A Stronger VOICE
Hear them roar. Record numbers of women are participating in sports, some of them competing directly with men. Will you be the one to sell sports eyewear to this powerful group?
By Erinn Morgan

Women today are more comfortable participating in sporting activities that were formerly dominated by men PHOTO RED BULL/BERNHARD SPÖTTEL

Women are making headlines. Female athletes are deservedly living in the media's limelight these days. Annika Sorrenstam has been making waves as she will make her PGA debut in May. NASCAR driver Patty Moise--one of the only females to compete successfully in the men's playing field--is the first woman to win a NASCAR Busch Grand National qualifying race. The list of female pro athletes keeps growing in boxing, snowboarding, basketball, soccer, and even adventure racing. The media coverage of the female stars of their sport has had a trickle-down effect to the masses, where women now feel more comfortable participating and even competing in activities that were formerly dominated by men.

"Women are more involved in sports than ever," says Tim Donovan, owner of Optical Options in Aspen, Colo. "They are not just sitting at the bottom of the hill looking pretty; they want to get involved and be more independent."

In fact, according to a recently released state of the industry report by the Outdoor Industry Association, U.S. women's (age 16 and older) participation in outdoor activities [including bicycling, backpacking, bird watching, camping, climbing, cross-country/ Nordic skiing, fly fishing, hiking, canoeing, rafting, kayaking, snowshoeing, telemark skiing, and trail running] grew from 53.4 percent in 1998 to 60.9 percent in 2001.

Media coverage of women's participation in sports has helped other females to become interested in activities. In addition to bringing it to the forefront, this interest has helped many women to feel sports are more acceptable to be a part of as a woman.

Another boon to this cause is Title IX. Passed 30 years ago, Title IX is the portion of the Education Amendments of 1972 that prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions that receive any federal funds.

In 1971, only 294,015 girls participated in high school sports, while more than 3.5 million boys participated. By the 1972-73 school year, the number of girls had more than doubled to 817,073. And by 1996-97 that number was 2,472,043.

	PHOTO RED BULL/PETER WITEK Eyewear manufacturers have caught up with women athletes by creating lines of female-specific frames in smaller sizes and varied colors

A SPORTING VISION

As a result of the women's movement in sports, many manufacturers got smart and started to offer more female-specific gear and clothing. Even sports eyewear manufacturers now market women's frames that are smaller and have different colors and styling.

The timing is excellent because dispensers across the country agree that sales of women's sports eyewear are on the rise. "Our women's business has probably gone up about 12 percent, including both prescription and non-prescription," says Donovan.

"I think more women are just doing sports today and need the appropriate eyewear. It is no longer just the husband going out there. Women want to learn how to do it too." As a result, Donovan says he is now carrying more women's-specific sports eyewear.

"Yes, we sell to a lot of women," says Jim Albright of Albright Opticians in Lancaster, Pa., and In-Spex Optical, an e-commerce site focused on selling prescription sports eyewear (in-spex.com). "We have also seen an increase in the number of frames that are smaller for women and have the right sizing. We are finding more teal blue and sky blue. The vendors are getting away from the black, gray, and titanium colors for women."

PHOTO RED BULL/ULRICH GRILL Safety is also important, and polarized, poly, and Trivex lenses fit the bill

WOMEN'S INTUITION

So how do you position product to this savvy consumer, who has likely researched what she wants even before stepping foot inside your door?

One way is to create a special section of sports eyewear just for her.

Donovan has done just that in his 400-square-foot Aspen, Colo., store (strategically located across from the ski area's gondola). "When women come in looking for sports eyewear, I show them the area and work with them," he says. Explaining the features and benefits of each frame helps the customer to make the choice right for them.

Some retailers suggest creating a nice atmosphere for the women's sports eyewear section. This could include specialized point-of-purchase materials and props. "Men have a tendency to go into the clubhouse on the golf course to buy their sport frame," says Monica Williams, owner of the Optical Shop of Sun Valley, located in Sun Valley, Idaho. "We offer a boutique shopping experience, and women are more inclined to come in here."

Williams displays the store's sports eyewear on glass shelves and round tables with glass display cubes. As a result of her inviting atmosphere, women constitute 60 percent of Williams' sports eyewear customer base.

	Function tops the list of requirements women demand in sports eyewear, but style that isn't man-tailored also contributes to product appeal PHOTO RED BULL/ULRICH GRILL

THE WISH LIST

What do women want out of their sports eyewear? Understanding the desires of this sometimes fickle customer will help you stock the appropriate products and present the right options to them. First and foremost, eyecare professionals say that women look for sunwear that is functional.

"Women want the technical stuff as much as the guys do," says in-spex.com's Albright. "They want glasses that are functional and suit their needs. They have the right running shoes, the right bike, and the right clothes. They also want the right sport glasses."

Another important feature for some is that the glasses function in both low and bright light. "Many women don't want to change lenses," says Donovan. An additional benefit, he says, is that the lenses bend out enough that their eyelashes do not hit them.

A lot of female athletes also want lenses that are impact resistant for sports like tennis and softball. "The safety aspect has become more important to women, so we offer a lot of polycarbonate lenses," says Heather Hultman, frame buyer for Archdale and More Eyecare, which has two locations in Colorado Springs, Colo. "Polarization is also an important lens feature to women."

