LAPUSH — Inspired by television’s show about big losers, Penny Winn set out to help the Quileute control obesity and diabetes.
Taking a cue from NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” Winn, early childhood coordinator for the Quileute Tribal School, wrote a $15,000 grant proposal to the federal Rural Health Network to organize a weight-loss contest among tribal members.
The contest is to see who loses the most weight in a 13-week stretch.
The Summer Jam Fest contest, which kicked off June 4, includes weigh-ins every other week.
The 39 participants can go to regularly held workout classes at the gymnasium on the reservation.
“I also set up a lottery system through the tribal council for the three challenges,” Winn said.
“If they are doing really well, they will be entered to a drawing for $5,000.”
The drawings will be done three times throughout the round, based on various challenges issued at the time of the drawing.
The specific challenges have not yet been revealed.
The A-ka-lat Center weight room is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at specified times for those who would like to work out in group classes or individually.
An upper body and lower body aerobics class and yoga class also are offered.
Winn said some participants also have been taking walks down LaPush’s Second and Third beaches.
Each participant paid $40 to buy in with $20 of that going toward a T-shirt and the rest going toward a lottery for the biggest loser of the group.
Although the current competition is closed to more participants, a new one will begin in September.
“Our last weigh-in is on Aug. 27 and we’ll start up the next one the very next week [Sept. 3],” Winn said.
She said she believes that the tribal council will renew financial support for the program to allow the awards to continue because of the struggle the people have with diabetes.
When applying for the grant from the federal Rural Health Network, Winn researched diabetes, an illness that affects many in the tribe, she said.
“The cost to Medicare for a person who has diabetes is $63,700 per year and another $7,000 to the household in expenses,” she said, citing the numbers given to her by the health care organization.
“If they can get that under control, it really will change their lives. It will save their life and money.”
The people who are participating this round may participate in others, if they wish.
“They can participate until they want to stop,” Winn said.
“Even if they are at their goal weight, they can participate.
Winn said the contest has been education.
“Learning to read labels is a great example,” she said.
“If something is 190 calories, but you didn’t look to see how many servings it was, it could be a really bad thing.”
The tribe also purchased three Nintendo Wiis and placed them throughout the reservation.
“We have ‘The Biggest Loser’ game, if people want to play that,” Winn said.
The inspiration for the contest began as Winn was talking to Tara Newman about the TV show.
“I was saying that I would like to go to the ranch — not the one on the show but the one you can pay to go to,” Winn said.
“Just imagine all the stuff you would learn while you’re there.
“There is so much information that could be brought back to teach others.
“So then, I said that we could do this here on our own, so I went out for the grant.”
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
