Google Sports Day!

Here at Google Australia, we recently had our first (hopefully) annual Google Sports Day. Those who participated were divided into four teams, or 'houses,' and were each assigned a color - red, blue, green, or yellow. There were close to a dozen events (soccer, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, giant chess, tug-o-war, sack race, egg-and-spoon race, a relay, etc), and tons of team spirit. All in all, it was an incredible event, even when the sky split and it started raining harder than I had ever seen. Everyone just kept playing.

Our new office is right across from Fairfax, who publishes the Sydney Morning Herald among other things. While we were outside, we could see many of them pressed up against their windows watching. They even published an article about us. You can see me wearing a red shirt and khaki shorts in the top picture (far right) and the bottom picture (in the middle under the tent).

Here are some highlights from the day before the weather got ridiculous:

The day started with an awesome BBQ outside.

Jasper, the team captain from the Blue

House, showing some team spirit.

Mike (left) struggles a bit at giant chess...

...but fortunately has a group of 10 people

helping out with suggestions.

The Red House volleyball team warms up before

their match against the Blue House.

Adam shows his Yellow House pride with stickers

and an ethernet cable tied around his head.

Disaster strikes! And is quickly remedied.

Part of the Red House, in all of its red glory.

A portion of the Blue house, chock full of

blue-y goodness.

Tensions are high during the football (soccer)

match. Note the field beginning to get muddy.

Now this is team spirit - a shaved head

and painted blue.

The sacks lined up for the sack race. Many

of these events ended up happening in the

pouring rain, adding an exciting new variable

to the competition.

By the end of the day, we were soaked, muddy, sore, and exhausted, but these things do wonders for morale, and we all finished the day in incredibly high spirits.