade to take on the problem of inactivity and obesity that affects people, indiscriminate of race, gender or creed. Her solution was the company she started four years ago, Skillastics. "It's exciting, we're filling a need," Slade said, "every day you hear about obesity problems in our country."

The company originally started with Basketball Skillastics, a package to teach basketball skills and fundamentals. While this was an attractive program for anyone interested in sports, Slade said she wanted to expand the program and get others that might not be into sports interested in physical exercise, so she created Fitness Skillastics as well as HalfPint Skillastics for children ages three to seven. "It's just trying to plant that seed of being physically active at a really young age," Slade said. After playing Division I and professional basketball in the 1980s, Slade found a niche as a professional entertainer, performing at NBA and collegiate halftime shows around the country. For 20 years she entertained audiences with her basketball skills. "It's kind of like the Globetrotters, but just one person," Slade said.

While working as an entertainer, Slade found time to put on workshops around the country, talking about basketball skills. She said she was able to use basketball as the hook, while also talking about overcoming adversity and other challenges in life. Eventually, the workshops and the desire to help others would bring about Skillastics. Skillastics anticipates adding a soccer package soon. While it still operates out of Slade's home in Corona, the company is growing and looking to hire a sales force. The cities of San Diego, Fresno, Riverside and San Antonio, among many others, have purchased a large number of Skillastics packages for various after-school and youth programs. "There's been a lot of growing pains," said Andrew Van Fossen, director of Skillastics, "It's been a fantastic experience, but we're still learning."