Staff ‘Shell’ebrate Return of County Cup Competitions By: Orange County Communications Department Without a doubt, County Cup competitions help create some great memories at work for our team. Presented by our Parks & Recreation Department, these challenges give staff the opportunity to enjoy some fun and fellowship. County Cup activities are varied to present the greatest opportunity for staff participation without interfering with operations. That being the case, some events are arranged to be held off-site and at-leisure, such as creating NCAA Basketball Tournament brackets. The last couple of activities were formatted this way. However, it’s often the in-person activities which create the greatest positive impact. On these occasions, it’s common to see many smiles and hear the crack of jokes. However, it was the crack of egg shells that took center stage during our last event. The Egg Toss is a classic, crowd-favorite County Cup challenge. Organized by department, every two-person team had to toss an egg back and forth without breaking it (drops were ok as long as the shell remained intact). After each clean catch, the teammates stepped further apart, with standings decided by which team was able to successfully complete a toss with the greatest separation. Adding to the fun (and since the contest took place at lunch time), Parks & Recreation provided hotdogs and sodas to those observing other teams’ performances. Despite the heat, participants were thrilled to enjoy some friendly competition and the fun “boiled” over.
Above: Recreation Programmer (and grill champion) Jacob DeLoriea prepares hotdogs. Below: Sheriff’s Office Senior Administrative Assistant Valencia Bowman demonstrates proper PPE for egg toss competitions.
Look like fun? Good at catching eggs?* Maybe you can participate in our next County Cup event! Consider applying for one of our open positions at www.orangecountyva.gov/jobs. Below Left : Budget Manager Scott Johnson makes a clutch catch, tossed by Finance Director Andrew Oliver. Below Middle : “The yoke’s on you!” Extension Agent Emily Roberts falls victim to a cracked egg after an impressive run with teammate Erin Berkery, 4-H Educator Below Right : GIS Analyst Paul Namie and Public Safety Radio Manager Cole Shifflett enjoy hotdogs while Jacob photobombs like a pro. After all the eggs had splattered, a three-way tie remained at the top. The Sheriff’s Office team of Sarah Altman & Valencia Bowman proved they really didn’t need Valencia’s improvised protective gear (see picture), completing a throw at 40 feet. Matching that distance were the Extension Office team of Emily Roberts and Erin Berkery, as well as the Assessment team of David Cooke and Jayne Rogers. Even with a point split, the strong finishes from this event made big overall standing impacts for the Extension Office (from 11 place to seventh), A-Team (from 12 to eighth), and the Sheriff’s Office (from fifth to third). The next event will be open to all staff at July’s Employee Wellness Expo. th th
*We’re joking. Egg catching and tossing ability is not considered during job application reviews.
*Items listed on pages with orange footers primarily pertain to Orange County employees.
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