Win a Bike! Lose Weight!!
The City of Quitman is giving Bikes away this Spring. How can you get one? All you must do is get together with 10 to 15 of your friends and either walk or ride your old bike three times a week. It is a simple and easy way to win yourself a new bike – or to win a bike for your Church or Youth Group. The contest is only open to those over 18 years of age. However, teams can vote to give their winning bike to a child.
Demographics show that our small town is less healthy compared to other towns in Mississippi. Our weight is higher than those that live in other towns and we have a greater incidence of diabetes and other weight-related diseases in our population. The City of Quitman has won a small grant to encourage the people of Quitman to lose weight and get in shape. The City has decided to use this grant to purchase bicycles and give them away to people that lose the most weight.
First step is to choose a name for your team and elect one member of the group to be the Captain. The Captain is responsible for weighing people and is the only person in the group who will know what each person weighs or how much they have or have not lost by the end of the contest. Everyone else in the group can only see Person A, Person B or Person C on the list. This is so no one needs to be embarrassed in front of their friends. Only the total weight of everyone on the team is reported to the City.
The Contest officially begins on February 1st, so now is the time to get your teams organized. Once you have a name for your team, send a member down to Quitman City Hall to register your team and list the total weight of all your team. Each team member will be given a free t-shirt to show their Quitman spirit. Kasanda Howard, Health Coordinator for the City, is available to visit Churches or other groups to discuss the project. To schedule, please call the City of Quitman at 601-776-3728.
Even though the contest does not begin until February 1st, teams are encouraged to begin walking or riding their bicycles as a group now. Early teams will simply have additional time to lose weight. On February 1st, the Team Captain should report the total weight of the entire team to the City. Then, each Team Captain should record the Team’s latest weight at a regular check in time once a week.
Three months from February 1, or, on June 1st, the Team Captain will weigh their Team members again for the last time. The final total weight of the entire Team should be reported to the City on that day.
The City of Quitman will review each team to see which team lost the most weight and their decisions are final. However, those that do not win can continue to try to win bikes during the following 3 months. The winning team will win two bikes. The bicycles will be picked out from several types of bikes available, including two-wheel or three-wheel adult bikes, 10-speeds or mountain bikes, with an approximate value of $200. Winners can select men or women’s bikes in various sizes.
Best of all, the bicycles will be awarded to the Teams to use as they see fit. Some Teams may want to use their bikes for team members that lost the most weight. Some may want to give their bikes to a child. Some Teams may donate their bikes as a fund-raiser project for a Church or Youth Group. It is recommended Teams vote how they want to use their bikes before the contest begins to prevent any misunderstandings.
The City of Quitman looks forward to seeing how Teams will use their awarded bicycles in special projects all over our small town. There are no losers here. Everyone who registers will get a t-shirt. And everyone who participates will lose weight and become healthier. Some lucky individuals or groups will win a bike. Maybe it will be you!
