Gold’s Gym hosts 2008 Body Transformation Challenge

Gold’s Gym hosted an annual 12-week-long competition among three gyms to find out which member would be able to transform their body by losing weight and becoming more fit.
The first place winners in the male and female category won a $2,500 prize each. Overall, the Howard Beach gym gave away over $10,000 in prizes including free gym memberships.
For the male category the winner was Chris Pantaleo. “I feel great, there was lots of competition,” said Pantaleo. He said that the method he used for winning involved lots of dieting and working out five or six days a week. Pantaleo lost 48 pounds and a total of 14.4 percent body fat.
The winner in the female category was Sanije Bruncaj, a Howard Beach member who lost 29 pounds and 7 percent body fat. She has been the female winner for the last two consecutive years.
Members from three different Gold’s Gyms, Mill Basin, Brooklyn Heights and Howard Beach competed this year. “We have the competition to motivate people to make a transformation,” said Justine Orr, manager of the gym in Howard Beach. Contestants paid a $75 entry fee in order to qualify to win the money.
The list of winners includes - Female Competition: First Place: Sanije Bruncaj; Second Place: Kelly Grogan; Third Place: Nicole Tannenbaum and Fourth Place: Xiomara Ocasio.
Male Competition: First Place: Chris Pantaleo; Second Place: Steven Orellano; Third Place: Joseph Ponte and Fourth Place: Christopher Cretella.
The awards ceremony took place at the Howard Beach Gold’s Gym on Tuesday, May 27.