Prescription sports eyewear is also a growing business as many athletes are unwilling to compromise visual quality and comfort. "We sell a lot of prescription sunwear to females," says Albright, whose in-spex.com Website focuses on supplying Rx sports eyewear to triathletes and bicyclists. "About 30 percent of our sales are to women and the majority of the lenses we make up are poly."

Albright also says that women are much more aware of what they want in their sports eyewear before they pay a visit to his store or click on the Website. "They do know ahead of time what they are looking for in the way of frames--they have already done their research on Websites and magazines," he says. "Another point for them is that cost doesn't seem to be a big factor."

For example, at Archdale and More Eyecare, female customers purchase prescription sports sunwear in a retail price range of $150 to $300. Plano frames are priced lower, at $75 to $150.

One of the most important features women seek is proper size, shape, style, and color in sports frames. While vendors have made inroads into supplying women with more options, some dispensers say there is still a lack of good product for women.

"The biggest problem is the sizing for women," says Hultman, who has a sports eyewear assortment of which 15 percent is targeted specifically to female athletes. "They are looking for wraps that are smaller, and it is tough for them to find something that is not this huge bulky thing. I would really like to see more women's-specific product with feminine sizes, shapes, and colors."

A number of dispensers agree that once there is more women's-specific product available on the market, this business will only increase. Hultman notes: "Women's sports eyewear sales will only grow in the future, especially if we get the product we need."

Women By the Numbers

Women's participation in sports at all levels--high school, college, amateur, professional, and senior--is on the rise. Here, some statistics compiled by the Women's Sports Foundation provide an idea of the magnitude of the matter. In 1971, one in 27 girls participated in high school sports. Today, that figure is one in 2.5, a more than 800 percent increase from 1971. For boys, the figure has remained constant at one in two. (Women's Sports Foundation calculation based on NFSHA and Department of Education statistics, 2001) The number of female athletes increased 40 percent on high school varsity teams in the 1990s. Boys' participation increased 12.5 percent during the same time. (SGMA, Gaining Ground, 2000) Female athletes represent 43 percent of total varsity athletes and receive 43 percent of collegiate athletic scholarship dollars ($133 million less than males each year). Total budgets for women's scholarships increased nine percent in 1999-2000. Total budgets for men's varsity teams increased five percent. (NCAA, Gender Equity Report Card 1999-2000, 2001) Frequent participation (100 or more times) by females in fitness activities increased 24 percent from 1990 to 2000. (Sports Edge, Oct. 2001). 24.1 million women participated in fitness walking in 2000. (SGMA, Tracking the Fitness Movement, 2001) According to the SGMA, the 10 most popular sports and fitness activities for women are fitness walking, basketball, treadmill, free weights, recreational walking, stretching, recreational swimming, recreational bicycling, calisthenics, and inline skating. (SGMA, Gaining Ground, 2000) Since 1991, participation of women in the National Senior Games (NSG) has increased by 110 percent (from 1,756 to 3,689). Swimming and track and field are the most popular sports. (NSG, 1998) Women's participation in the Olympic Games has risen from 1.6 percent in 1900 to 38.2 percent in 2000. (International Olympic Committee, 2000) When the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) first began in 1950, the top purse was $15,000. In 1992, the average purse was $532,500, and in 2000, that number was more than $900,000. Total purses have grown from $21.3 million in 1992 (40 events) to $43.5 million in 2001 (41 events). In 2002, the women will have 34 official tournaments worth $40.5 million in prize money. (USA Today, Nov. 14, 2001; LPGA, 2002) Overall, women have increased their frequent participation in fitness activities by 24 percent in the past decade PHOTO RED BULL/ULRICH GRILL

A Fly Girl Reflects

She flies through the air with the greatest of ease. Sarah Burke, a mere 18, is one of the world's top pro freeskiers, with a host of sponsorships (including Smith Optics) and film credits already under her belt. Burke grew up in Midland, Ontario, a harbor town on Lake Huron's Georgian Bay. By age 12, Sarah was skiing at a small, local area called Horseshoe Valley seven days a week. Her spinning and flipping technical tricks helped her win the recent slopestyle event at the U.S. Open in Vail. She also came in second in the half pipe competition and was the only female competitor in the Big Air competition. We had a chance to talk with the skiing phenom while she was in New York City filming a video (where skiers slid down street railings). Here, she shares her thoughts on women's sports eyewear. Q What type of eyewear do you like to wear while skiing? A I mainly wear my goggles all through winter. When I coach at Whistler [a Canadian ski resort] in summertime I wear sunglasses. Q What features do you like about the goggles/glasses you wear? A I like wearing this cool little girl goggle. It's a smaller frame and more bubbly. I also have another larger pair that I wear, which are more for guys, but I like them because they fit well, the visual quality is great, and they have great colors. In sunwear, I like a rimless style with mirrored and tinted lenses. They are totally fashion glasses. One of the most important things to me is durability. I am always packing and on the road. I just throw my gear in bag and go, so my sunglasses have to stand up to that. It is also super important to have that peripheral vision on the side since I am always looking in different directions whether I'm in the air or on the ground. Q What do you love about your sport? A I love everything. But I really love the feeling that I get when going over a jump or nailing a rail I've been working on.