Penn students flaunt it for fitness

Amid the bright lights and oiled bodies, the 18th annual Mr. and Ms. Penn Bodybuilding Contest offered Penn students an opportunity to celebrate the value of health and fitness.

Last night, in front of a packed Zellerbach Theatre crowd, College senior Anthony Balduzzi and College freshman Cydney Gillon were crowned Mr. and Ms. Penn.

Before the show officially started, music blasted through the sound system in an effort to get the audience as pumped up as the competitors. With signs, banners and constant cheering, students came prepared to cheer on their friends, classmates and family.

“The show is a great way to promote exercising and taking care of your body, and I’m really happy to support all the people doing it,” said sophomore distance runner Matt Chylak. “A lot of my friends and teammates are up there.”

The 31 contestants were split into four divisions: short class men, tall class men, short class women and tall class women. Competitors first participated in a competitive round with other members of their class, followed by an individual round meant to highlight their particular strengths.

Event host and assistant coach to the women’s track and field team Tony Tenisci emphasized the need to recognize the competitors’ dedication to physical fitness.

“[The event] celebrates the best you can be at this age, the diversity at Penn — and every year it gets better and better,” he said. “It shows that we have kids that are very smart, but are also very fit … that we have complete packages.”

While many attendees showed up for the performances, Tenisci’s opening remarks acknowledged the amount of work that goes into preparing for the event.

Balduzzi, who was the tall class men’s winner in addition to being crowned Mr. Penn, embodies that commitment.

“I’ve been dieting for 14 weeks, I’ve lost 40 pounds and I eat the same meal 7 times a day,” he said.

“[Preparing for the event] impacts your social life,” he added. “You’ve got to be in bed at a certain time because you have to get up to do your morning cardio.”

Gillon, the tall class women’s winner, agreed, adding, “These competitions are my life.”

The competition as a whole was tough, but Kingsley Deslorieux, a first-year Wharton doctoral student, and Jesse Carlin, a pharmacology Ph.D. student, managed to take first place in the short class men’s and short class women’s division, respectively.

Though Carlin was the runner-up to Gillion, she has claimed the Ms. Penn title in three of the past four competitions.

Regardless of the overall outcome, the event’s competitors welcomed the opportunity to showcase their hard work.

As Balduzzi’s training partner and Engineering seniorNils Dahl put it, “The work has been done for three months. Tonight is just fun.”

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