Day 2 - Adventure

This day was all about new adventures. We made our teams run, chased them through the mud and let them sink in the lake.

Early Morning: Rain Run

This morning it was raining a lot and they scheduled a run around the lake. Great. We met with the students on poolside near the drying room.

Most of us wore running tights and jerseys or tee-shirts, socks and runnung shoes. Some of the students preferred anoraks or hoodies. I decided to wear running tights with a lycra top and a big hoodie.

The instructor explained that hoodies and jogging suits were good for hard rain run training because they get heavy when wet and he suggested to take a shower before the run. He also said that rainwear might get too hot as we run. Finally he advised us of a muddy stretch about one third into the run which was good fun for mud sliding.

Some of students followed his advice and went to the shower to get their clothes soaked with warm water right from the start of the run. I chose to get wet slowly in the rain.

Down the Trail

We all headed down the trail, turned left and ran around the peanut shaped lake. After a few minutes running in the heavy rain we were all soaked through to the skin. That looked great, especially those in wet hoodies which slopped around as they ran.

Mud Slide

We reached the muddy stretch. Many of us dived in into the mud, sliding down the hill into a big mud pit. I went down once on my front and twice on my back. My hoodie was heavy with mud after that. We all looked a right mess after that as we carried on along the trail.

Run or Swim ?

Halfway down the lake was a narrow bit, about 100 meters wide. Near that point we were offered the choice between the full run and a shortcut which involved a swim through the lake. Most of us took the shortcut.

It was exciting to see so many people jump into the lake in their muddy running kit. Now was my turn. I ran onto the small jetty and jumped in. Wow, what a refreshing feeling! It was very easy to swim in running clothes, only the shoes and hoodie slowed me down. A brown mud trail was in my wake as the clothes got rinsed by the lake.

As I reached the other side I slowed down to watch the people in front climb out of the water and run up the trail, their wet clothes glistening in the morning sun, shining through a gap in the clouds.

Showers and Warm-up Swim

We ran back up to the pool and headed for the showers, after taking the dirty shoes off. It was so busy that most people shared a shower. The instructor said we should carefully help each other rinse off all the dirt and then jump into the pool to warm up.

Moments later we were all floating around in the pool, dressed in our running kit, relaxing from the run. It was a funny feeling swimming with socks on. Now I know why the Germans enjoy that so much; I always wondered why they wear socks in the water.

Morning: Muddy Assault Course

Very popular was a really dirty event, full of slimy mud and water. We took our teams over the muddy assault course.

For safety reasons, to avoid cuts and bruises, everybody had to be fully clothed for this game. We were told to dress in tee-shirt, with long tops and bottoms, like hoodie and jogging pants.

The tee-shirt was to be tucked in and the waist band properly tied. Robust socks and shoes were needed too. Waterproofs were not allowed as they could get damaged on the course.

First we crossed a rope bridge near Joey and his water pipe. Some showed up in jeans and shirt only. They were promptly hosed down from top to bottom, issued with mud brown hoodies, and then hosed down again.

Anyway, everybody starting with this obstacle course was briefly sprayed with the hose pipe, just to get them damp. That way they were not so shy near the wet obstacles.

Into the Mud

We team leaders had to go over each obstacle first, followed by our teams. That caused great amusement among them. They loved the sight of their team leaders getting into a wet mess. Being good sports we obliged.

The first obstacle was the metal beam across a mud pit. That gave everyone the chance to get wet and muddy right from the start, which many did.

My first task was to show them how to get across. What I didn't know was that near the end they've put soap on the bar to make it very slippery. Sure enough I lost hold and fell right into the deep part of the mud pit. My team cheered with delight as I climbed out, slimy mud dripping off my hoodie and jogging pants.

The first student climbed across, balancing on top of the beam. Half way through he slipped and disappeared in the mud. When he resurfaced we could just about see a big smile on his mud covered face.

I asked him if he had done anything like this before. "No, this is the first time," he replied, "but is is fantastic fun. I often wear clothes in the water, but this mud is all different."

All but one team member fell in. We then grabbed the dry guy and took him right into the middle of the pit, making sure he was in neck deep. Then we filled up his hood with mud and put it up. He was laughing his head off, mud streaming down his face.

Muddy Ditch

Some students from other teams were still dry after the first obstacle. That was going to change now.

One of the more exciting obstacles was the muddy ditch. We had to walk through a water-filled ditch and help each other climb through truck tires that were suspended above. The recommended method was to climb through head first, roll forward and land back in the ditch.

In our soaking wet heavy clothes that was quite a challenge. Wading through waist deep water with a muddy bottom was hard. We often fell in, so our clothes were soaked to the max. Then we had to lift ourselves out and get through the ring. It all worked out well with a bit of help from each other.

The ditch led into a muddy pond where we could relax a moment. My team felt it was the right time to really splash about and wrestle each other into the mud.

Mud Pit with Net

Next we went into the mud pit with the net on top. Joey was spraying it with a water hose to make sure it was slippery enough to get through.

As it was our turn now I had to go in first. Being a staff member I good hosed down real good. "You're too muddy for my nice obstacle!" shouted Joey as he hosed me down.

