February 28, 2007

RIVER RATS, GOLD'S GYM ANNOUNCE
"POUND FOR POUND" WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE

NEW BERN, NC—The River Rats and Gold's Gym of New Bern have announced the "Pound for Pound" Weight Loss Challenge, a free contest designed to give area baseball fans added incentive to lose excess pounds and start or continue an exercise program. 

Contestants will try to lose as many pounds as possible in a two month period, starting Saturday, March 3 with the winner receiving four River Rats season tickets for the upcoming season.  All contestants will be winners, though:  every participant will receive a discount on season tickets equal to $1 per pound they lose and one pound lost by River Rats General Manager Michael Weisbart loses during the contest. 

"I know there are baseball fans out there like me who would like to lose some weight and get healthier," said Weisbart.  "I know this program will give me a very public incentive to lose weight, and I hope it does the same for baseball fans in the area." 

Registration for the Challenge begins this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Gold's Gym in New Bern.  Contestants do not need to be members of Gold's Gym to partipate.  Gold's will offer non-members a free one-week membership to get them started in the contest. 

Full information on the contest is available here.

About the River Rats:

The New Bern River Rats baseball club is a member of the Coastal Plain League, a high-profile wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league.  The team will open the 2007 season on Wednesday, May 30 against the Wilmington Sharks at New Bern High School’s Boykin Field.  All 57 games can be heard on the Meinke Car Care Center Broadcasts on ESPN Radio 1490 AM. The team’s official website is www.NewBernRiverRats.com.

About the Coastal Plain League:

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 10th anniversary season, the CPL is the largest summer league in the country, featuring 15 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL is certified by Major League Baseball, and gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com.