OFFICER TAKES A FAT CHANCE AND WINS BIG

Photos by JON KRAL / Herald Staff MAKING A PINCH: Jim Sayih grabs Melissa Balester by the upper arm to measure her body fat, one of the elements of North Miami Beach Police Department's fitness contest.

Photos by JON KRAL / Herald Staff SCALES OF JUSTICE: Jim Sayih of 911 Fitness weighs John Cassarino, 30, of the North Miami Beach Police Depatment for the department's three-month fitness contest.

North Miami Beach Police Sgt. Carl Coffey is not a gambling man. But this past weekend, he almost lost his mustache to Sgt. Jimmy ``the Italian Stallion'' Randazzo in a bet on who would take first place in the department's three-month fitness contest.

But Coffey, 40, came away unshaved and $1,000 richer after racing into the station at 10 a.m. Saturday for weigh-in -- midway through a family vacation in Orlando.

``We were going to the amusement parks all day and he'd come back and run at night,'' said his daughter Samantha Coffey. ``He was very determined to win this. I think he lost a lot of weight.''

The proof was on the scales.

Coffey's winning numbers were tallied at 12.87 pounds of lean muscle gained and 31.87 pounds of body fat lost.

The combination was a hairbreadth from the runner-up's final score. Randazzo, 38, registered 14.53 pounds of lean muscle gained and 23.53 of body fat lost.

Trying to save face, Randazzo shaved off his mustache before the weigh-in, saying he had slacked off in the last few weeks.

But as close of a shave as it was, in the end it wasn't luck that garnered Coffey the winning check from 911 Fitness, the contest sponsor.

He earned every penny, says his daughter. He never gave up his workouts, even on the trip to Walt Disney World.

Both men trained hard, says 911 Fitness instructor and Miami Officer Jim Sayih. They were neck and neck along with Sgts. John Cassarino and ``Rocky'' Festa. However, some stood to lose and gain more from the outset, said Chief Bill Berger.

Barred by police unions from enforcing weight and fitness standards, police departments rely on incentives like these to motivate officers to exercise.

``Unfortunately,'' said Randazzo, ``if you don't train, you don't win. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat.''.

While not coming in first, many other men and women on the force say they felt like winners, too, having achieved their desired results.

Assistant Chief Linda Loizzo dropped a belt size. She could have used the cash for a new wardrobe now that her old clothes are so loose, she said.

Officer Nelson Reyes -- down to 6 percent body fat -- took home a check for $250 and a $50 gift certificate to Houston Steak House for writing a winning essay.

Describing his impressions of the competition, Reyes wrote that he had grown into something of a worn-out Ford. His 1967 engine, he said, was due for a tune up. The friendly competition was just what he needed to jump-start his fitness routine.