Visalia's business Olympics brings workers together

Forget those 49ers. Visalia Ceramic Tile employees have a lot more to talk about around the water cooler today after winning the fourth annual Visalia Corporate Games.

The 10-day event, which wrapped up Friday, is designed to boost morale and help employees get to know each other outside the formal work atmosphere, said Michelle Fitzgerald, Visalia parks and recreation supervisor.

With competitions including tug of war and obstacle courses, as well as volleyball and Texas hold 'em, the city tries to provide something for everyone, whether or not they are an athlete.

"Adults don't get to do these types of things very often. It's our own little Olympics in Visalia," Fitzgerald said.

And it's just like the big games, right down to the gold and silver medals awarded for each activity.

The only requirements are to be a business in Visalia and to pay the $500 registration fee, which includes entry in all 20 competitions and pays for 10 days of friendly competition.

While the overall champion gets bragging rights and a trophy, everyone becomes a winner in a different sense, Fitzgerald said.

"You see and hear stories about people who feel

they've been brought closer together by this," Fitzgerald said. "Maybe they shot an email back and forth or spoke on the phone, but they never met face-to-face until this."

While some of the larger competitors, such the Visalia Unified School District and Kaweah Delta Health District, have 500 to 600 people on their teams, other companies may only have 15.

But they have the same number competing in each event to keep all things equal, Fitzgerald said.

Events are held in different locations throughout the city to help boost community spirit and local business, she said.

When the Rock Band 3 competition was held Thursday night at Howie & Son's Pizza Parlor, participants dressed in crazy wigs, wild garb and fake tattoos while more than 200 people crammed in to watch.

"People coming in for pizza would go, 'Whoa! What's going on here?'," Fitzgerald said with a laugh.

The fall event has been so successful that with 14 teams competing in 2011, it has more than doubled in size since it started in 2008.

Fitzgerald would like to see it reach 20 teams so the competition can divide into large and small business divisions, but said it is already so successful that some businesses are fielding teams for other things outside work, such as the recreation department's volleyball league.

In addition to the grand winner, the Inspirational Peer award — chosen from teams nominated by each company — was won by Pacific Southwest Container.

The most sportsmanship team award, chosen by a panel from parks and recreation, was won by Visalia Ceramic Tile.