Shape-Up Challenge winner revealed
Ashley Zias, of the Herald-Standard presents Frank Schreck his prizes including a one year membership to the YMCA, for winning the Shape Up Challenge.
Frank Schreck presents the one year membership to the YMCA to Shape Up Challenge participant Fay Cohill.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standa
Frank Schreck presents gifts from all the Shape-Up Challenge participants to personal trainers Matt Howrylak and Dustyn Pastors to thank them for their support and encouragement.
Frank Schreck is crowned the winner of the 2014 Shape-Up Challenge. Phil Michael (left) learns that he takes second place.
Shape-Up Challenge contestants celebrate as the results are announced.
Frank Schreck weighs in for the final time, and it's revealed that he's the winner of the 2014 Shape-Up Challenge. He dropped from an original weight of 300 pounds to 228.5 pounds.
Chantla Colon celebrates her weight loss. She dropped from 236 pounds to 207 pounds over the 13-week weight-loss competition.
Matt Howrylak, personal trainer and wellness director for the Uniontown Area YMCA, reads off the results, revealing that Frank Schreck (far left) won the competition, and Phil Michael was the runner-up.
Phil Michael steps on the scale for the final time, and finds out that he takes second place for the 2014 Shape-Up Challenge. He started the competition at 361 pounds, and ended it at 284 pounds.
Cory Over of John Rutter Hair Design in Uniontown cuts Sherry Rockwell’s hair during the Shape-Up Challenge makeover.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standa
Cory Over of John Rutter Hair Design trims Phil Michael’s hair during the Shape-Up Challenge makeover.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standa
Sherry Rockwell is given a hair makeover by Ryann Over-Lisac of John Rutter Hair Design in Uniontown.
Claire Basesco of John Rutter Hair Design in Uniontown does Chantla Colon’s make-up in preparation for the 2014 Shape-Up Challenge grand finale.
Herald-Standard publisher Bob Pinarski congratulates the Shape-Up Challenge participants for their hard work.
Fay Cohill gets a make-up makeover from Mandee Gross at John Rutter Hair Design in Uniontown in preparation for the 2014 Shape-Up Challenge grand finale.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standa
The Shape-Up Challenge participants (from left) Fay Cohill, Chantla Colon, Ray Blosel, Phil Michael, Frank Schreck and Sherry Rockwell prepare for the final weigh-in.
The front lobby of the Uniontown Area YMCA was buzzing with excitement.
Friends, family and YMCA members came out to support the 2014 Shape-Up Challenge contestants for the competition’s grand finale, where the final numbers were revealed.
After 13 weeks of fun group exercises, grueling one-on-one sessions, volleyball matches and eating healthy, the winner of the challenge was revealed.
Weighing in at 228.5 pounds, contestant Frank Schreck was crowned the winner of the 2014 Shape-Up Challenge.
“I don’t want to be that guy ever again,” Schreck said as he looked at the photo that was taken at the beginning of the ,competition. “I don’t want to see that photo again. That’s the old Frank.”
He started out the competition weighing 300 pounds. He lost almost 72 pounds in 13 weeks, which translated into a 23.96 percent loss of his original body weight — the most of all the contestants.
“I worked hard for this,” Schreck said, as he tried to hold back tears. “We all did. We did a great job.”
As the winner of the competition, Schreck received a one-year membership to the Uniontown Area YMCA, a Fitbit package including a scale, a $100 Dicks Sporting Goods gift card, a $100 Home Warehouse gift card, and a $100 Sheetz gift card.
The Y, Uniontown Hospital. Home Warehouse, Second Opinion Insurance and MonGeneral Hospital were sponsors for the grand prize.
Phil Michael was close behind Schreck, and took the second place spot.
As Michael stepped on the scale for the last time, it revealed that he lost 21.33 percent of his original body weight. He dropped from a starting weight of 361 pounds to 284 pounds.
He received a six-month membership to the Uniontown Area YMCA, a $100 Footlocker gift card, a $50 Rizz’s gift card and a $100 Subway gift card. The Y, Rizz’s, Beltone and Highlands Hospital were sponsors for the second place prize.
Weighing in at 207 pounds, Chantla Colon came in third place. Colon started out the competition weighing 236 pounds. She lost 12.24 percent of her original body weight.
Colon received a three-month membership to the Uniontown Area YMCA, a $100 Dunhams gift card, and a $50 Rizz’s gift card. The sponsors for the prize are the YMCA, Rizz’s and Dr. Reichenbecker.
Weighing in at 149 pounds, Sherry Rockwell came in fourth place. Rockwell started out the competition weighing 167 pounds. She lost 10.18 percent of her original body weight.
She received a $100 Visa gift card. The sponsor of the prize was First Federal Savings and Loan of Greene County.
Weighing in at 275 pounds, Ray Blosel came in fifth place. Blosel started out the competition weighing 300 pounds. He lost 8.33 percent of his original body weight.
He received a $50 gift card for Adrian’s Market and a $50 Medicine Stop gift card.
The sponsors for the prize were the Buy Local Network and the Medicine Stop Pharmacy.
Weighing in at 253 pounds, Fay Cohill came in sixth place.
Cohill started out the competition weighing 270 pounds. She lost 6.3 percent of her original body weight.
She received an Adrian’s Market food basked and a $50 Medicine Stop gift card. The sponsors for the prize were Buy Local Network and Medicine Stop Pharmacy.
To the surprise of everyone, Schreck and Michael gave their YMCA memberships away to Cohill and Colon.
“There’s a woman out here, that I saw work very hard too – that’s you miss Fay,” Schreck said.
Shreck gave his one-year membership to Cohill and Michael gave his six-month membership to Colon.
“I can’t believe the guys did this for me,” Cohill said. “They told my sister and swore her to secrecy. I kept saying, ‘Lord, I don’t want to stop. I want to keep coming.’ It’s just awesome what these guys did for me. That’s family. God is just good.”
Herald-Standard Publisher Bob Pinarski thanked the Y for its involvement in the Shape-Up Challenge.
“I don’t think there’s another facility in southwestern Pennsylvania that could have accomplished this,” he said. “I think you guys were able to accomplish what you were able to accomplish because of the Y and because of the great staff.”
Matt Howrylak, wellness director and personal trainer for the YMCA, admitted that he was apprehensive about the project when it was first presented five months ago.
“I was apprehensive about the process, I was apprehensive about the outcome, honestly one of my biggest concerns was how receptive our contestants would be to the process,” he said. “It did not take me long to realize that we have a remarkable group of people here. These people are tremendously strong and have greatly exceeded my expectations.”
He said the contestants have all endured 13 weeks of “tremendous physical and mental stress,” but in the process, they all became stronger and healthier people.
He added that being in the public eye has been quite an experience, but thanks the Herald-Standard for giving him the opportunity to show what the Y has to offer.
“We are more than a fitness center. We are an organization here to improve people’s lives,” Howrylak said. “Our ultimate goal as health and fitness professionals is to inspire as many people as possible to become more active and to lead healthier lives. And I truly believe we’ve done that with the Shape-Up Challenge.”
Personal trainer Dustyn Pastors was up next to the podium to give his thoughts about the past 13 weeks.
“Over the past 13 weeks I’ve had the opportunity to learn a great deal about these people,” he said. “These are some of the most compassionate and driven people I’ve ever met. The determination they showed is quite remarkable as well.”
He too, like Howrylak, didn’t know what to expect at first.
“I had my fair share of hesitations, concerns,” he said. “But I will say every single one of you has far surpassed what I could have expected. You guys are all winning at losing, and I couldn’t be more proud. Stay focused, and keep at it.”