McMinnville Meltdown starts tomorrow

Most noticeable is the fact the Meltdown will last nearly an entire year, all the way to Dec. 15. Prizes will be awarded every month with a grand prize of $2,000 to be awarded in December.

Anyone is eligible to participate in the Meltdown, regardless of if they are a member of USA Gym or subscribe to the Standard.

‘The goal is to get everyone to lose weight and feel better about themselves,’ said USA Gym manager Paige Northcutt. ‘Sure we’d like you to be a gym member, but we don’t want it to keep you from participating if you’re not.’

The total weight loss for last year’s contest was 1,172 pounds. That was done in just three and a half months.

‘A three-month program is really just a diet,’ said USA Gym manager Paige Northcutt referring to last year’s Meltdown. ‘We have talked to several local physicians and they all agree McMinnville needs a meaningful lifestyle change. That’s one of the reasons we lengthened the time to one year so that we can really change someone’s life and make them healthier.’

Unlike last year’s contest where there was a drawing to determine the five winners, this year nothing will be left to chance. Monthly prize packages will be awarded based on the highest percentage of body weight lost.

Percentages are being used this year because USA Gym owner Dr. Leland Northcutt says that’s a more fair way to conduct the contest. The former method of going by total weight lost tipped the scales in favor of the heavier participants, Dr. Northcutt said. A 320-pound person who drops 20 pounds hasn’t lost as much, proportionally speaking, as a 220-pound person who drops 20 pounds.

Monthly prize packets will include everything from Standard subscriptions, to restaurant gift cards, to $50 to $100 cash. The $2,000 grand prize will be awarded to the person who loses the largest percentage of their body weight over the entire contest.

For more information, call USA Gym at 473-9355.