Game Changer

Engaging and inspiring, Game Changer: Phil Lawler’s Crusade to Help Children by Improving Physical Education charts Lawler’s tireless mission to refocus physical education to a wellness-based model that encourages fitness for a lifetime. Game Changer captures the passion of this legend in the field of physical education who believed that every child—regardless of athletic ability—should be given a chance to find an activity he or she can embrace and enjoy for a lifetime.

The renowned Dr. Kenneth Cooper of Cooper Aerobics Center names Phil Lawler the "Father of the New PE." Game Changer offers an inspiring glimpse at the life of Lawler and his “New PE,” the wellness-based approach to physical education that has energized a revolution in the world of education.

Full of ideas and strategies, Game Changer provides both the information and motivation to develop, implement, and support PE and community programs that encompass all children, not just the athletically inclined. Messages from leaders in the physical education field provide lessons learned in the development, leadership, promotion, and ongoing advocacy of wellness-based PE programs.

Game Changer takes readers through Lawler’s beginnings as a stereotypical PE teacher and coach and his dawning realization of how physical education class can be a positive tool for encouraging a lifetime of health and physical activity. As Lawler’s work received a boost from the mounting research connecting physical activity to academic and behavioral improvements, the New PE gained momentum nationally and abroad. Readers will be inspired by Lawler’s vision and commitment, despite his own health challenges, to improving the health and fitness of children worldwide.

Though his battle with cancer cut short his own work, Game Changer carries the torch of Lawler’s New PE by providing information and tools to assist physical educators in developing more inclusive PE programs that emphasize developing, attaining, and renewing personal fitness goals across the life span.

PE4life is a regionally focused nonprofit organization with national reach, dedicated to developing active and healthy children and youth through increased access to high-quality physical education. As part of this initiative, PE4life encourages fun and interactive physical activity programs to engage all students. PE4life partners with community, business, and school leaders to facilitate systemic change in the perception and delivery of physical education with the desire to improve the health and wellness of children through high-quality physical education. In addition, PE4life offers professional development and support to educators and administrators who desire to create positive change in their schools and communities.

Programs incorporating PE4life’s core principles employ today’s best practices in physical education to inspire and educate all students about the fundamental importance of lifelong physical activity and fitness. PE4life has been successful in schools with diverse student populations in urban, suburban, and rural settings. To date, PE4life has trained physical education professionals and administrators from 40 states and 9 countries, helping over 2.2 million children worldwide.