Blog Theme Group

the chequered flag

Posted by Jo on 21-05-2010

This morning we have been busy comparing bruises, aches and injuries from last nights go karting grand prix. Only Steve seems to be unscathed in anyway.

The evening was a blast from the start - the track marshalls had been tipped off about Mark's inadequate height so at the briefing they said they could either give him a booster seat or their special kart, a pretty pink motorised kiddies bike - they explained all the controls and even made Mark try it out for size.

As we started racing it came clear who were the most competitive amongst us - Laurence and Mark being top of that list. Amanda turned out to be a bit of a dark horse making it to the top 8 along with myself, Lil Lou, Paul, Mark, Laurence, Andy from Denwal and Sean from Signs In & Out.

Mark tried desperately to negotiate the final 20 laps down to 10 as he was already knackered, but the marshalls weren't having any of it.

After 10 intense minutes of bumping, spinning, passing and sweating, the winners were finally declared.

In reverse order...

3rd - Mark (he was so excited and sure to still be full of it when he comes in later)

2nd - Sean (supposedly his first ever time)

1st - Laurence

Thanks Mark for a great night - and don't worry I'll beat you next time!

Posted by Jo on 21-05-2010 | 3 Comments | Leave a Comment…

And it's go, go go!

Posted by Laurence on 20-05-2010

In celebration of us having been at the Old Chapel for a year (come next weekend) Mark is treating us all to a night out.

The countdown has started, and there's no going back – we're now just hours away from the Theme Group grand prix (well, go-karting), and it's sure to be a tense, hard-fought affair among many of the ultra competitive Theme staff.

So hard-fought, in fact, that the mind games have already started - excuses are being made (presumably to lull others into a false sense of security), old grudges are being brought up and some last minute superstitions are being adhered to.

On the more extreme side of gamesmanship, Mark has brought in his Ferrari t-shirt which, he was reliably told by the man who gave it to him, is used by F1 drivers to keep cool during races. Ed Kelly, meanwhile, claimed to have been running late because of road works, although we're fairly sure he went for some last minute test runs at the track.

This year's event should throw up some interesting results, given that Vanessa has never driven, Emily hasn't driven since passing her test four years ago and Steve prefers to cycle everywhere - will this lack of experience take away their caution and make them speed demons, or will they be content to potter around the track?

As for me, I'm just hoping to do better than last time, when I was, quite frankly, robbed of first place by a driver who had all his own gear and had worked out a sneaky cheat with the accelerator cable.

Whatever the outcome, we'll update everyone on the winners and losers tomorrow - although I may not write the follow-up blog if I've not done too well!

Posted by Laurence on 20-05-2010 | 2 Comments | Leave a Comment…

Richard Jee takes manager gong

Posted by Lil Lou on 19-05-2010

Anna Mansfield's Rookie Rangers kept the pressure on until the very last minute, but try as they might they could not stop the Thoresby Terriers claiming victory in the inaugural Theme Dream fantasy league.

Richard Jee overcame the early dominance of Natalie Dobson's Hectors Heroes, reaching the summit of the league at the turn of the year. Since then he has opened an increasing gap and, while Natalie dropped down the table, Anna's Rookie Rangers started to climb up it.

We will be getting in touch with Richard shortly to arrange delivery of his winner's prize, and there is also more bubbly on the way to the Rookies Rangers for finishing as the month's top scorers. We will have more reaction from Richard once we catch up with him!

Among the Theme Group's staff, Laurence thought he had topped the pile with his third place finish - but a few late points (I'm not quite sure what for) meant I pipped him to bronze!

At the other end of the table, our very own Jo Aslin got the wooden spoon after ending the season on 1,082. Battlesquad's Paula Robertson narrowly avoided the final spot, while Theme's Marcus Bishop came third from bottom with his Arsenal-heavy line-up.

It's been an exciting season, but while most of us girls in the office are glad it's over, the boys are just counting the days down til the world cup - as if we haven't had enough football!

The final top five was:

• Thoresby Terriers 2,901
• Rookie Rangers 2,817
• Lil Lou's Lads 2,789
• 12 Disciples 2,781
• Amy Dorsett 2,694

Posted by Lil Lou on 19-05-2010 | 0 Comments | Leave a Comment…