What do you do when you have post Olympic blues? Why, of course … have your own Oh-lim-pix (well you do have to be careful of copyright these days)!
The London games are over and here in Grenada the Kirani James hysteria is slowly dying down. After watching so much fantastic sport, what better way to celebrate than to have our own games? The daft games committee was formed and the ideas started flowing. After much deliberation, quite a few beers and placing a limit on races involving alcohol, we came up with 12 events.
Next job: Sponsors. Island Water World was fantastic, donating over 30 prizes and medals not to mention cases of beer. Budget Marine kindly donated a tent for the event. Clarkes Court Bay Marina, where the event was being held, donated beers, rum and miniatures to go with the gold, silver and bronze medals, plus the all-important torch and sweets for the children. We were set to go.
Oh-lim-pix day dawned bright and sunny, the cruisers started arriving from the other bays and marinas and all that was left was for people to sign up to the events. Even I was surprised at the enthusiasm with which people were willing to make complete fools of themselves. Within minutes all events were fully subscribed. The torch was formally lit (a garden torch) and the games were on.
The first event was a dinghy race … with one paddle … from the dock to a mark in the bay and back, followed by a shot of rum. As this was the most strenuous race it was decided to hold it first, before the competitors consumed too many beers. A great start to the games with all the exhausted participants and dinghies returning in one piece. Most people recovered after their shot of rum and we had our first gold medal winner, Bill.
One of the main talking points of the day was the bar, which was a dinghy filled to the gunnels with beers and sodas. With thirsts quenched it was onto the main arena for the races!
The sack race—with many dodgy techniques—should have had an artistic award for Kate, who ran away with the event. The lime-and-spoon race was a little more difficult and, with 20 competitors, we had to have heats. If you dropped the lime it was back to the start but eventually our gold medalist was Ellen.
With 23 entrants, the shot put, with the coconut, was the biggest event of the day. There were some huge throws but if they were outside the lines, they didn’t count. As chief judge my decision was final (much to the chagrin of some of the so-called adults taking part). The popular winner was Gavin from the marina.
Back to the serious stuff; the balloon-between-the-knees race, another runaway win for Kate and her amazing technique. The wheelbarrow race was a very one sided affair with Stuart and Jim destroying the field.
On to a less tiring event: Golf. Three chips each to get nearest the baking tray. Luckily the balls were tennis balls as the judges were in danger of having their heads taken off. A great shot from Nick, just outside the tray, won him gold.
The three-legged race was another popular event. This one-off, with 22 runners, was an easy victory for Ross and Diana. The egg-toss turned into quite a smelly event. The eggs had been donated as they were about to be thrown away and they caused lots of hilarity and groans with rotten ones bursting everywhere. Joanne and Bill were top catchers of the day.
The book race—up the hill and round the trees with a book on your head—was elegantly won by Amanda.
And so it was time for the closing event: The hurdle beer race. Very simple, run down the course; jump over the beer crates and, on the way back, down a beer before the finish. Hakon won and set a new world record, however some of the craftier competitors remained halfway down the course while they sipped their cold beer sitting on the crates.
With the games over it was time for the prize giving and the evenings BBQ. The cruisers thanked us for organizing the event and said they had a fantastic fun day despite a few sore and bruised bodies.
Our thanks go to Bob and the staff from Clarkes Court Bay Marina who helped make this a very memorable day, and to Gus, Ken and Pam, my fellow officials.
Watch this space for the forthcoming winter Oh-lim-pix! Lots of ice involved, I think.
Photographs and video by Rick Moore: www.ambientreallife.com. Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adb5b2FsEfk
Helen Mussell lives with her partner Stuart aboard their boat Iguana. An artist by profession, you can visit her website at: www.helenmussellart.com
