Winter Games 2017

15 Mar 2017--This is one of two blogs I will post of our stay here this season in Carefree.  These are some pics of what are called the "Winter games", a week of activities held in odd-numbered years, while the games last year were called the "Rainbow Olympics".  The Winter Games are 'team' games (a total of about 130 of us participated), as opposed to the Rainbow Olympics which are more individually based, and they are supposed to be less competitive, with the emphasis on "supposed to be".  haha

We actually had a total of  9 teams, but I didn't get clear pics of the others.  haha



Each team had to come up with a logo and a song or cheer.  Here are a couple samples, starting with the 'yellow polka dot bikini' crowd.  (You need to turn up your volume.)



The Blue Belles are led by Mary Gay, who went to college on a cheerleader scholarship!



And Cathy's Scarlet Harlots, who pretty much botched their presentation! haha



This is not in sequence of how the events actually happened, but I thought this was really funny so I moved this series of pics to the top.  haha

I believe my team was drinking before the table tennis event, and I think I have the pictures to prove it.  In this event you played against another team, but you took one shot and then had to get out of the way for your next team member to take the next shot.  There were 4 members on each team.   I have a video later to show it in action, but in the 1st pic you see Cheryl make a clean hit, setting up Carol on the right for the next shot.  You then see Carol lurching into the game in the 2nd pic, holding on for dear life in the 3rd pic, and then looking behind her to see just were the ball went when she failed to hit it in the 4th picture.  Way to go, Carol!!!  haha


 

This was a 4-part relay race, the opening team event.  In the 1st leg you had to go a certain distance but only as fast as your ability to step from one hula-hoop placement to the next.  This definitely favored tall and long-legged people...(I was not entered in this particular event.  haha)  In the 2nd picture, Harriet and I are trying to place a number of tic tacs into a straw...with very big and cumbersome gloves on.  Another leg you had to carry a ball on a piece of PVC pipe, and the 4th leg required one team member to make up another in clown garb.




We had a 9-ball pool team event, where you weren't so much competing against another team, but instead against the clock.  Each person had to take a shot, one after the other, until all the balls were in the pockets, and then you compared your team time to other teams.  This was harder than you would think, especially if you don't play pool...haha.  My team seemed to be particularly bad in this event!   haha



As I said, this is not supposed to be a really competitive thing, but check our Gayle's face in this series of pics.  I'm thinking she really didn't like her shot!  haha




I don't know why my team is high-5'ing...I think we came in overall last in this event.  haha  Cathy's team took 3rd here...must have practiced in secret!



And then there was table tennis.  Now I was not one of our 4 competitors here, so I take no personal responsibility, but we really sucked at this event!!!  haha


 

A couple videos to give you an idea of how this worked.






Look at Nancy in the last pic...like a pro!!!



Team Bocce event...I teamed up with Carol (she of the lurching table tennis pics)  haha.  We did pretty good, or at least better than I had anticipated as this is not my forte...haha...Carol is a killer in this event!!!



Chair volleyball gets lots of people involved.  9 member teams, and basically the only rules are that the ball must go over (not under) the net, and you can't get out of your seat.  This seems like an old lady game (hmmm,....maybe it is?) but it's really fun and more competitive than you would think.



Bean bag baseball.  Another event that I am particularly bad at.  haha  I always fancied myself as fairly athletic, so I am continuously surprised at how bad I am at some seemingly easy tasks.  haha



But I am not alone...check out Deb's reaction to her shot.



And Connie doesn't seem too pleased either.



Shelley appears to be horrified!



But no one quite lives up to Anne's reaction!   haha



Some happy people to break it up?

 

And Ellen fancies herself a hero!!!



More happy.



But then Bev experiences a little pain!  haha



Terrie and Brenda try to will the bean bag into the hole.



And Anita joins Ellen as a legend in her own mind!!!  haha



We had blind-folded pictionary and Charades.  Nancy is an artist, so even blind folded she knocked it out.



Bev on the other hand is not an artist....this was her blind-folded attempt at a hot air balloon! Needless to say her team didn't guess correctly.  haha



Charades is hard to capture in a still photo.



The obstacle course was fun!



And of course every 'senior' park has to have shuffleboard!



Just a couple shots at the closing ceremonies.




All the teams together!!!  We had a blast!!!

 

Thanks to all the organizers for a great event!!!