Lawn Olympics 2002

The Morning of June 23, 2002 broke with no signs of the sun. The forces of nature were threatening The Lawn Olympics for the first time. The gods

were up and out the door early with a new emphasis on last minute preparation… Rain was coming. Within hours tents were erected, plastic was draped and the decorations and equipment were sheltered. No one spoke of the option of postponement.

And the rain came; it came down throughout the morning and was not forecasted to let up all day. Morale was low as the puddles started to form in the horseshoe pits. Even the God of Spirit was concerned for the Olympic turn out. Then, almost to the gods surprise, the athletes started to arrive. Die hard Olympians and old friends started to converge on the Fields of Riverside. As the gods looked out of the window just before the opening ceremony, they could already see this year was going to be a success.

The crowd gave a warm reception to the LO Committee as the opening ceremony commenced. The gods moved quickly to the business of the

day. New and exciting things had taken shape since last year. The largest addition to the day was The Clans. Olympians were separated into 5 teams named for different events at Lawn Olympics: Yokels, Ringers, Swingers, Pones, and Wickets. Throughout the day there would be a running tally of points based on event placements and the Clan with the greatest number of points would be crowned the Top Clan.

During the opening ceremony, a new competition area was unveiled. A Bocce Court had been built and was now a part of Lawn Olympics, yet only as a demonstration sport. The gods had been hard at work during the spring months building a fine looking court. And LO 02 would be the first real action it would see.

After the business of the day, the first event was Egg Toss.

Always a crowd favorite, Egg Toss saw nearly 100% participation. Interestingly this year the competition ran in to some trouble. Due to the rain, the ground was extremely soft and spongy. When an egg was dropped to the ground, it would not break. The only way to break an egg was off a body part. Luckily there was plenty of that.

From the Egg Toss, the Olympians dispersed to many other events. Simultaneously Horseshoes, Croquet and Cribbage began and others visited the big tent to grab a drink, stay dry and visit with friends. The rain continued to fall but it did not dampen the spirit of the games.

Cribbage was fast and furious. With shorter games in the first round athletes were dropping off like flies.

The extra tent erected that morning became the unofficial cribbage tent and the two tables squeezed underneath it held many fantastic games. It was the unfortunate “pone” that sat close to the edge of the tent and felt the dripping rain.

The Arcade games this year were the only casualty due to rain. The ping pong table, covered in plastic, became a make

shift shelter for younger Olympians. And the Grunt boards became fairly muddy. The only saving grace was the Foozball Table tucked nicely under the big tent. Sure, it took up vital rain shelter but what good is standing around if you’ve got nothing to do.

Croquet, another popular event, had to again be held to a small number of participants due to the

long length of the games. An ingenious method was devised to let those who had their heart set on the trophy get a chance at it. One of the highlights of the event was seeing returning champ Mark Seitz defend his title on a pair of crutches. Although the title was turned over to his sister Dee, the injury to his foot did not stop Mark from giving it all he had.

As the early afternoon events were in full swing the food began to emerge. The grill was sparked and Grill Master Andy took his place. Classic barbeque fare was accompanied by a wealth of salads and side dishes. The God of Sustenance had taken this year’s unofficial event of “Snacking” to a new level.

The Three Pits of Riverside were in full use as The Horseshoe tournament rolled on. Defending champs Frank and Jeremy suffered and em

otional defeat at the hands of future champions Jerry and Todd. After his loss, Frank was reported to have curled up in to a ball, unable to speak for some time. Jeremy, luckily, took the loss in stride. When the tournament continued the final four grew quite a gathering of spectators. The sideline of the Horseshoe area was lined with fold out chairs and standing umbrellas for people to cheer on their Clan mates.

With the food out for everyone, a new event at Lawn Olympics was taking shape. The first ever Dessert Contest proved to be an amazing success this year. Satisfying two of a Lawn Olympians most basic needs, competition and sticky, gooey, yummy treats. The large table of delightful delectables had something for everyone. With this type of crowd assembled, it was no wonder something named “Whiskey Cake” took first place.

Pass the Trash was next. Again the circle grew

from last year leaving it just shy of the 52 mark. And again, the explanation took twice as long as the actual game. But luckily the keepers of the keg saw the athletes growing thirsty and carried the keg to the circle for service with a smile. The crowd became friendlier as the beer made it around just as fast as the bad cards being traded.

Meanwhile…back at the horseshoe pits, Kari Barnhart carefully handed Eric Duntley an unusual object. It had begun. The search for Chod

2002 was underway. In Eric’s hands was “The Chodstick”. A hot potato like object that need to be offered to someone but was not required to be accepted. Eric was now looking for a target to release him from the burden of Chod. Who ever possessed “The Chodstick” when “The Stupid Bell” rang would be crowned Chod.

Wiffleball Homerun Derby found its own set of challenges with the rain. Traction in the Batters box proved difficult and even with emergency grounds work,

participants found hitting homeruns not as easy as it may seem. No one hit the Big “LO” in center field that would have won them a steak. And no one wanted to pull away with a win. In the end, Joe Walsh fought off the rest of the field to squeak out a Homerun Championship.

By far, the most successful event was the last. Odyssey Of The Mind finally lived up to it’s potential by providing a great building challenge and an excellent judging arena. Participants had to build a structure out of the materials given

, which would protect an egg from a fall or throw of at least 12 feet. The different “Egg Safety Structures” were all unique looking and the judging portion proved to be quite a crowd pleaser. With the drama of the egg surviving the fall, the on-lookers had a chance to follow the action. In the end, it was nice to see a calculated throw with a well-designed egg craft win the competition.

After the outstanding sportsmanship of the day, the gods gathered everyone for the awards ceremony. The trophies were awarded to the winners of all events. The Top Clan was announced, The

Pones pulled away with the first Clan title with help from double event winner Jerry Charest. This year the prizes were streamlined even more to conserve time. Balloons were given out with prize slips in them and entire clans popped their balloons together. What became even more amazing while wrapping the day up with thanks and appreciation was the number of Olympians still there after a long day in the rain. It was a true testament to the Lawn Olympics spirit.

After the Awards Ceremony, Robert Barnes, our Chod, took his place on top

of the picnic table and gave the crowd one of the greatest version of the national anthem LO has ever seen. As the anthem ended, the God of Fire lit a roman candle and from the top of the stairwell shot fireball after fireball at the rain/gas soaked fire pit. With a burst of flame the fire erupted, bringing to a close The 2002 Lawn Olympics and opening L.O.A.D.ed 2002.