Periplul echipei Hercules Trophy Romania la prima ei competitie Hercules Trophy din Belgia

by Eliza Pisică, Project Manager Hercules Trophy Romania

Two weeks ago we were in Mechelen, Belgium, for our first Hercules Trophy competition and it was an adventure to remember!
Together with Adrian and Sabin, I spent 5 full days (21 - 25 June 2017) with the team from Belgium, who have been organizing this competition for over 18 years, both in Mechelen and Antwerp.
From the logistical set-up to the crew briefing, from the Herculean dance to the 10 events in a unique mix, from backstage to on stage next to Tomorrowland DJs, from participant to observer, our delegate team has seen all facets of an experienced Hercules Trophy and tells their stories.
It all started with an invitation from Hercules Trophy founders Yves and Inge to experience the coolest (almost) sporting competition, straight from the source.
The preparations didn't take too long, because we were going to participate in one of the 3 days of the competition and we wanted to keep it as authentic and as close to the experience Romanians will have at the first edition in our country.
Basically, we didn't do anything to prepare, we didn't train at all, we didn't know in advance what all the challenges or their rules were, we didn't strategize, we didn't even know our teammates or our team captain!
But we were there, we played beautifully and... We can't wait for the first edition in Romania in spring 2018! It will be memorable!

Day I - June 21, 2017 & Day II - June 22, 2017

Site tour and meetings with the organizing team

3:45, Bucharest

Hm, I was already very excited to leave, so I didn't realize that maybe I'm exaggerating a bit to go to the airport 2 and a half hours early, That's why I didn't hesitate for a second to call my colleagues Adi and Sabin, with whom I would spend the next 5 days in Belgium. Understandably, they were not as enthusiastic about me calling them at that hour.

12:00 Mechelen, Belgium

Our first days in Belgium were rather technical. We attended several meetings of the members of the organizing team on various situations that needed to be solved one or two days before the start of the events.

But first we enjoyed a full tour of the location (De Nekker Public Park), where Sanna, the Project Manager of this edition of the Hercules Trophy, briefly told us where all the logistics will be located (“How to addă? With less than 2 days before a 3-day event with over 3000 participants, the logistics are not yet in place?!”).

After a short time we already felt part of the organizing team and wished we could have been more involved. If only they hadn't sent us out for a walk, as it was a beautiful day (which they considered a scorcher at 27 - 28 degrees C!) and it was worth exploring Mechelen and the surrounding area a bit, maybe even the lake near the cottages where we were staying!

We quickly familiarized ourselves with Hercules Trophy Village, the hub where all the unexpectedly cool things were going to happen over the next few days:

• the crew briefing session, all the people who were going to be in charge of 10 fun events, over 350 teams from countless companies, more than 3000 participants full of absolutely infectious energy! Of course, we only realized it after 3 days.
• Hercules Dance (“Hm, I suppose this is some kind of warm-up, like they do at all sports competitions, right? What kind of rehearsal for something like that, you're just following the instructor, right?“).
• Dress rehearsals.

What stuck very clearly in our minds after all these encounters were some details well pointed out by Yves, founder of Hercules Trophy.

• This competition is about people, it's about team, it's about being fair and most of all it's about having fun!
• timing is crucial (for each team, 15 minutes for one challenge, 15 minutes - break), and the participants need to understand this as well, to make sure we don't make a boring and long event.
• Hercules is not about winning at all costs, risking your integrity or that of someone around you, it's about teamwork and, above all, having fun.

Cool, huh?

Day III - June 23, 2017

THE FIRST ROMANIANS TO COMPETE IN A TEAM AT THE HERCULES TROPHY

6:30

Who could sleep more?!

I did my best not to wake up the boys too early and suddenly, 3 hours before the competition, I felt like doing some warm-up exercises! (“What a good kid!”)

I started to count so many bends, so many squats, so many squats, torso twists, go up, go down, go left, go right... what more, in 10 minutes I thought I was feeling super energized. Music was already playing from the recording point...

Time 7:30

I quickly threw on my gear and (proudly!) the super Herculean hoodie I received the day before as a gift and headed to the Registration Area.

