Buddy Walkers are A Team Building Challenge You Can Build Yourself and are also a famous TeamBuilding ROI challenge. In this article you will receive instructions how to build your own Buddy Walkers team building challenge. We will also talk about why this is a great team challenge for a debrief as well as a ton of fun for your guests.
The Buddy Walker Challenge!
Buddy Walkers are four man walking skis and create a unique race at any Bay Area or San Jose team Building event or corporate activity.
A group of 4 guests needs to work together to win the race against other buddy walker teams or just reach the end of the course to solve the challenge.
It is up to the teammates as to how they are going to work together to complete this challenge. Sometimes the teams elect one of the teammates to give the commands of “Left”, Right, Left, Right” etc. and they start to move in the right direction, and sometimes they all try to talk over each other and go nowhere.
Even after the teams have worked out their system and agree to work together for the greater good of the team, most of the time it is still a struggle to get the timing right and there is a lot of laughter when the teams realize how hard it is to get everyone on the same page.
This is a great challenge for any Bay Area team building event.
Debriefing A Buddy Walker Race
Debriefing a Buddy Walker race at a Bay Area team building event is simple yet affective. Here are some questions I like to ask to get them talking about the challenge.
I ask each question, let the guests talk about the question with their teams and then I ask a few teams to share their answers.
“When did you realize this was going to be more difficult than it looked?”
“What did your team decide to do to make it easier?”
This is where the teams will usually say they elected one teammate to give the “left, right, left right” commands.
Here are a few questions I like to ask after they give me this information.
“What did it fell like to not be in charge of the left, right commands?”
“Did you feel any less important in your role once you realized you just needed to be quiet and follow the commands of the teammate that was elected to shout out the left rights?”
This is where you sum up the entire challenge with these words of wisdom below!
Final Thoughts For Teams To Think About After The Debrief
Buddy Walkers is a challenge where every member of the team is just as important as the teammate that is shouting out the left and rights!
If your teammates are counting on you to do your part and you check out, the system falls apart.
If one of your teammates is not in sync, or fights the commands your buddy walker will not move! You are all part of the team and this is a challenge where if teamwork fails, so does your team. This is not a challenge where one member of your team can take over and the rest of you check out.
You need to be willing to not be in charge and a team player if you are one of the teammates responding to the commands, and realize you are still a very important part of the process.
This is a very fun race with the purpose of showing how important all members of a team are when challenges arise, even if you are not in charge. It is realizations like this that make for a great Bay Area team building event!
Building Your Own Buddy Walkers
You Will Need:
Two 5 foot long boards that are 6 inches wide
30 Feet of Nylon Rope
40 inches of 1″ PVC Pipe and a way to cut it into eight 5″ pieces for the handles
A Drill to drill the holes in the Boards and the Handles
Grip Tape
Drilling The Holes In The Boards And Handles
Hole Placement In The Boards:
I drill my holes 14″ apart after leaving 4″ at the head of the skis.
Handles:
You will drill one hole in the middle of each handle you have cut into 5″ from the PVC Pipe.
Connect to rope and tie knots on both ends (under the board and inside the handles).
You want to conceal the knot inside the handles and make sure they do not pull through the holes you drilled.
Add Grip Tape for Each Teammate
I like to use skateboard grip tape for extra grip where each teammates feet will go.
Then Pull on the ropes to make sure everything is tight and secure on each handle.
The Perfect Team Race For A San Jose Bay Area Team Building Event!
Buddy Walkers is the perfect team building event race. It takes the three legged race to a whole new level of communication, teamwork and fun!
It will get your guests laughing during the challenge and talking about it after while instilling in their minds the importance of every teammate when solving future tasks.
It is unique challenges like Buddy Walkers that make TeamBuilding ROI the premier Bay Area team building event company!
Buddy Walkers are featured in TeamBuilding ROI’s Global Games Program: