Summer Olympics… Aikens Style!

For the past 13 years, we have hosted our own version of the Olympics here at Aikens. We call them the "Little Hammered Olympics", as it is not uncommon for a beer or two to be consumed during this event! We split the staff up into four teams of four. They get very creative with the team names and costumes. This year, we had the following entries: Club Med (Janelle, Trevor, Elise, David) Bissett Air Rescue (Marcel, Pat, Michelle, Eric) Walleye Wranglers (Aisha, Points, Mitch, Ashton) Ro Heff & the Bunnies (Rochelle, Bruno, Tyler, Griffin) We had a special guest MC for this year's event. Andrina, hot off a successful show in Ohio opening for Smokey Robinson, was able to fly in that very afternoon for our annual tradition! She led the crowd through a great bilingual rendition of our national anthem, then the games were on! This year, our olympics featured 4 events... of which only one was a returning event from 2007! We replaced our volleyball tournament with a soccer tournament. It was very spirited and hotly contested! The Bunnies faced off against the Bissett Air Rescue in the finals, and it came down to a shootout to determine the winner. After having 7 shooters per side come and go without deciding a winner, Tyler finally squeaked one by Marcel and the Bunnies took the first event. The second event was also new... a canoe race carried from shore down the dock into the water, then all the way around Compost Island and back to the dock! All four teams had great times which were all within 13 seconds of each other! The fastest time was from Bissett Air Rescue which finished the race in 2:39. The funniest moment came when the Bunnies barreled into the dock at full speed, the impact of which shocked them and quickly flipped the canoe upside down! So much for staying dry... The third event was called the Rainsuit Relay. Participants would pair up, get geared up in a rainsuit, and wheelbarrow each other across the volleyball yard. Once that was complete, the other two from the same team would do the same. Times varied wildly in this event, as a few of our competitors (we're looking at you Bunnies!) misunderstood the rules and actually changed rainsuits midway through the race! First place was won by the Walleye Wranglers with a time of 1:15. The final event was the waterballoon toss. Teams had two players on each side of the volleyball net. Everyone lined up and threw a water balloon over the net to their partner. After each successful toss, the whole line would take a step backwards. Every team started with one spare balloon to break. However, there was a twist! All night contestants had been making sure that our judges (Lorraine, Leo, Denis, Pit, Julie, Andrina, and special guest scorekeeper Rachelle) always had a full drink, a seat to relax in, or even some foot massages. Although they didn't know it, their efforts were rewarded with extra balloons! The Walleye Wranglers received 4 spare balloons, Bissett Air Rescue 3 spares, Club Med received 2 spares, and the Bunnies only got the one! Club Med's pairing of Trevor and David kept their single balloon alive to the end to win the event! So, as you've been reading, you've probably noticed that each team won one event. It would all come down to 2nd place finishes! The winner turned out to be the Bissett Air Rescue team! For Marcel, it's his 2nd gold medal in only his 2nd year (editor's note: Although Pit no longer competes, he failed to win the gold every single time he competed... at least 7 in all!). Thanks to all the staff who showed great spirit, creativity, and camaraderie yet again to make this another great success in the long tradition of the Aikens Lake "Little Hammered Olympics"!