Finding waypoints in the snow
It is my honor and pleasure to announce another completed GDI program! On Monday, December 6th, 2010, I delivered a three hour Competitive GPS Challenge Course for 11 executives from MassMutual with the help of GDI facilitator Skylar Atkins.
Skylar and I spent a significant amount of time leading up to the program worrying about the weather report. Snow was expected and it was coming our way! When we were setting up the course I kept thinking, “Man, I hope they still want to be outside!” Not only were we dealing with snow, it was also cold as hell! I thought to myself, this could be fun and if were participating in the program, I’d pretend that I was running around in the snow hunting for Orc, right out of the Lord of the Rings! All was set to go, the course was dialed in, the time is 1pm, and the MassMutual crew shows up in their shuttle. As the group begins to form a ready circle, the shuttle pulls out of the gravel parking lot, and away from our location, and the first thing I hear is a voice, “Oh no! Where are they going? I wanna get back in the van!” This statement was symbolic of the groups’ initial attitude as they were about to embark on the course. After all I don’t blame them! It was COLD, WINDY and we were in the middle of a WIZARD BLIZZARD! Skylar and I started them off with a with an icebreaker that we call “Tank.” The icebreaker was a success but I wanted to get people moving and I believe that feeling was mutual 😉
In the Competitive GPS Course there is a multitude of caches that the teams have to locate and there is a point system assigned to the caches in the form of money (if you get the question right). At each cache there is a trivia question relating to the company or general knowledge question. The further away the cache or the more complex it is to locate, the harder the question and the more money it is worth. In the designated time frame, it is typically unlikely that the teams are able to reach all the caches. This requires communication and efficiency in executing the plan to optimize money acquisition overall. The incentive for collecting the money is in the final challenge where the money enables the teams to buy time off their best time in completing the final challenge.
As the MassMutual crew got moving and started the course they didn’t even think about the cold anymore! Skylar and I checked in on the teams as they worked their way through the course and they were having a blast! Everyone finished right on time and the group was excited about the final challenge. We went over the answers to the trivia questions on our hike back to the Equinox Resort and threw in a little slip and slide in the snow along the way.
The final challenge was great with every team improving on their time with each attempt through three rounds. A shout out to team “Shock and Awesome,” winners of “Key Punch,” which was the final challenge! A special thanks to the teams, “Firecrackers” and “Black Hats” as they were outstanding as well!
We closed up with a “Word Send,” which is a closing word sharing activity. Each participant shares one word with the group that illustrates their experience. It was great to hear a couple “Mind changing” word sends, even though it’s two words, I accepted them with open arms 😛 I loved seeing the shift in mindset from apprehensive about the cold weather and the unknown, to having a lot of fun and looking forward to the next challenge through the GPS course and Key Punch.
I am honored to have been able to work with MassMutual. Everyone was involved, enthusiastic and fun to work with, which made this program a memorable and enjoyable experience!
Thanks again to Skylar Atkins for providing wonderful support during this program.
I’d also like to thank Will Leggett for providing resources and support.
Thanks to Tim Walther for being there on the other end of line in fielding all sorts of random questions.
Yours in Adventure,
Reuben Gibson
ARNO ILGNER
ASHLEY CHAPMAN