Bronze and Blue Olympics
by Kirra Rohan
Though the beginnings of the Ravenclaw Bronze and Blue Olympics are shrouded in mystery, one thing remains true - BBO is an activity that brings people together, making friends and boosting spirit in this Roost we call home.
Unlike many other monthly events that take place in Ravenclaw, the Bronze and Blue Olympics focus more on teamwork than individual successes. Whether the team is charged with creating a new Olympic sport (2010) or designing a deity to represent each team member (2011), the focus is on the team as a whole. And though we don't know when it started, we know that it's been an enormous success!
Though the beginnings of the Ravenclaw Bronze and Blue Olympics are shrouded in mystery, one thing remains true - BBO is an activity that brings people together, making friends and boosting spirit in this Roost we call home.
Unlike many other monthly events that take place in Ravenclaw, the Bronze and Blue Olympics focus more on teamwork than individual successes. Whether the team is charged with creating a new Olympic sport (2010) or designing a deity to represent each team member (2011), the focus is on the team as a whole. And though we don't know when it started, we know that it's been an enormous success!
Since the records have faded away with time, the first well-recorded Olympics took place in 2009. With the Dorkonauts, Perspicuus Scienta, Deus Ex Machina, and Team 4 competing in four different challenges throughout the month, the Dorkonauts (Dorks in Space!) took the gold at the end. By this time, they had not only created a beautifully hilarious signature for their team, but had also written a fairy tale involving waffles, space, and a key, created an idea for a monthly event called 'Show Your Spirit' (a talent competition that everyone can participate in), and finally struggled through a series puzzles to come out in first!
However, that's not to say that the Dorkonauts were the only interesting team in the 2009 Bronze and Blue Olympics. The fairy tale written by Deus Ex Machina revealed an interesting fact - that our own Kyrie Adderholt was actually a fairy! (I think it was her time spent in this fairy quidditch league that makes her such a formidable quidditch player in the 'human' league.) Overall, it was a very successful year for the Bronze and Blue Olympics.
However, that's not to say that the Dorkonauts were the only interesting team in the 2009 Bronze and Blue Olympics. The fairy tale written by Deus Ex Machina revealed an interesting fact - that our own Kyrie Adderholt was actually a fairy! (I think it was her time spent in this fairy quidditch league that makes her such a formidable quidditch player in the 'human' league.) Overall, it was a very successful year for the Bronze and Blue Olympics.
By the time 2010 rolled around, everyone was itching to start up BBO once more! As this was the year of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC, that's exactly what the theme was. By the time signups were over, we had eight different countries (teams) participating in the Olympics, including the Federal Republic of Southern Antarctica (FRSA), Rumbleroar, and Ferelden.
For their first task, teams were charged with creating a flag, mascot, and national anthem for their country. From tigers to seals to Gordon the Golden Snitch, the entries overflowed with creativity. However, it was Ferelden's fierce dragon that clinched the win for them.
The next task was one of greater mental skill - as the theme for this BBO was the Vancouver Olympics, for this round teams were challenged to test their knowledge of the countries competing in these real life Olympic Games. Given 25 hints, teams were required to guess which country was being referred to, or risk losing points asking for more hints. Once again, Ferelden came out on top, with Antarctica and FRSA being close behind.
For their first task, teams were charged with creating a flag, mascot, and national anthem for their country. From tigers to seals to Gordon the Golden Snitch, the entries overflowed with creativity. However, it was Ferelden's fierce dragon that clinched the win for them.
The next task was one of greater mental skill - as the theme for this BBO was the Vancouver Olympics, for this round teams were challenged to test their knowledge of the countries competing in these real life Olympic Games. Given 25 hints, teams were required to guess which country was being referred to, or risk losing points asking for more hints. Once again, Ferelden came out on top, with Antarctica and FRSA being close behind.
For task three, teams were required to pull out their creativity once again. Keeping with the theme, teams were asked to design their own Olympic game. With sports such as Swidgeknock (a magical variation of muggle dodgeball), Broomstick Battle (involving jousting!), and Portkey Relay, the judges were hard pressed to determine a winner. However, when it came down to it, who could say no to any sport involving penguins? That's right. FRSA took the win in this task with their sport of Guintossing, wherein team members chuck penguins through hoops, getting points based on the weight of the penguin. Brilliant, eh?
