The Christmas Blues

So after all the excitement and anticipation is over from the Cullen Ferreira White Christmas Invitational and we all head back to our respective jobs(or in Deidre's case- grad school!), a bittersweet feeling may come over each of the participants. As they look back at the last few days all spent together, how could have things been different?
  Gloria: came in with 12% of the total votes for the invite, finished in 7th place with 26 points. She put together an amazing 5k race as well as more than held her own during the Yoga Poses Hold competition. Areas where she'll need to improve next year will be the obstacle course, board games and darts if she wants to be a contender.

  Greg came in with only 4% of the total votes finished 4th place overall with 46.5 points overall. His strong performances in Beer Pong, darts, Deck the Halls card game, and Cullen Idol couldn't hold off a strong charging Genny for the third place. He will need to continue to work on his yoga poses, obstacle navigation skills while substantially improving his Wii Sport acumen as this last place finish resulted in his ultimate slid out of podium contention. Congratulations to Greg on almost single handedly compiling a list of remarkable quotes that we could use as memorable quotes.

  Deidre came in with 16% of the votes but finished 6th overall with 40.5 points overall. Despite her low overall placing, Deidre had some very solid performances but unfortunately they were coupled with several last place finishes which ultimately did her in. She did improve over the three days though and is expected to come back better than ever next year. She certainly will have some things percolating in her mind(or stomach) between now and then.

 Amber came in with 20% of the votes but may have been the most disappointing performance overall with a 5th place finish. A poorly thrown football during the obstacle course, a missed turn during the 5k race as well as inattention during darts and bowling all contributed to her lower than expected finish. She did make a heck of a mixed drink and improved every task after some practice so this sub-par performance may catapult her to a next year finish.

 Genny also garnered 20% of pre-competition votes and finished 3rd overall. She had been trailing both Greg and Amber going into the third day of competition but first and second place finishes in bowling and Wii, respectively, put her in 3rd place with a 1/2 point lead over her father and 3.5 point lead over her sister. She was probably the most consistent of the competitors over the three days.

 Brandon   certainly the underdog of the weekend getting 16% of votes surprised everyone when he finished in second place. The victory was in his grasp going into the last competition of the day, Wii sports, but (likely due to chivalry) let Danny sneak by him for the crown. Brandon proved that he was a force to be reckoned with. Even activities that he was terrible at, he was able to scrap his way to a solid finish. He has the unique distinction of never finishing worse than 5th in any event.  Between he and his wife's third place finish, they took home the Couple's Award.

 

 Danny also received 16% of votes finished 1st place overall in part to Brandon's uncharacteristic poor showing at Wii. Danny fluctuated from many first place finishes to dead last in several areas which kept the others in the hunt. A failure to get the BONUS during the Saltine eating contest due to inattention nearly was his undoing. Overall showed he was very beatable and will have a target on his back next year.


While you may have to wait another year to follow the competition at the second annual Cullen Ferreira White Christmas, tentatively scheduled for January 2013 in Bermuda, you can follow Amber and Danny at their blog.

Thanks for following and have a happy new year!

The Final Results

After three arduous days of competing, the first annual Cullen Ferreira White Christmas Invitational has come to a close. It was a battle to the very last event with Danny squeaking by Brandon for first and Greg succombing to Genny with her finishing in a solid third place. Here are the final results:

1st-Danny(57 points)
2nd-Brandon(56 points)
3rd-Genny(47 points)
4th-Greg(46.5 points)
5th-Amber(43.5 points)
6th- Deidre(40.5 points)
7th- Gloria(26 points)


More photos to come.

After Two Days of Competition

After two days, the competition has been crazy! From board games to road races, longest held plank to best mixed drink, this competition has challenged everyone. Here are the results thus far:

Danny: 45.5
Brandon: 45
Greg: 41
Amber: 38.5
Deidre:36.5
Genny: 34
Gloria: 20

One more day of competition and the podium spots are still up for grabs. Keep watching:)

Invitational Bios and Predictions

Check out below the predictions and biographies of all the participants in the 2011 Cullen Ferreira White Christmas Invitational.

Danny Ferreira

Danny, husband to Amber Ferreira, will be the only Cullen Ferreira White Christmas Invitational Participant that has competed in the Gold Jacket Tournament and has that as an advantage. Additionally, he was the one putting the rules together so if it is close he is most likely going to find a way to win. His biggest concern is drinking too much and missing the start of the 5k. That and his inability to sing, dance or keep any sort of rhythm. And his ability to shoot 10 strings of consecutive gutter balls. And his inability to play Wii Sports.

Gloria Cullen

Globug in visor

Gloria, mother of Amber, Genny and Deidre and husband to Greg, is tenacious! After having tried to sandbag her way to the 5k win by reporting a 5k PR of 36 minutes(she's a 30 minute runner), there is no telling what she will do next to secure the victory. I suspect nothing less than tripping, biting, board game toppling, elbows flying over the table, lines being crossed left and right, and "taking short-cuts". The Rosie Ruis of the Cullens- nothing is sacred so watch out!

Greg Cullen

Greg married to Gloria and father of Amber, Genny and Deidre is a computer engineer with surprising speed. He is expected to be in main contention for most competitions but like Amber may struggle most with inattention(especially with Boggle) and durability to last all three days. Even still, expected to be a podium finisher.

Brandon White

Brandon, married to Genny Cullen, is expected to struggle throughout this three day tournament. His saving grace may be his video and drinking game ability, but it is expected that his wife beat him in both. Deidre and Dan will destroy him in the board games and he may lose to Gloria in the 5k race. But he has a nice personality and it's nice that he's trying. Most likely to receive the "Thanks for Trying" Award.

Deidre Cullen

The youngest daughter of Greg and Gloria Cullen, Deidre's main advantage this tournament will be her inability to drink alcohol. This may result in a significant leg up in the next morning's 5k race. Deidre, a graduate of UMass excels at board games, is a strong runner and will likely handily win at the dance and sing competitions. A strong contender for the overall win.

Genny White

Genny, the second daughter of Greg and Gloria and married to Brandon White, may be the sleeper in the Invite. A school psychologist by trade, Genny is also very fit. In addition, she may have the advantage as she and Brandon are definitely the most skilled at video and drinking games.