City Stars 2021 Winners & Recap

The 2021 City Stars event was a 3-day extravaganza of good times, employee bonding, and some truly memorable performances. 

Here is the complete and total recap of all City Stars events along with the winners of each event. A big thank you to everyone who made it happen and to everyone who participated.

Pickleball Tournament

A detailed write-up about the drama and controversy of the pickleball tournament can be found here. 

Golf Tournament

The dynamic megawatt smiles of Steven Downs and Chris Tschirki were out for all to see at the Links at Sleepy Ridge this past week as they turned in a -10 team score. The team made up of some of Orem’s best boys in blue were a close second place at -9.

Disc Golf Tournament

The Orem Parks Section is bursting with pride as their native sons Josh Story & Chad Vidinhar defended their home turf at Scera Park. The beauty of the park was not marred even though Josh & Chad turned the tournament into a total blood bath. Josh threw two holes-in-one in the presence of many witnesses.

Trivia Blitz

One of the great quotes from City Stars this year was spoken in reference to Chad Johnson: “He’s more than a farmer.” Truer words have never been spoken. Chad may have a way with the land, but he is a multifaceted and multidimensional thinker with a massive brain and eyes that shine with the light of pure intelligence. Chad is our 2021 Trivia Blitz Champion.

Name That Tune

This is the first year of City Stars to feature Name That Tune and Ryan Clark is our inaugural champion. Ryan’s ability to name both song and artist is only surpassed by his ability on the bowling lanes. Ryan’s mastery of the music spanning multiple decades has added to the mystery and mystique of this debonair and time-traveling department director. MakerSpace Czar and excellent neighbor Matt Kammerer was a very close 2nd. The big difference came down to knowing the great American artist John Cougar Mellencamp. Sorry, Matt, but it Hurts so Good!

Cornhole Challenge

The brilliant legal mind of Jon Ditto found a fun and quick way for 55+ people to play cornhole against each other in less than 3 hours. The competition was based on sinking bean bags from different distances and when the bean dust settled it was City Bowling Champ Mike Johnsson and City Golfing Champ Steven Downs left standing. Rumor has it that the wellness committee will be planning a stand alone cornhole tournament for a future wellness activity. Stay tuned.

Super Smash Bros. – King of the Mountain

I.T. Help Desk Agent & vivacious scooter rider Justin Wilson took on all contestants in Super Smash Bros on the Nintendo Switch and beat every last one of them . . . some even multiple times. There were a few that gave Justin a whiff of a competitive game, namely Gavin Skougard and Tom Nisson, but all others were promptly beaten, humiliated, and sent on their way with their personal pride and mental stability hanging by a thread.

2-Minute Drills

Scott Swift went full mad scientist and put employees through an excruciating pair of exercises to see who could do them the fastest. The lab rats who performed the best were Aaron McKnight from Legal and Dylan Hanseen and Trinity Olsen from Public Works. They will be rewarded with fresh pellets, clean wood shavings, and someday adopted by a nice family.

Basketball Shoot Out

Eli Luhan crushed the competition with his sniper-like shooting from all over the court including the half-court line. Eli reminded spectators of a young Jimmer Fredette as he launched shot after shot from no-man’s land. Talon and Sam had a great showing but there was no stopping Eli. He was unconscious.

Darts

If you ever find yourself lost in the Amazon rainforest with Ben Petersen, Jon Ditto, or Stephe Cannon, you’re going to be just fine. These three men will provide for you using their incredible skill to hit very specific targets with small sharp objects. Want a howler monkey for dinner? Give one of these Adonises 5 darts and get out of their way. Dinner is served!

Bouldering

Another new addition to City Stars was the bouldering competition. Victoria Violette and her trusty assistant Alex set up a never-before-climbed course and organized a point value system based on the difficulty of the route. For your information, getting to the top of a climbing route on your first try is called flashing and the difference between first and second place came down to the fact that Josh Story is a slightly better flasher than Chad Vidinhar. Josh is the undisputed best flasher in the city. HR has already been notified of Josh’s flashing and will address it.

Lightening / Speed / Dynamite / Knockout

It’s the game with a thousand names but it’s always played the same way. In an act of revenge for the ignominious defeat he received at the hands of Ben Petersen in the pickleball tournament, Pete Wolfley won game 1 from the free throw line. Justin Skillings showed his range as an athlete in game 2 by winning from the 3 point line. Eli Luhan continued his dominance on the basketball court with a convincing win from the elbow.