(“WOW! Is that how they all woke up? Where did they get this energy? And how come waves of people already come 2 hours before the competition?”)

Carlitos, the MC, was a very jovial guy, all smiles and cheerfulness, he was in the middle of the participants, guiding them, encouraging them, coaching them to dance with him and Kelly, the Hercules Dance instructor! The participants were laughing out loud, taking selfie after selfie and dancing while waiting for their turn to be recorded, and then being photographed again by official photographers going through an arch of happy hands of the crew members.

(“Eliza, but the competition doesn't start for another 2 hours... why don't we take advantage of all this beautiful energy and recharge our batteries! Oh, but wait, what team are we on, who are our teammates?”)

9:00

“Guuuuuuuys, we're starting operation Find our team!“

And we came across the 5 hungry ladies in our team, 4 of them really ladies with good life experience. From 3 words we all realized that we were all participating for the first time, that we didn't have a team strategy, because we didn't know how it worked, and then we all decided on the spot that we were going to have a lot of fun!

Our captain, Barbara, received a complete kit for our team, which contained:

• our team's exact schedule for that day and location map
• participant wristbands
• food and drink vouchers for each team member and a newsletter with the latest news about the Hercules Trophy around the world.

Oh, wait... we found ourselves there

I tried let's answer Brain Labor first, This is a test of 5 questions of insight and logic, against the clock.

Then I quickly assessed the map, to see where the first events we were going to participate in were located.

And we didn't even realize it when it was exactly time to go to the front of the stage to warm up with Kelly - hey, here followed some of the Herculean dance steps and I could feel myself biting into the cheese already, because I knew them (“Yesterday we learned and rehearsed so many steps and now we only do 2-3?!”)!

With how excited everyone was, with all the hullabaloo and merriment, I wondered if anyone was still watching the clock and if we would be able to keep to our team timing.

Only I didn't finish my thought, when Carlitos, the MC announced the official Opening Ceremony of the competition, 2 lighted torches were put on the stage, and then, In just a few seconds, the scene was abuzz with team captains with flags and banners waving, singing and whistling with joy!

10:00

Swiss time, at 10:00 all the captains on stage shouted their teams and stormed towards the challenges, each according to his own schedule.

We started with Foot Darts, Cross Country, SUP and ElliptiGo. There are 4 members in each event - we decided on the spot in front of each event.

Brilliant are! When you enter the race with the thought that you want to win, all the events seem difficult, hard to tackle by some of the more plump or perhaps more out of athletic shape members, you stress yourself to get the fastest time, you push the limits, you take risks.

But I remembered what Yves had said on the first day at the briefing... ”don't take any risks” and now I understand. I gave the best I had with the preparation at that moment, with my teammates that I had just met and who understood the same thing, with the joy of the extraordinary experience I was living right then! It wasn't about the awards, it was about discovering people new, with a culture of competition quite different from ours, but very healthy, with experiencing challenges that we have never encountered before, party all day long!

12:00

We finished the first 4 samples quite easily, so we didn't really get tired, but we still stopped for a snack break with apples and muffins, specialty coffee (I was a bit too much of a joker, but I asked the barista to let me make my own latte art and I impressed him - not by creativity, but by boldness, I think).

Some of our colleagues took advantage of the short break for a 10-minute relaxation program, with some special glasses with music and lights... hm, a bit Star Trek looking, but it seems very much appreciated.

In the meantime, Adi took advantage of the respite and sent his drone to supervise his surroundings, let's see how the other teams are doing :P

13:30

The 1 hour lunch break also marked the halfway point of the competition. We ate healthy, chicken rolls with plenty of fresh vegetables to give us an energy boost for the rest of the day.

3 more tests until the next respiro:

• Adrenalator, a treadmill that works in reverse and is inclined at 45 degrees (well, it was pretty important here that our team included 2 former marathon runners),
• BossaBall, a volleyball game in which extra points are awarded for the extra points you score by jumping from the trampoline and
• Bugxters (the buggies that everyone knows, but which I hadn't tried them before).

15:00

And after the second snack followed coolest samples ever!

