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| The "diaper duty" was designed for gross effect but actually had good items inside. Chocolate pudding, gummy worms, and marshmallows. |
For four years, teens have come to the home of Jody and Becky Kirkpatrick on the last Wednesday in August for the Messy Olympics. Designed as both an induction for sixth graders into the Bethany Baptist Church youth program as well as a farewell for those who are leaving, youth have eaten peas out of diapers, mayonnaise in ice cream cones, and gone through obstacle courses designed to get them wet and dirty amongst other outrageous events.
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| Though the kickball game was designed for messiness, teams still had to record outs. |
That tradition continued tonight as large plastic tarps and four wading pools could be seen in the Kirkpatricks yard. Sixth graders participated in an "ice cream" eating contest with cones that included ice cream, oatmeal, and cream of chicken soup. Everyone then participated in "diaper duty," where the contents of a diaper had to be consumed. This year, they were filled with chocolate pudding, gummy worms, and marshmallows.
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| Ashley Bryan calls a runner safe. He's one of many adults who's volunteered at the event for years. |
As to the tarps and wading pools? They were for a game of kickball. But not just any kind. The pieces of plastic were hosed down and coated with flour, making them virtual slip 'n slides. Each wading pool had a different item. Oatmeal, Jell-O, a pudding, water mixture, with home plate filled with flour. In order to score a run, youth had to cover themselves in flour to have their run counted.
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| Not only were the plastic tarps coated, adults were armed with water and flour to ensure a truly messy experience. |
But this could be the last year of getting messy. Becky Kirkpatrick said they had resigned as youth ministers in May. They informed Bethany officials that they would continue until someone else was hired or for one more year, whichever came first. If Messy Olympics are to continue, the new youth person would have to continue it as the Kirkpatricks did when they replaced Jim Ward five years ago.
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| Sometimes runs would score in groups. |
Kirkpatrick said they were asked by the youth to continue it. While Wednesday night was silliness and messiness, there was also a teaching moment. At one point when youth weren't paying attention to instructions, Jody Kirkpatrick could be heard remind the group, it wasn't about one person, "It's about all of us."
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| Flour stillr remaining of course led to it being tossed after the "official" end. |
Becky said she figured they would continue to teach even after steppning down as youth ministers. They'll be busy during this final year including a September 5 kayaking trip. When asked if it'd been a good ride, Kirkpatrick agreed and said "They're good kids."
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