5 days. 5 teams. 5 Element Games. All live-streamed on Element’s Facebook page.
You’ve seen our Element staff roll around on office chairs and stuff marshmallows into our mouths, now we give you an inside look into the team that won it all. Eric, Tara, Chloe, Kara, and Aaron share their thoughts on what it feels like to be gold medalists in the Element Games.
“Wait … what? We won? How did we … who … wow.” – Eric
It sounds like his shock stemmed from the Flonkerton race.
On a sunny August morning spirits were high as we gathered around five employees wearing cardboard boxes and flip-flops, one of which was Eric. While it doesn’t sound like much, you could feel the tension in the air.
It didn’t look good for the now-champion team as Eric did not earn a medal. Despite Eric being thoroughly stretched out, Mike D. took home the win. Thankfully, Eric’s other team members rallied and started to win the other Element Games.
“Never underestimate my dedication to walking and carrying my precious morning coffee without spilling it. Practice makes gold.” – Kara
Kara competed in the Coffee Mug Chasea. Players raced while trying to not spill their oh so important caffinated beverage. Kara’s skill of moving fast while spilling less than others resulted in a first place win for her team.
Tacking this up on the medal board was a sudden game-changer for their team. Could this be an underdog story?
“I’ve been training relentlessly for this moment since I was a small child. Validation at last.” – Aaron
While wheeling around on chairs seems like an odd hobby to have as a child, it might have paid off this time. The Office Chair Wheeler had Element employees outside in the parking lot cheering for their fellow team members. Our neighbors found it entertaining too.
Aaron sped through the parking lot bringing home the win for his team, making it two golds in a row. Could the underdog team really become the Phelps of the Element Games? Only the next two games would tell.
“I was pretty much the useless team member that could only fit 10 marshmallows in their mouth.” – Chloe
We think her view on winning is not justified. While she did not win the Marshmallow Mouth, the Element Games were about teamwork. Chloe was able to rely on her team to still take home a gold medal in the end.
And to be honest, fitting ONLY 10 marshmallows is actually a great feat.
The Marshmallow Mouth while entertaining, was one of the most challenging Element Games. Molly was the winner, giving her team their second gold.
“At first, I thought the competition was going to be tough. Turns out none of those boys can bounce a ping pong ball to save their lives.” – Tara
The final Element game was Pong Bounce. This required both skill and luck as competitors tossed ping pong balls into cups and containers on the kitchen counter from 12 feet above. While it sounds easy if you partook in typical college festivities like beer pong, this was a challenge even your most experienced frat boy couldn’t anticipate.
Tara had the perfect combination of aim and velocity as she gracefully tossed ping pong ball after ping pong ball into high-scoring containers. Her win ultimately secured the team’s championship.
So it feels great to be on the winning team, but how did the rest of Element’s employees feel about competing in these fun games? It fueled a competitive edge. We’ve seen employees subtly try to walk fast with full coffee mugs as they move around the office. Some have given up walking all together and just wheel their chair around building up leg strength. This practicing is understandable, because sometimes it takes another 4 years to prepare.
