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CNN Live Saturday
Small Town a Ton Smaller
Aired May 03, 2003 - 16:56 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The natural feature considered New Hampshire's state symbol is now just a pile of rubble. "The Old Man of the Mountain" was one of New Hampshire's most photographed sites, now this was what it looked like before. See the nose in the middle, profile, kind of the crown where the flag is. Well, look to your right there, that's what it looks like now, more mountain, less face. The stone outcrop fell overnight from its cliffside in the Franconia State Park, north of Concord. Officials report no injuries. The 40-foot-high, 20-foot -- 25-foot wide formation appeared on travel brochures and even on the state quarter. There had been several efforts over the years to try to stabilize it.
Well, in neighboring New Hampshire in North Conway, specifically, they're a ton lighter. Chris Nielsen of our affiliate WMUR tells us how one community came together to take the weight off.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS NIELSEN, WMUR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before this winter, Kathy Meader and Loretta Schulte didn't make regular trips to the gym.
KATHY MEADER, NORTH CONWAY RESIDENT: I wasn't doing anything. I was eating and I wasn't exercising, it was the middle of winter and feeling down about it.
LORETTA SCHULTE: I was never really one for a lot of exercise.
NIELSEN: That is, until they signed onto the Valley Meltdown. An effort bringing people around the Mt. Washington Valley together to support each other in losing weight.
DONNA WOODWARD, ORGANIZER: 218 people actually signed up for it and stuck to it and we collectively lost 2,133 pounds.
NIELSEN: 13 of those pounds came off organizer Donna Woodward. She came up with the idea for a communitywide weight loss event while talking about failed New Year's resolutions during a cable access show she hosts with three other women.
WOODWARD: I was hoping it would be something that the community would find fun and a nice way to kick start their health program.
NIELSEN: The plan was simple, weigh-ins were held at health clubs in the valley in February, then again in April. During the 60 days in between, the people teamed up to work on losing weight. That's how people like Kathy, Loretta, and their other two teammates met. Starting in February, they went to the gym three times a week to work with a personal trainer.
SCHULTE: He really created a bond between us to encourage each other and continue.
MEADER: This was my motivation to get me going, and it's becoming my way of life.
NIELSEN: This community met and surpassed their goal by losing more than a ton of weight and now they understand tackling something difficult is easier when you have support from others.
Chris Nielsen, WMUR, News 9.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 3, 2003 - 16:56 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The natural feature considered New Hampshire's state symbol is now just a pile of rubble. "The Old Man of the Mountain" was one of New Hampshire's most photographed sites, now this was what it looked like before. See the nose in the middle, profile, kind of the crown where the flag is. Well, look to your right there, that's what it looks like now, more mountain, less face. The stone outcrop fell overnight from its cliffside in the Franconia State Park, north of Concord. Officials report no injuries. The 40-foot-high, 20-foot -- 25-foot wide formation appeared on travel brochures and even on the state quarter. There had been several efforts over the years to try to stabilize it.
Well, in neighboring New Hampshire in North Conway, specifically, they're a ton lighter. Chris Nielsen of our affiliate WMUR tells us how one community came together to take the weight off.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS NIELSEN, WMUR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before this winter, Kathy Meader and Loretta Schulte didn't make regular trips to the gym.
KATHY MEADER, NORTH CONWAY RESIDENT: I wasn't doing anything. I was eating and I wasn't exercising, it was the middle of winter and feeling down about it.
LORETTA SCHULTE: I was never really one for a lot of exercise.
NIELSEN: That is, until they signed onto the Valley Meltdown. An effort bringing people around the Mt. Washington Valley together to support each other in losing weight.
DONNA WOODWARD, ORGANIZER: 218 people actually signed up for it and stuck to it and we collectively lost 2,133 pounds.
NIELSEN: 13 of those pounds came off organizer Donna Woodward. She came up with the idea for a communitywide weight loss event while talking about failed New Year's resolutions during a cable access show she hosts with three other women.
WOODWARD: I was hoping it would be something that the community would find fun and a nice way to kick start their health program.
NIELSEN: The plan was simple, weigh-ins were held at health clubs in the valley in February, then again in April. During the 60 days in between, the people teamed up to work on losing weight. That's how people like Kathy, Loretta, and their other two teammates met. Starting in February, they went to the gym three times a week to work with a personal trainer.
SCHULTE: He really created a bond between us to encourage each other and continue.
MEADER: This was my motivation to get me going, and it's becoming my way of life.
NIELSEN: This community met and surpassed their goal by losing more than a ton of weight and now they understand tackling something difficult is easier when you have support from others.
Chris Nielsen, WMUR, News 9.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
