Thursday, April 29, 2010
"We swear that we will take part in these Olympic Games in the true spirit of sportsmanship, and that we will respect and abide by the rules that govern them, for the glory of sport and the honour of our country." – The Olympic Athlete’s Oath
Today was a gorgeous, hot day in Arkansas. The roads we traveled could definitely best be described as picturesque. We passed over some really pretty, old bridges.
The terrain was rolling, but made for a really fun ride. My only complaint would be the weather. It is starting to get hot. Very hot. And the humidity is picking up. That’s how I can tell that we are getting closer to Ohio…
Yesterday afternoon, Team Tango revealed the first part of a surprise to us. They had sent the entire team a package to our mail drop in Magnolia. Inside the box was a random assortment of odds and ends, as well as instructions to divide in to four teams. We would find out more instructions the following day.
Today we learned that these random odds and ends would be the makings of an epic battle - The First Annual (hopefully) Ride for World Health Olympics. It was so much fun. Events consisted of the following:
1. Wheel barrow/straw drinking race. In this grueling event, teams are required to divide in to two pairs. One member is the wheel barrow “wheel”, while the other is the wheel barrow “handle.” The “wheel” walks on their hands to the other end of the field, while the “handle” holds the “wheel’s” legs up in the air and walks behind. This specific event is different from your typical wheelbarrow race, in that the “wheel” is also responsible for drinking water out of a bowl through a twisty straw. Each person must complete this task. The first team to finish, wins. My team won a bronze in this event. We were awarded 1 point. We would have done better, except that someone sabotaged our straw. It literally was practically impossible to suck up the water. It took be probably about 3 minutes to drink approximately one and a half cups of water.
2. PlayDough modeling. In this show of artistic ability, elegance, and grace, each team was given 4 minutes to design a bike out of PlayDough. We felt that ours was amazing. Travis crafted ridiculous, life-like handlebars, complete with brakes and aero-bars. The bike was very aerodynamic and structurally perfect.
Had I not purchased a new bike prior to this ride, I definitely would have purchased one identical to the one we created. 
We definitely should have won. Our bike was by far the best one out there. The judges, however, obviously had been bribed by the other teams, as the other “bikes” (I put this in quotes because they did not resemble the perfection we had created with our PlayDough) had no artistic ability whatsoever. They also lacked on elegance and grace. Pooh. We placed third, again.
3. Water balloon toss. This should go without explaining. If you do not know what this is, you lived a very sad childhood. We didn’t place at all in this event.
4. Dizzy bat. This is an event that challenges all dimensions of one’s being – speed, balance, agility, and last (but not least), poise. The rules of this event are as follows. Each team lines up approximately 50 yards from a plastic baseball bat. When the event starts, the first member of the team must run to the bat, place the large end of the bat on the ground and the small end of the bat (the handle) on their forehead. They must then proceed to spin around the bat 8 times, all the while ensuring that the handle remains on the forehead and the other end of the bat remains on the ground.
Once they have completed 8 full rotations around the bat, they must run back to the starting line and tap hands with the next person, who repeats the same sequence. 
This event is hysterical to watch. And incredibly fun to play – for children (and adults) of all ages. While spinning around the bat, one becomes incredibly disoriented. When they try to run back to the starting line, they veer in all crazy sorts of directions and frequently fall down. My team did not have the fastest time. In fact, we had the slowest time. But we definitely won in the entertainment category. We were hysterical. 
Three of our team members fell down. I definitely would have fallen down if it hadn’t been for Pete (one of our officials) catching me and steering me in the correct direction. Fun times for all. 
5. Pie eating contest. Each team was assigned a graham-cracker pie crust filled with whipped topping.
The competition was to see who could finish their pie soonest (whether it be the entire team that helps out, or a single person). I was a little grossed out by this event, but it was great fun to watch. 
Everyone who participated ended up with whipped cream from chin to ear. My team finished last. But we got an extra point for cleanliness (we didn’t spill nearly as much on the ground as other teams). We’ll gladly take our points where we can get them…
So, needless to say, my team came in last. But we put up a valiant effort. And if we hadn’t been thwarted by the faulty twisty straw, who knows what would have happened?!? We could be gold medalists right now. But, in the end, it’s not about winning or losing. It’s about having fun. (Although this is usually what is told to the losing team…)
End of the twenty-ninth day. And it was glorious and honorable.
