The Name.com Scavenger Hunt and the triumph of the Thunder Dragons

Every now and then we shut down the Name.com office for a few hours and gather everyone together for some wholesome team-building exercises (in other words, we act goofy and have some beers). Last Friday was one of those days, as we divided into teams for a scavenger hunt that took us (err … most of us) all over Denver.

The rules

• Teams were chosen randomly and given a sheet of clues. The clues directed us to treasure balls (vending machine capsules) hidden throughout the city.
• First team to return with all treasure balls wins
• No driving allowed. Bikes, walking, taxis, public transit … all fair game.
• Additional prizes were awarded for best team picture, most awkward New Domain sales pitch, and most team spirit.

The hunt

Nic Steinbach (the Artist Formerly Known As New TLD Nic) and Ashley Forker (not a great go-kart driver) planned the scavenger hunt with a dozen destinations, mostly in the LoDo/LoHi area and around our Cherry Creek office. We had to collect a treasure ball at each destination, sometimes from a friendly bartender (Denver Beer Company, The Fainting Goat, Milwaukee Street Tavern …) who awaited us with an open bar tab.

The teams

Team Thunder Dragon: Jon Liu, Dave, Smitty, Ethan, and Jacob

Team Fancy Hats: PMo, Adam, and Angela

The Fuzzy Unicorn Kids: Jared, Kristen, Eric, Kyle, and Alex

Team Otter Destruction: Shannon, Cora, Helen, Scott, and Sky

Martha Stewart and the West Side Slammers: Nick, Ryan, Steve, and Cedar

The pitches

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX24fup5he8

The results

• Team Thunder Dragon won (using only bicycles), but just narrowly.
• Team Fancy Hats finished just seconds behind, and was granted the award for Most Team Spirit.
• The Fuzzy Unicorn Kids came in third, and won the award for best team photo (see above)
• Team Otter Destruction proved to be utterly inconsequential despite the exhaustive planning of Shannon Brown.
• Martha Stewart and the West Side Slammers called it a day when they got to the Fainting Goat and did not collect all the treasure balls. They never came back. They might still be there. But they did find the time to make the best awkward New Domain sales pitch.