McGugin's Biggest Loser Contest Breeds Real Competition

In McGugin, the Student-Athletes Aren't the Only Competitors

Now that things are tight in the McGugin's Biggest Loser contest, it has been interesting to sit back and reflect on just how competitive the Vanderbilt athletics staff has been over the past nine weeks.

The last weigh-in will be on Tuesday afternoon when everyone will have a chance to unwind from the notion that the women's basketball team is in the Final Four. Getting back to my original point though, competition is alive and well among the McGugin Athletics staff. Everything from the subterfuge of bringing in sweets for everyone on the opposite team to the constant questions about just how Brett Wulke continues life as the Incredible Shrinking Man. I have even seen long-term promises to algebra teachers broken ("I don't ever intend to use algebra again in my life!"), as several competitors utilize word problems to find out how much weight they need to drop by Monday to bring the team total up.

Jessica Siegel's divulging of her secret of consuming only chicken and lettuce to get into the individual prize (iPod Shuffle, thanks Coca Cola!) hunt, is another example. There has been an increase in the amount of recipes for cutting calories talked about in the hallways. I personally had an incident where I mapped out on a dry erase board my "Unintentional Workout" with Rebecca Kelley which involves parking in the far part of Opry Mills' parking lot, being dragged around one full circle of Opry Mills by my wife and then walking over to the Opryland Hotel for a leisurely walk around the entire gardens inside. It shaves off 480 calories, but stay away from the hallways where the rooms are, as it can remind you of those two creepy twin girls in The Shining.

Now for an update on the stats and the leaderboards.

Team Gold is holding it's smallest margin of a lead since Week 2. Overall they have lost 113 lbs which is 2.9259% of their original team weight of 3,862 lbs. Team Black has been steadily chipping away at the Gold lead and has now lost a total team amount of 117 lbs of their original team weight of 4,206 lbs. Team Black's percentage is 2.7817% going into the weekend.

On the individual side, here are the top 6 percentages in each category:

Male: Brett Wulke (13.4408%) - Gold (Operations)
Jason Silvers (10.7438%) - Black (Marketing)
Eric Jones (8.9005%) - Black (Ticket Office)
Greg Allen (7.2072%) - Gold (Women's Golf Coach)
George Midgett (5.0925%) - Black (Compliance)
Tim House (5.0541%) - Black (Marketing)

Female: Lindsay Rutledge (5.4054%) - Black (National Commodore Club)
Beth Turner (5.2910%) - Gold (Athletic Business Office)
Patricia Marett (4.4303%) - Black (Athletic Administration)
Shanika Douglass (4.1322%) - Gold (Athletics Business Office)
Candice Lee (3.6697%) - Gold (Compliance/Athletic Administration)
Jessica Siegel (3.6144%) - Gold (Ticket Office)

Team Gold: Brett Wulke (13.4408%)
Greg Allen (7.2072%) - Operations
Beth Turner (5.2910%) - Athletic Business Office
Brandon Barca (4.2918%) - Web Marketing and Communication-
Shanika Douglass (4.1322%) - Athletic Business Office
Candice Lee (3.6697%) - Compliance and Athletic Administration

Team Black: Jason Silvers (10.7438%) - Marketing
Eric Jones (8.9005%) - Ticket Office
Lindsay Rutledge (5.4054%) - National Commodore Club
George Midgett (5.0925%) - Compliance
Tim House (5.0541%) - Marketing
Patricia Marett (4.4303%) - Athletic Administration

Regardless of who wins, it has been fun to see everyone's competitive side. My thanks go out to Glaceau and Coca Cola who are donating prizes including Smartwater and Coke Zero. Black or Gold, whoever wins it's all Vanderbilt.

McGugin's Biggest Loser Update

For McGugin's Biggest Loser, Spring Has Sprung
By Eric Jones

The contest is now officially in the final stretch, so everyone that has been saying that they are waiting for it to get warmer outside to workout, is out of excuses. I mean, come on, even head baseball coach Tim Corbin is wondering what must be going on to have a 75 degree day in early March. Usually it is snow and ice for that guy, but he always gets in nine innings.

