Are you ready for the Barrington Olympics?

Three Barrington neighborhoods will face off in virtual competition

By Josh Bickford
Posted 7/1/20

The International Olympic Committee may have canceled this year's Summer Games, but Barrington will be holding its own "Virtual Olympics" later this month.

The BAY Team has planned a series of …

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Are you ready for the Barrington Olympics?

Three Barrington neighborhoods will face off in virtual competition

Posted

The International Olympic Committee may have canceled this year's Summer Games, but Barrington will be holding its own "Virtual Olympics" later this month.

The BAY Team has planned a series of daily challenges that will run for two weeks — from July 26 through Aug. 7 — that will serve to unify the community while promoting good health, creativity and physical activity.

Dr. Kristen Westmoreland is the director of The BAY Team, and said the idea came from a similar event that was being held at a high school out west.

"First and foremost, it's about having fun," she said during a recent interview.

Like the real Olympics, Barrington's Virtual Olympics will pit teams of competitors against each other.

In this case, BAY Team officials have divided the town into three teams based on the three elementary school sections of Barrington. There will be "Team Orange" for the Nayatt area, "Team Red" for the Sowams area, and "Team Purple" for the Primrose Hill area.

The games will feature a number of events that individuals and families can participate in — for example, there will be a nature scavenger hunt one day, where people can take video of themselves searching for and finding items on the hunt. Upon completing the challenge, the family or individual will submit the video or photos to The BAY Team through its Facebook page.

Each team will record a point for each individual or family that participates in each event. BAY Team officials plan to post daily scoring updates to their Facebook page, similar to the real Olympics medal count. And the team with the most points at the end of the two week Barrington Virtual Olympic games will be crowned champion.

Dr. Westmoreland said the winning team will be announced on a banner that will be placed on the high school fence near County Road.

"It's purely participatory," she said, adding that some of the other events will include a game night, "Egg Drop Challenge," an obstacle course, and "Treat-a-Neighbor Challenge."

Dr. Westmoreland and other members of The BAY Team have been working closely with the town in planning the game. She said Barrington Town Council President Michael Carroll has agreed to speak at the Opening Ceremony on July 26.

"Everybody seems really excited," Dr. Westmoreland said.

There will be a live torch run to start the games at 4 p.m. on July 26, and members of the high school and middle school track teams will carry the torch through the different neighborhoods. Dr. Westmoreland said people are encouraged to cheer on the runners as they make their way to the town hall for the Opening Ceremony, which will be held at 7 p.m. The ceremony will be held online as well, to avoid a large crowd from gathering.

Dr. Westmoreland said there had been some consideration to holding a regional virtual Olympics, pitting the different East Bay towns against each other. But officials thought it might be a bit more manageable to run it in just Barrington.

Officials at The BAY Team are excited about the opportunity the virtual Olympics presents, to bring people together in town and encourage healthy activities, especially in light of the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic.

"It supports all the things that The BAY Team strives to do," Dr. Westmoreland said.

Games need a mascot

There will be a contest to kick off the games before the competition ever gets started.

BAY Team leaders are welcoming submissions for a Barrington Virtual Olympics mascot — people can submit drawings of their proposed mascots to the BAY Team's Facebook page, and the winning entry will be revealed at the beginning of the games.

The BAY Team is also soliciting a song for the virtual Olympics. That, too, can be submitted to The BAY Team's Facebook page.

Dr. Westmoreland said there will also be a closing ceremony, held virtually, which will include a slideshow featuring the different videos and photos submitted.

Games go live?

While this year's Barrington Olympics will be held virtually, with people and families completing tasks individually and then submitting photos and videos online, the games could be held live and in-person in the future, when the situation allows for it.

"It definitely can be done live," Dr. Westmoreland said. "It would be easy enough to change it to more live events."

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.