Dripping wet I got down on my knees and crawled into the mud pit underneath the net. "Ey, you're getting dirty again," shouted Joey and blasted me with more water. I felt liquid mud seeping into my clothes.

Eventually I got through and sat down on the grass, covered in thick mud. I watched my team get through one by one. They huddled close around me waiting for all to pass this obstacle.

Into the Lake

Joey gave everybody a good hose down. "Don't you dare get my lake dirty!" he shouted like a drill sergeant. The lake was the final part were we all went for a swim to get most of the mud out of our clothes. Finally we've rinsed all the dirt off one more time in the pool showers.

Afternoon: Raft Building

A raft building exercise teaches team work in challenging conditions. We went to the drying room to collect our clothes from the previous events, warm thermals and tracksuits. Then we put on the waterproof suits and headed for the lake.

They said we should make a raft from the available materials to get across the lake. We used ropes, wooden planks and canisters to put something together that might float.

Every now and then we waded waist deep into the lake to see if the raft was stable enough. This was a precision task and we had to make sure it was done well, even if it meant we had to get into the water every few minutes.

Eventually we put a raft together that floated and we climbed all aboard. We used paddles to move it across the lake.

Sure enough half way across it capsized and we all fell into the water. We climbed back onto the raft and capsized few more times before we made it to the other side of the lake.

Some of these capsizes were sort of intentional. It is such great fun to fall into the lake fully clothed and climb out again, watching the water flow out form our clothes.

Finally we rushed to the pool building to rinse our kit in the warm showers and jumped into the pool still dressed in our adventure clothes.

Evening: Relaxed Pool Party

For the pool party tonight Andy and James chose jeans and hoodies again, with polo shirts underneath. I dressed in a long sleeve white tee-shirt, beige cargo pants, white socks and sports shoes.

Giovanni wore black jeans and a black tee-shirt with his white socks and tennis shoes. I noticed that he also carried a yellow nylon anorak in a little pouch around his waist.

As we entered the pool hall the college students were already engaged in wild water fights, not the quiet night we had expected.

Since I was still dry I decided to watch the mayhem from a distance. I climbed into a boat at the shallow end to relax, slowly drifting towards deeper water.

Suddenly my boat moved and a couple of students (Ooli and Karim) from my team popped up and asked if they may climb in. I agreed and they scrambled in, their wet hoodies dripping all over my dry trousers.

Karim said: "Oh, sorry, you're still dry. We can soon change that. Are you ready to get wet?" Did I have a choice?

They hopped back in and slowly tipped the boat over, enjoying every bit as I slowly slipped into the water. Getting wet like this in my nice party clothes was a very pleasant experience. We all climbed back into the boat and splashed around for some time.

I got a bit cold

After a while I got a bit cold and went to the drying room to change into dry clothes. My hooded tracksuit and thermals were already dry, so I swiftly changed into those dry clothes and picked a hooded nylon overall to wear on top.

The evening went on and we relaxed with our teams in the shallow end. I sat down on the edge, just dangling my feet in the water.

"We always swim in clothes at home," said Lee, an Asian student, "so we enjoy this centre very much."

"Do you often swim in clothes?" asked another, looking at me. "Yes," I replied, "I usually do. It adds interest and variety to my swim training." They all laughed and splashed me.

Getting wet again, but slowly.

"Why did you change into dry clothes a while ago?" one student asked. I said that I got a bit cold in the thin clothes I was wearing. They looked at each other with a wicked grin and asked: "Can we get you wet again, take you back into the water?"

I quietly nodded, wondering what they had in mind. Linda asked me to put up the hoods of my hoodie and overall. Then she checked that it was fitting properly and tied the hoods close.

They lifted me from the pool side and carried me above the water to the middle of the pool, where the water was about chest deep. Then they lowered me very slowly into the water, holding me horizontally, face up.

The water slowly seeped into my nylon suit at the legs, the waist and arms. I could feel how my tracksuit and thermal underwear slowly got wet. There was a lovely tingling sensation as the air bubbles moved up between my skin and my clothes. The water filled my hood as they lowered my head. They held me like this for few moments, then let go and I floated onto my feet. That was an amazing experience.

"Did you enjoy that?" Linda asked. "Yes, that was great. What was it?" I wanted to know. She explained that this was a meditation bonding technique she learned in her psychology class back home in Hong Kong. It is used to build a better team spirit. If possible each team member should experience it at least once. I said that I'll check with management to weave it into the ongoing events as it doesn't take that long. My team was delighted.

We chatted a bit more until Giovanni swam over to us. He had his yellow nylon anorak on with the hood up. As he jumped onto my back, I noticed that he was also wearing thin white nylon pants over his jeans, which could be seen through the fabric.

"Did you get cold too?" I asked him.

"A little bit." he said with a smile. "It's bedtime now, let's go."

Giovanni is very touchy-feely. He's Italian, but grew up in Greece. He likes an early night. His motto is: "Good boys have to be in bed by ten, so they can be home by midnight."

It was a warm summer night as we walked in our wet clothes across the lawn to our accommodation. We laid down in the grass for a moment, looking at the stars. "That's the life, my friend." Giovanni mused. "We get wet from morning to night with nice people in a beautiful setting. What more could we want?"