"We swear that we will take part in these Olympic Games in the true spirit of sportsmanship, and that we will respect and abide by the rules that govern them, for the glory of sport and the honour of our country." – The Olympic Athlete’s Oath
Today was a gorgeous, hot day in Arkansas. The roads we traveled could definitely best be described as picturesque. We passed over some really pretty, old bridges.
The terrain was rolling, but made for a really fun ride. My only complaint would be the weather. It is starting to get hot. Very hot. And the humidity is picking up. That’s how I can tell that we are getting closer to Ohio…Yesterday afternoon, Team Tango revealed the first part of a surprise to us. They had sent the entire team a package to our mail drop in Magnolia. Inside the box was a random assortment of odds and ends, as well as instructions to divide in to four teams. We would find out more instructions the following day.
Today we learned that these random odds and ends would be the makings of an epic battle - The First Annual (hopefully) Ride for World Health Olympics. It was so much fun. Events consisted of the following:
1. Wheel barrow/straw drinking race. In this grueling event, teams are required to divide in to two pairs. One member is the wheel barrow “wheel”, while the other is the wheel barrow “handle.” The “wheel” walks on their hands to the other end of the field, while the “handle” holds the “wheel’s” legs up in the air and walks behind. This specific event is different from your typical wheelbarrow race, in that the “wheel” is also responsible for drinking water out of a bowl through a twisty straw. Each person must complete this task. The first team to finish, wins. My team won a bronze in this event. We were awarded 1 point. We would have done better, except that someone sabotaged our straw. It literally was practically impossible to suck up the water. It took be probably about 3 minutes to drink approximately one and a half cups of water.
2. PlayDough modeling. In this show of artistic ability, elegance, and grace, each team was given 4 minutes to design a bike out of PlayDough. We felt that ours was amazing. Travis crafted ridiculous, life-like handlebars, complete with brakes and aero-bars. The bike was very aerodynamic and structurally perfect.
Had I not purchased a new bike prior to this ride, I definitely would have purchased one identical to the one we created. We definitely should have won. Our bike was by far the best one out there. The judges, however, obviously had been bribed by the other teams, as the other “bikes” (I put this in quotes because they did not resemble the perfection we had created with our PlayDough) had no artistic ability whatsoever. They also lacked on elegance and grace. Pooh. We placed third, again.3. Water balloon toss. This should go without explaining. If you do not know what this is, you lived a very sad childhood. We didn’t place at all in this event.
4. Dizzy bat. This is an event that challenges all dimensions of one’s being – speed, balance, agility, and last (but not least), poise. The rules of this event are as follows. Each team lines up approximately 50 yards from a plastic baseball bat. When the event starts, the first member of the team must run to the bat, place the large end of the bat on the ground and the small end of the bat (the handle) on their forehead. They must then proceed to spin around the bat 8 times, all the while ensuring that the handle remains on the forehead and the other end of the bat remains on the ground.
Once they have completed 8 full rotations around the bat, they must run back to the starting line and tap hands with the next person, who repeats the same sequence. This event is hysterical to watch. And incredibly fun to play – for children (and adults) of all ages. While spinning around the bat, one becomes incredibly disoriented. When they try to run back to the starting line, they veer in all crazy sorts of directions and frequently fall down. My team did not have the fastest time. In fact, we had the slowest time. But we definitely won in the entertainment category. We were hysterical. Three of our team members fell down. I definitely would have fallen down if it hadn’t been for Pete (one of our officials) catching me and steering me in the correct direction. Fun times for all. 5. Pie eating contest. Each team was assigned a graham-cracker pie crust filled with whipped topping.
The competition was to see who could finish their pie soonest (whether it be the entire team that helps out, or a single person). I was a little grossed out by this event, but it was great fun to watch. Everyone who participated ended up with whipped cream from chin to ear. My team finished last. But we got an extra point for cleanliness (we didn’t spill nearly as much on the ground as other teams). We’ll gladly take our points where we can get them…So, needless to say, my team came in last. But we put up a valiant effort. And if we hadn’t been thwarted by the faulty twisty straw, who knows what would have happened?!? We could be gold medalists right now. But, in the end, it’s not about winning or losing. It’s about having fun. (Although this is usually what is told to the losing team…)
End of the twenty-ninth day. And it was glorious and honorable.
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