MANY LIST FITNESS AS TOP RESOLUTION OF YEAR; LOCAL OFFICIALS ALSO SET 1998 GOALS

Trying not to reach for a cigarette or doughnut? Planning to start jogging 20 miles a week?

If you made a New Year's resolution, you're not alone.

At Universal Health and Fitness Center, Trish Kogge and her daughter Mary Richards worked out together on the treadmills Thursday.

The Cape Girardeau women said fitness tops their list of New Year's resolutions.

"As a family, we're going to start doing fresh juices and vegetable juices," Richards said. "We're going to be getting rid of junk food completely."

"I guess my resolution is I'm going to keep doing this," Kogge said, treading away.

After having both knees replaced in February, Kogge said she began working on the treadmills to increase flexibility, and plans to stick with it.

Michelle Doughten, Universal's fitness coordinator, said business picks up dramatically with each new year as people determined to get in shape sign up for memberships.

"My biggest suggestion is to be very specific in their scheduling," Doughten said.

Meanwhile, community leaders focused on golf, diet and staying cigarette-free for the new year.

Gerald Jones, Cape Girardeau County's presiding commissioner, and Steve Wilson, Jackson city administrator, both cited improving their golf games as their goals for 1998.

"I'm wanting to shoot an 80 on the golf course this spring, but I'd have to skip at least the last three holes to do that," Jones said.

"I need to knock three strokes off my handicap," said Wilson, adding he needs "lots of consideration from family and friends."

"I want to get as good as Mayor (Al) Spradling," Wilson said. "He's a good golfer."

Cape Girardeau's Spradling said he'll be concentrating on his health this year and working on sticking to his diet.

"Since I started it Nov. 19, it's become an obsession," said Spradling.

Normally, Spradling said, he doesn't make New Year's resolutions "because I've been very poor at sticking to them."

And Wilson's kind words aside, Spradling said his golf game isn't worthy of a full-fledged resolution.

"It's helpless. We don't talk about that," he said.

Nancy Jernigan, director of the Area Wide United Way, doesn't play golf, but she is planning to work on relationships this year.

"The thing I've been trying to do better is to balance the work better with the family and the church," Jernigan said. "One thing I want to focus on more in this coming year is relationships. I think we get so busy with our work and things that we have to do that we just rush through and don't take the time to talk to people and get to know them and care about them, not just in the business relationship or church relationship or the PTA or whatever it is, but just as people."

Charlotte Craig, director of the Cape Girardeau County Health Department, said she is going to try to remain cigarette-free.

"I quit smoking four months ago," Craig said. "If I made a New Year's resolution, it would be to maintain the smoke-free status."