Flip It he gave us all a good workout - we couldn't have rolled the inflatable cube without Sabin's strategy of counting our steps and shouting like a Herculean “Go Team! Go Team!”. I had a feeling I was going to come out through that cube with all the force I was putting into each shout!

And he was no worse Car Pulling, which, however, proved much more accessible than we imagined! In this challenge, we were most happy that we could pull the car behind us twice - (I had the feeling that from the first lap we understood exactly the right following tactic!

Only Pole dancing took us all by surprise, But 4 of our colleagues proved that the technique and attention to detail explained by the instructors are far from complicated, regardless of age or fitness.

17:30

We couldn't believe that at 5:30 we were done with all the evidence and that I didn't feel tired!

As we walked back into Hercules Village the fun seemed to be waiting for us: photobooth with photos on the spot, relaxing massage area was activated, the first alcoholic drinks (the competition was over by now!), the MC was already coaching us to come to the stage, where the music was already on!

19:30

After enjoying a Apero withouts with mango and passionfruit, lemon or berries (a specifically Belgian alcoholic drink with a lot of sweet fruit liqueur) and then a BBQ tastes, with a perfectly prepared beef and lots of fresh salads, Kelly took the stage again and finally coached the participants with the rest of the dances we had learned the day before and didn't know what we were going to do with. (“AHA!”)

The award ceremony lasted just half an hour, during which time all categories of winners were announced: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place, Coolest Team Outfit, Fairest Team, Coolest Crew Member, Smartest Team.

What we thought very cool in this chapter was the lack of material financial awards - All podium winners were presented with cups and the other teams with bottles of champagne. Further proof that The Hercules Trophy is a different experience from other sporting competitions, that it emphasizes fun and teamwork and is not motivated by tangible gains but by the desire to have fun in a different way, membership or association with the coolest corporate sports competition on the planet!

We practiced at the party until midnight and enjoyed the whole experience like teenagers at prom, but with an extra bonus - 2 Tomorrowland DJs, already old states at the Hercules Trophy: Makasi and Nexuz!

Herculeans, that’s how we felt that day!

DAY IV - June 24, 2017 & DAY V - JUNE 25, 2017

Wow moments

I confess that I couldn't stay away to get more sleep on the days I didn't participate in the competition... so much great energy filled us last morning, we couldn't wait for the following days to repeat the experience!

And we'll tell you what we really liked:

• Morning energy gave us a magical vibe on each of the 3 days of competition!
• The competition started at 10:00, sharp and it went in excellent harmony, because everyone involved understood that it was better to have a great time than to waste more time than necessary on the challenges!
• There was no no time lag, on either day, and the team members had the most important contribution to that
• Ladies Games Trials, the competition derived from the Hercules Trophy and adapted for ladies, are designed and customized especially for women - so we could enjoy a Cross Country with obstacles in the shape of lipsticks or diamond rings, a Stihl trial, hosted by 3 very handsome and charming gentlemen or a photo session simulation in a professional studio!
• Most participants were not first-timers! We chatted curiously with people who were on their 8th or 5th or 3rd participation, because we wanted to see what keeps them coming back each time. And we found out it's exactly the Herculean spirit:
  • the energy of the competition is memorable and there's no other place to relive it quite like it,
  • come with colleagues and get to know them in ways they don't get the chance to do anymore,
  • Even though it's a competition, the fact that they're not fighting for prizes makes for a cool experience that they can really enjoy
  • samples/mix of samples are not repeated, they are not the same in any year, although Cross Country has been a challenge at every edition for over 15 years
  • all the fun in one place, It's just like a festival; basically, as well as discovering your peers in a different way and having fun with them at the Herculean trials, you also have time to hang out with friends or family cheering you on from the sidelines.

And if you were to ask us, individually, what it was like, we would answer:

Yes, it was o experiencewow for the Romanian team!

Yeah, it's different when you're there, in the middle of things, and you're tasting directly of the Hercules Trophy!

Yes, in fact it's not at all difficult to take part in the tests even without any training physics before!

Yes, we have fMade lots of new friends, very nice people who would like to come to our first edition in Romania!

Yes, energy that is created among hundreds of participants from the first hour is unique and infectious!

Herculean, that's how I feel today!