Show Time -- When You Think You've Seen It All...

I CHECKED OUT THE Super Show last month, and I am still recovering. This annual sporting-goods trade show in Atlanta is a cross between one of my avowed weaknesses - fitness gadgets - and one of my least-favorite hangouts - shopping malls.

It's big, covering more than 1.2 million square feet, nearly eight times larger than the floor of the Kingdome. It's packed, with more than 110,000 buyers, sellers and manufacturers. (The general public isn't allowed in.) And it's stuffed with enough gear to make a fitness writer's head spin and feet ache.

One product I wasn't so impressed with: The Proform Space Saver Crosswalk treadmill, which folds up when not in use; it's too wobbly for my taste. A few things I'll get back to later, like those abdominal-exercise contraptions (Ab Sculptor, AbEx, Ab Toner) and the new stationary-bicycle training called spinning. In the meantime, here are some items that caught my eye:

# Sport-specific: SoundAdvice, the first teaching aid endorsed by Jack Nicklaus, fits over the grip of any golf club and beeps when it senses changes in grip pressure from inefficient muscle movements. $79.95; at Sharper Image, or call (800) 515-BEEP. (Some phone numbers here are for purchasing the products; others are for information on local sources.)

Inline Speed fits on the toe of in-line skates and records time, speed and distance. $39.95; (800) 546-7767.

The Pro Cut is an alternative to the weighted doughnut that fits over the wide end of a softball or baseball bat; this brass weight clamps to the handle end to develop a power swing, even while hitting balls. $34.95; (847) 838-6116.

The Racq' makes it easy to carry a tennis racquet while bicycling to the courts: a cushioned hard-shell case attaches to the back of the bike frame and includes room for balls; $34.95; (312) 733-6596.

# Weighty matters: Redmond's own Vectra Fitness has a nifty new multi-station weight-lifting station, the C-1, which fits in a corner and takes up just 5 feet by 6 feet for 14 basic lifts (more with optional attachments). $2,195 at Exercise Equipment Center.

PlateMates are 1 1/4- and 2 1/2-pound weights imbedded with magnets so they can be quickly attached to dumbbells; $19.89-$27.89 a pair; (800) 877-3322. PowerPac is an adaptor and free weights for making a Health Rider workout tougher; $59.95; (800) 457-8808.

# Skateboard takeoffs: The Outback Mountainboard, out of Kennewick, wraps steel tubing around a skateboard deck and mounts it atop three 12-inch tires. The result: mobility akin to carving on a surfboard or snowboard. $299; (800) 654-6483. Vew-Do is for indoor training: a skateboard-like platform that balances atop a separate wooden roller. $119.95-$124.95; (802) 362-7098. And the Rollerboard puts inline-skate wheels below a skateboard; $69.99, $79.99; (800) 408-7352.

# Kid stuff: The Jimmy Gym is an indoor jungle gym, with climbing rope and ladder, trapeze bar and hanging rings, in 10 square feet. Available early April; $425; (813) 530-0484. The Ballwall is a mesh curtain with a strike-zone pouch for throwing and pitching practice; $144; (800) 966-1190.

# Around the body: The Wilson Power Squeeze ball can be heated or cooled for extra therapy during gripping exercises; the polymer material actually pushes back; three sizes, $5.99-$11.95; (800) 649-6286. Fusion combines wood flours with calcium carbonate for dry hands without a sticky residue; $6.99; (800) 746-9677. Hydro-Flex turns your hot tub into a water-exercise system, with grips, bars and tension bands; $199.95 at Olympic Hot Tubs, or (800) 458-2782.

# Skin care: The Dul-X Natural Sports Care line includes injury-prevention products (massage lotions) and first-aid and recovery products, including cooling and heating creams and recovery bath; $8.98-$14.98; (800) 366-3859. Sportcare by Weider includes face, body and hair products designed for athletes: sun protection, extra moisturizers, long-lasting; $7.75-$12.50; (800) 287-2668.

And, finally, the Dead Sea mineral-bath and foot-bath salts ($1.49 and up) from Masada; (800) 368-8811. They hit the spot with at least one fitness columnist on the mend after 1.2 million square feet of shopping.

Molly Martin is assistant editor of Pacific Magazine. Send comments to On Fitness, Pacific Magazine, Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, e-mail mmar-new@seatimes.com or call 464-8243.