Issue date: 2/9/10 Section: Current Affairs

Media Credit: Sue Tenpow Aparna Sini pushes to finish the hose pulll with the encouragement of teammates, competitors and trainers alike.

Last week, the NSU Biggest Loser teams took on their first challenge at the Broward County Fire Academy and came through with flying colors. The teams, wearing blue, green and purple, rallied together to support each teammate as they raced through the course and pushed passed every obstacle. It was a grueling course, using some of the same equipment used for fireman training.

The obstacle course consisted of several cardio and weight lifting elements, most notably the hose pull, where each contestant had to pull a fireman's hose, full of water across the course for a few hundred yards. This portion of the course proved to be the hardest and almost every player struggled to complete it, but in the end, everyone did. "It was extremely difficult, but I'm proud of myself for finishing. I felt like my heart was going to stop," said Alexandra Goldstein, one of the contestants. The rest of the challenges were not a complete surprise to the contestants, as they had a heads up from prior year's tapes and from pictures online, but it did not make the course any easier. However, they were not put off of the program because of the difficulty level, they know it is only going to get increasingly harder, but the contestants are ready for it.

Liza Romansky, NSU Alumni, commented, "What's great about this program is that it's not a diet, it's a change for a healthier lifestyle, and my real goal is that two years from now, it'll still be about a healthy lifestyle."

Those in attendance were not only contestants and their trainers, but the firemen were lending a huge helping hand and family and friends came out to show their support. The atmosphere was filled with positive attitudes and awe-inspiring encouragement.

"I'm very excited because working with a group is great, it's easier to keep motivated and we can feed off of each other's energy," explained Madeline Manus, employee at HPD's College of Dental Medicine.

Romansky is not the only one who feels this way, it seems to go across the board, "It's not just about losing weight, it's about the big picture and changing appearance, that is why this program is great," said, Andrea Shaw, Ph.D, Assistant Director of the Farquhar College of Arts & Sciences Division of Humanities and Assistant Professor of English.

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