The “Pounding Down” Challenge

The Carolina Panthers’ rallying cry “Keep Pounding” is meant to inspire each player to dig deep and give their personal best effort. Keep Pounding means never giving up, and a big component of this message is commitment to team and working hard for team and teammates. This past summer a group of Okuma members stepped forward and made a commitment to be their personal best. Each individual had a weight loss goal in order to become healthier, so the program was called the “Pounding Down Challenge”, a homage to the commitment and dedication of the Panthers. The journey proved to be both challenging and rewarding, and every participant came out a winner.

The Power of Teams

At Okuma we too believe in the value of a team approach, so Pounding Down was set up accordingly. In June a total of 45 participants were grouped into teams of 5, and they worked together to develop strategies, motivation and mutual support for weight loss. A scale was placed next to my desk, and every Monday morning for 9 weeks each participant weighed in, and I recorded their progress on a master spreadsheet. The Challenge ended in late August, and we awarded a $100 gift card to the overall winner who lost the most pounds, and there was also a team winner where each member received a $100 gift card.

Down 477.4 Pounds!

The participants worked really hard, trying to eat better and exercising through a long, hot summer. Team members kept an eye on each other and this provided a great support system. It got to the point where you’d feel guilty if you let the team down – no one wanted to be the weakest link on their team. When we had our final weigh-in, the results were dramatic. With 45 people, the total weight at the start was 9,442.9 pounds, and the total weight at the end was 8,965.5 pounds. Collectively we lost 477.4 pounds! As an extra benefit we all felt slimmer and fitter just in time for IMTS.

The Winner(s)

Of course every participant was a winner because it just feels great to develop healthy new habits and maintain the needed discipline to get results. It was empowering. The overall winner was Ernie Long, who lost 16.6% of his bodyweight, a total of 35 pounds DOWN in just two months. Wayne McConnell came in second place with a 14% loss in body weight. (In the photo above Ernie is at the left and Wayne at the right.) Ernie was also on the overall winning team, so he received 2 $100 gift cards, but he says this was about so much more than a monetary reward:

“At the beginning of the program, I started walking and I became relentless about walking a few times around Okuma America daily and at the Y in the evenings. Those steps along with an awareness of what I was eating lead to me lose over 30 pounds during the challenge. Many of my steps took place alongside others, and I had the opportunity to develop or/and strengthen relationships with many of my co-workers. Also, during the challenge, I witnessed the sharing of many words of encouragement within and among the weight loss teams. In my opinion, everyone involved was successful whether they lost a lot or a little weight.” (Ernie Long)

Sticking It Out Together

As a part of my participation in the Challenge, I started running. I’d never been a runner before in my life, but now I’m training, along with some of my Okuma teammates, for the Susan G. Komen Race coming up in October here in Charlotte. We’re going to stick it out and go run this together.

Jeanette Schuster is Administration Manager, Okuma America Corporation.