The weather is getting nicer just in time for what is proving to be a tight race. Team Gold lost some of their momentum this past week, staying even at 97.5 lbs lost (2.524% of body weight lost). Team Black gained the momentum losing 7 lbs on the week while increasing their team total to 92 lbs lost (2.187% of body weight lost).

Top Five Losers for each team are:
Team Gold:
Brett Wulke (12.3%)
Beth Turner (4.76%)
Greg Allen (4.50%)
Brandon Barca (4.29%)
Candice Lee (4.12%)

Team Black:
Jason Silvers (7.85%)
Eric Jones (5.75%)
Tim House (5.05%)
George Midgett (4.62%)
Lindsay Rutledge (4.05%)

All 40 Biggest Loser participants also got the chance to sample Vitamin Water at a tasting event in McGugin Center. Triple X emerged as the favorite flavor among participants, but it rebuffed some myths about sports drinks for me personally. It's not the Kool Aid packets that your mom used to buy at the grocery store and likely more nutritious. I was disappointed however that it did not allow me to run faster on a treadmill and or be any closer to spelling pomegranate (an extract that is supposed to be good for you that is in Triple X) without spellcheck.

I hope it didn't make for any hard feelings between Glaceau and Coke, but apparently not as Coke was also nice enough to drop off some Coke Zero for participants along with two iPod nano's have been donated by Coca Cola as prizes for the top female and top male (largest percentage of body weight lost) on the winning team.

Next blog, what does spring weather mean for workout routines.

Biggest Loser Race Heating Up

Team Gold Shines in McGugin's Biggest Loser Contest






Monday found me preparing to broadcast the Vanderbilt-California baseball game onsite in Berkeley, California. Thomas Samuel of Vanderbilt Athletic Communications had successfully duped me into believing that the hilly terrain of the San Francisco Bay Area that we experienced had more than made up for the gigantic dessert binge we were enjoying. That almost made sense to me until I remembered we mostly drove around on the interstate.

The news for Team Black wasn't bad (down another 10 lbs), but it was Team Gold that dropped 17 lbs on the week. After six weeks, Team Gold has lost a total of 98 lbs (2.52% of total body weight) and Team Black has lost 85 lbs (2.02% of total body weight).

As in all competition, there are some individuals that standout such as operations intern Brett Wulke for the Team Gold. Brett is training for the Music City Marathon and has lost 22 lbs to pace Gold. Wulke claims he still has some room to improve, but I certainly hope he has thinned down about as far as possible. Team Black is led by Jason Silvers (marketing) who has melted 17 lbs away primarily by sheer willpower and a newfound commitment to witchcraft. If it isn't witchcraft, then he is just eating way too healthy. There are a total of nine individuals who have joined the 10 lbs Club, losing 10 or more lbs: Greg Allen (Golf), Mr. Brandon Barca (Web Marketing and Communications), Candice Lee (Compliance Guru) and Brett Wulke (Operations) for Team Gold. Team Black includes Tim House (Marketing), Myself (Eric Jones, Ticket Office), George Midgett (Compliance), Jason Silvers (Marketing) and Heather Warf (Business Office).

Tomorrow, we will welcome in our sponsor Smart Water to have a Tasting Party in McGugin Center for all Biggest Loser Participants at 10:30am. Perhaps I will try to get Brett Wulke to try a new experimental flavor: Pepperoni Pizza or Banana Split. Four weeks to go.

The Wall: A McGugin's Biggest Loser Obstacle in Week 5.

Officially powering the 2009 McGugin's Biggest Loser Competition

The Wall: No Time for Gold Brickin'

By Eric Jones - Five weeks in and half way there (Whoa-oh, livin on a prayer) for McGugin's Biggest Loser. The Wall looms large now at the halfway point as it is tougher to fight one's own human body. Half pound losses are valued much more. If not for Brandon Barca's first weigh-in since week one, Team Gold would have gained two pounds. As it happened Barca's 10 lbs (over five weeks) pre-wedding weigh-in put Team Gold down by 8 cumulative pounds for the week. Overall, the team is down 80.5 lbs which equates to 2.0844% cumulative weight lost. Team Black also gutted out a shallow week losing just 2 lbs and is 5 lbs off the Gold pace with 1.7832% total body weight lost.

But make no mistake, the Wall looms large for many contestants. It's amazing how you think you are doing well, eating an apple for lunch for a whole week then you find out, you gained a pound. Stupid Jared, and his "Five Dollar Footlongs." More than one teammate was muttering, "I should have just eaten a bag of Kettle Corn at the UK game."

I am personally attacking my own Biggest Loser Wall by attempting to find a way to download my old copy of Pink Floyd's iconic classic "The Wall" onto my iPod. The only thing this is successfully doing is making my head hurt, as I try to understand the lyrics of Roger Waters. Maybe that burns calories too or maybe I just don't have the proper laser light show package for my treadmill.

There has also been an increasing interest in some team sports including a renegade noon basketball game several days a week that has already popped at least one creaky hamstring.

At least next week we will get some help from our sponsors as Smart Water will be introducing some new flavors to both teams on Friday, February 27. If that doesn't work, it's back to leaving Ho-Ho's and donuts for members of the opposing team.

The Battle to Find the Perfect Workout Song Rages in McGugin

Officially powering the 2009 McGugin's Biggest Loser Competition

Posted by Eric Jones

Before getting into just how powerful of an influence the band Survivor has on this year's contest, an update. Team Gold has lost 72.5 lbs (1.877% of initial team body weight) over the competition's first four weeks. That is just a slim half pound more than Team Black, who weighed in heavier and has therefore lost 1.711% of their team body weight. As each team tries to adopt subtle tactics to tempt the opposition into falling head first into a vat of cake batter, it has been enjoyable to watch the two teams take various approaches to getting and staying active. Be it just taking the steps more often or walking to lunch (so as not to lose a parking space in the McGugin Lot), I have witnessed a common theme. Music.

Take Brett Wulke, an intern working in Operations, who is training for the Music City Marathon. By using a mix of including the Rocky Story compilation soundtrack featuring the Rocky Training Montage, to Linkin Park with Jay-Z, The Kiss on the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack while sprinkling in Your the Best from the Karate Kid soundtrack, Brett has been able to shed a Team Gold best 13 lbs. Team Gold teammate Jessica Siegel (Ticket Office) puts a method to her workout soundtrack including Britney Spears' Circus ("Britney looks the way I want to look"), Lose Yourself by Eminem ("Great song to spin on the exercise bike"), and We Built This City by Starship ("You just have to love the '80's,"). Even Brandon Barca (Web Guru) admitted the secret to losing some pre-wedding weight(coming up in seven days) for Team Gold was grounded in Survivor's workout anthem from Rocky III, Eye of the Tiger.

Team Black features a very eclectic mix of workout fanatics. Heather Warf (Business Office) believes in balancing her decades: Journey and Bon Jovi ('80's), Hootie and the Blowfish ('90's) and Lady Antebellum/Keith Urban ('00's). Teammate Jason Silvers (marketing) uses a harder edge: Cult of Personality by Living Colour, Click, Click, Boom by Saliva and Gasoline by Audioslave to name a few. "I like the consistent beat with a heavy song. Getting a little mad at the weights as you are lifting is a good thing." I didn't get to ask him whether his cool down music is the slow piano song at the end of the Incredible Hulk TV show from the '70's. After all, it always calmed down the Hulk.

Music isn't for everyone though. My own Team Black teammate, Vice Chancellor David Williams, enjoys an early morning workout on the treadmill. "There isn't much on at 6:00 or 7:00 am, so I just turn on the TV and start walking. If I can watch West Wing, I really like that, but you never know what you find. This morning it was Sister, Sister. I get caught up in what I am watching and before I know it, I've been going at it an hour."

My own personal favorites for watching the calories whisk off on the treadmill are as follows:

Anvil of Crom - Arnold, Sountrack of Arnold Swarzeneggar movies - Just try it once....

Right Now - Van Halen. Remember the Crystal Pepsi commercial? Horrible product, great song!
Hollywood Nights - Bob Segar. Just try to slow your pace, it's impossible.

Runaway - Bon Jovi. Be careful not to get your mullet caught in your iPod headphones.

Let's Go Crazy - Prince. How many calories does he burn onstage?!

Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz. It helps to whip your dreadlocks to the music.

Can't Stop Till You Get Enough - Michael Jackson. Okay, pretend you are at the skate rink.

My thanks to Coke and Smart Water for sponsoring the contest. Until next time...