On Friday, 19th October, INLINE proudly hosted its second-ever Builder Olympics Event—a much-anticipated occasion that’s been the talk of the team for the past four years. In true Olympic spirit, we brought it back bigger and better, with a mix of returning challenges (for those seeking redemption) and fresh new tests designed to push our team’s creativity, skill, and collaboration to new heights.
Each year, the INLINE team is divided into houses, and this event gave every house the chance to showcase their talent and teamwork. Some challenges required tight coordination, while others called for one brave individual to step up and lead, backed by their housemates’ support and cheers.
The result? An incredible day filled with laughter, competition, and camaraderie—and yet another reminder of what makes our team culture so strong.
We’re immensely proud of everyone who took part and of the positive energy that filled the day. For other industries, we can’t recommend this kind of initiative enough. Events like these do wonders for team morale, strengthen workplace connections, and ultimately enhance the quality and passion that flow into our projects for clients.
Challenging the myths.
To perform at your physical peak, you’ve got to fuel your body the right way. There’s nothing worse than feeling sluggish halfway through your workday, and more often than not, that’s down to poor nutrition. The Builders Breakfast Challenge was designed to remind our team why that daily pie and energy drink combo might not be the best choice - and to highlight how good nutrition directly supports performance on site.
The Challenge: Competitors started by eating a pie, then tackled an obstacle course while carrying a 20kg bag of concrete. After returning to the start, they downed an energy drink of their choice before hitting the course one more time. The fastest time across the finish line took the win.
The Goal: A test of strength, conditioning, and fitness - with a healthy dose of humour and a not-so-subtle reminder that what you put into your body matters.
Underrated Builder Skills - The String Line
Sometimes it’s the simple tools that make all the difference - like a string line. Few things are more frustrating on site than a tangled line, especially for the second person trying to use it! This traditional piece of kit is essential for alignment across an entire build, and knowing how to handle it properly is a mark of a skilled builder. Keeping a string line tight, uniform, and secured with a half hitch knot becomes second nature after years on the tools.
The Challenge: One team member ties the hook onto the end of the string line and runs it out to catch “the Fish,” while their partner carefully winds the fish in, maintaining proper tension and balance. Once the fish is fully wound, they finish with a half hitch knot - and get a sweet reward: a chocolate fish lolly hidden inside the “fish parcel.” Points are awarded for both the fastest time and the neatest, highest-quality string line.
The Goal: Master knot work, focus on quality, and showcase teamwork in a fun, hands-on way.
Intuition and Confidence.
When cutting timber on the go, confidence in eye-balling measurements is an underrated but invaluable skill. Whether it’s for temporary blocking or an off-cut for packing, each builder develops their own method, with the most successful typically being those who have spent plenty of time “in the saddle.” With a little math and experience, they can usually end up with a piece that’s just about right!
The name of the challenge is an homage to a former colleague whose mantra, measure once, cut thrice, has become legendary amongst our staff. Even years later, his approach still inspires precision (and a bit of fun!) on site.
The Challenge: Using a single length of timber, participants must cut the required pieces to the nearest millimeter using intuition only - no measuring devices, pencils, or gauges allowed. Points are awarded for both accuracy and speed.
The Goal: Build confidence in guesstimating, sharpen understanding of optimal cuts from a single timber length, and develop a strategic approach to tackling a cut list.
Fiddly Bits – A New Challenge for 2025
A fresh addition to this year’s Builder Olympics, Fiddly Bits tests muscle memory, precision, and detailed knowledge of the tools every builder relies on. In our industry, there are countless screw types - everything from the common Phillips head to purlin hex screws - and swapping driver bits is an everyday task. This event puts both recognition and dexterity to the test in a fun, fast-paced way.
The Challenge: One participant has 30 seconds to memorize the order of screws on a block of wood. After the time is up, blindfolds go on, and the participant must identify the screws and the correct driver bits by feel, then screw them into the block. Points are awarded for both accuracy and speed.
The Goal: Improve memory retention, boost confidence with power tools, and deepen knowledge of hardware essentials - all while having a good laugh along the way.
It wouldn’t be a true Builder Olympics without a specialist knowledge quiz! This event keeps our team sharp and up-to-date on laws, legislation, building code requirements, and a few other fun facts - because knowing your stuff is just as important as having the skills to put it into practice.
From eye-balling timber cuts to blindfolded screw challenges, the Builder Olympics tested every corner of our team’s skill set - physical, technical, and mental. Each event highlighted not just individual talent, but the strength of teamwork, attention to detail, and the fun that comes from pushing yourself and your colleagues to do their best.
We couldn’t be prouder of the effort, creativity, and camaraderie on display throughout the day. Events like these are more than just games - they’re a chance to learn, grow, and celebrate the craft that defines INLINE. Here’s to continuing the tradition, inspiring confidence in our team, and keeping the bar high for skill, knowledge, and collaboration in everything we do.
Unitl next time!
Team INLINE
1st - J.A.R.T [Jack, Alexa, Rob, Tod]
2nd - The Salty GIB Strippers [Cody, Colin, Chris, Tim]
3rd - Team Slayer [Ken, David, Will, Hati]
Honourable Mention - Team S'N'M'S [Scott, Jesse, Max, Nate]
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