By guest blogger Kaitlin Flanigan

If you’ve ever seen the television show The Office, you’re probably familiar with the crazy antics of Michael Scott and the rest of the Dunder Mifflin staff. You may have thought to yourself “How does someone even find themselves in these types of situations?” Well, here at Allovus we like to keep things exciting and a little quirky. We occasionally find ourselves in what seems like an episode of The Office. Case in point, last Wednesday, the entire Allovus business team headed out to a farm for a day of competition, laughs, and team bonding.

In The Office episode “Beach Day” [Season 3, Episode 23], Michael Scott takes his office for a day of relaxation at the beach. His employees quickly learn that instead of a relaxing day off, they will be partaking in a series of competitions where unbeknownst to them, the winning team’s captain will be awarded the position of regional manager. When his employees learn what they’re competing for, everyone begins to give 110%. In true Office fashion, Michael Scott forces his employees through challenges like a hot dog eating contest, sumo suit wrestling, and even a hot coal walk.

While in our case, no one had to walk across hot coals (thankfully), each challenge the Allovus team participated in rivaled Michael’s events in both creativity and insanity. The competition between the Creative and Operations team was fierce. Each team gave their all in a series of fun and interesting challenges that ranged from a hula-hoop challenge to a farm-animal hippity-hop race.

Here are some event highlights of the day:

The Three-Legged Race

The Allovus staff demonstrated their dexterity in an intense three-legged race. The Creative team and the Operations team raced down a field while having to weave in and out of barrels and poles.

Nerf Gun Can Shooting

Aim and accuracy was put to the test when both teams had to shoot 14 cans off a fence using only nerf guns. Nerf bullets were flying, and both teams cheered as they raced to see who could knock down all their cans first.

Wheel Race

Each team was given an assortment of wheeled devices they had to ride or push. In total, there was a bike, wheelbarrow, wagon, and tire which all had to be pushed, pulled, ridden or rolled out and around a barrel, twenty feet from the starting line.

Hula-Hoop Challenge

In this challenge, each team was given a hula-hoop they had to keep moving as they weaved in an out of obstacles. While the hula-hoop had to keep spinning, it was up to the individual to choose which body part to spin it on. Most everyone opted for the arm, which seemed to be the easiest method.

Hippity-Hop Race

Perhaps the most intense event of the day was the farm animal hippity-hop relay race. If you don’t know what a hippity-hop is, picture a giant rubber exercise ball with handles. Almost impossible to move, and even more so when it is being used in sand. This event saw a fierce showdown between Operations Heather Axtell and Creatives Kaitlin Flanigan. It was neck and neck coming down the home stretch, with a photo finish (and dive through the finish line) leaving Heather the champion of this event.

During the closing event, awards were handed out to everyone. (All you Office fans, picture Michael Scott’s “The Dundies” ceremony.) All in all, the day was filled with laughter, light trash talk, and stories that will continue to be shared around the office. Michael Scott would be proud.

Here are a few more pics for your amusement… (Note: the Operations team won overall, and they’re pretty proud of it!)