Finally, it was time for Task #4, a series of timed puzzles. After the teams struggled through logic puzzles, crosswords, and riddles of all sorts, it was determined that FRSA had taken the win, completing all of the puzzles in a mere 30 minutes!
In the end, Ferelden managed to take the gold, with FRSA coming up behind with the silver, and Antarctica taking the bronze. And after a terrifically grueling (but enjoyable!) month, it was time to retire the Bronze and Blue Olympics for another year.
Finally, it was time for Task #4, a series of timed puzzles. After the teams struggled through logic puzzles, crosswords, and riddles of all sorts, it was determined that FRSA had taken the win, completing all of the puzzles in a mere 30 minutes!
In the end, Ferelden managed to take the gold, with FRSA coming up behind with the silver, and Antarctica taking the bronze. And after a terrifically grueling (but enjoyable!) month, it was time to retire the Bronze and Blue Olympics for another year.
That year was 2011, and the theme was Mythology. Seven teams signed up to participate, including the fearsome Androktasiai, the Doctor Who-loving Order of Something, and the soaring Thunderbirds. For the first task, teams had to use all of their creative energy to come up with a deity to represent each member of the team, and then introduce that deity to us. By the end, we were worried about the sanity of some teams (read: "Likes: Blood. Power. People in pain. Death."), but we were extremely excited to see the entries that had sprung up. From the Order of Something's Doctor Who and Lady Gaga inspired entry to the goddess of muffins created by the Muses, every entry was brimming in creativity. After some tough deliberation by the judges, the Pleiades took the win with their beautiful poetry and hand-drawn deities.
In the second task, teams played through several rounds of 20 Questions, in which they had to determine who the God or Goddess was that they were guessing. In the end, the Olympians took the win after going through an amazing seven rounds, with the Pleiades coming up close behind with six rounds.
For the third task, it was back to the drawing board with the deities that they had created in task number one. This time, they were charged with creating a form of worship for their deities. The entries for this task were just as diverse as those for the first, with deities being worshipped in upside-down muffin pans, in the TARDIS, and with enchanting music. As there were so many amazing entries this time around, there was a three way tie for first place between The Order of Something, the Thunderbirds, and the Pleiades.
In the second task, teams played through several rounds of 20 Questions, in which they had to determine who the God or Goddess was that they were guessing. In the end, the Olympians took the win after going through an amazing seven rounds, with the Pleiades coming up close behind with six rounds.
For the third task, it was back to the drawing board with the deities that they had created in task number one. This time, they were charged with creating a form of worship for their deities. The entries for this task were just as diverse as those for the first, with deities being worshipped in upside-down muffin pans, in the TARDIS, and with enchanting music. As there were so many amazing entries this time around, there was a three way tie for first place between The Order of Something, the Thunderbirds, and the Pleiades.
For the last task, as in many Olympics before, teams were faced with a series of quite evil challenges. From a word search where the words were not given to a logic puzzle and a game of hashi, teams stayed up until the wee hours of the morning completing this task. However, after several grueling hours, the Order of Something completed all six puzzles in 8 hours and 21 minutes, the shortest time by several hours. Finally, the 2011 Bronze and Blue Olympics were at an end, and when results were announced, we learned that The Pleiades took the gold, with The Order of Something and The Olympians coming in close behind to take the silver and bronze.
As you can see, the Bronze and Blue Olympics have been filled with the amazing amounts of creativity and mental ability that define us as Ravenclaws. It has fostered a sense of team spirit and brought students closer together and they laugh and cry together, staying up until 3 am completing some of these puzzles (and cursing those of us who created them!) The Ravenclaw Bronze and Blue Olympics are a tradition here in the Roost that we hope sticks around forever.
As you can see, the Bronze and Blue Olympics have been filled with the amazing amounts of creativity and mental ability that define us as Ravenclaws. It has fostered a sense of team spirit and brought students closer together and they laugh and cry together, staying up until 3 am completing some of these puzzles (and cursing those of us who created them!) The Ravenclaw Bronze and Blue Olympics are a tradition here in the Roost that we hope sticks around forever.
