How Clemon Students and the Programming Pool Team Went Back to Childhood
June 26–28 was the weekend when the Programming Pool team and Clemon students put their laptops aside and, for a few days, went back to something they hadn’t done in a long time: playing.
Not on their phones, not with notifications, and not following a schedule where every minute was planned, but with teams formed on the spot, rules negotiated along the way, and competitions where, although everyone had come to have fun, no one really wanted to lose.
After a series of training courses delivered by Programming Pool together with Clemon, the weekend at Podina Resort was an opportunity to meet in a completely different setting. There were games, challenges, quizzes, laughter, and plenty of moments when colleagues surprised one another.
A Generation That Knew Exactly When Playtime Began
For an entire generation, playtime didn’t require invitations, WhatsApp groups, or a calendar. It was enough for someone to show up in front of the apartment building with a ball in hand. Within minutes, everyone else would appear, teams would be formed, rules would be established, and negotiations would begin over who had the advantage and who would start.
It was the kind of play where you learned, as you went, how to get along with others. How to suggest a strategy, accept that you weren’t always right, enjoy winning, and find a reason to play one more round when you lost.
At Podina Resort, the atmosphere carried some of that same energy. Once a game begins, people change a little. The quietest colleague can become the team strategist, the person who seems the most relaxed can end up keeping track of every point, and someone you never suspected of being competitive can suddenly start calculating every possible path to victory. We won’t name names—the people who were there know. 😉
And to make the trip back to childhood as complete as possible, even the snacks had to be carefully chosen: surprise-filled chewing gum, puffed corn snacks, Eugenia biscuits, wafers, colorful soft drinks, and sweets that brought back memories of after-school breaks.
Beyond the nostalgia, though, the games did something very simple: they put people in situations where they had to talk, listen to one another, and find solutions together. Sometimes with more seriousness than you might expect from an activity that was supposed to be just about having fun.
When Competition Starts to Matter
At the office, everyone has their role. In a game, however, those roles can quickly change.
It no longer matters who leads a presentation, who speaks the most in a meeting, or who is used to making the final decision. What matters is who comes up with the right idea, who notices what needs to be done first, and who manages to convince their team to move in the same direction.
Each challenge brought together different combinations of people and different ways of working together. Colleagues who already knew each other got to see one another in a new light, while those who had only recently started working together had a very simple reason to start a conversation: they had a challenge to win.
And after all the games came the moment when we had to see how much of the course material had actually stuck. That’s why the final challenge was an interactive team quiz featuring 20 questions, each with four possible answers. Knowing the correct answer wasn’t enough. You also had to find it quickly, as response time was used to break ties.
The Happy Smurfs team took first place with 14,830 points. The real battle, however, was for second place: Captain Planet finished with 13,430 points, just 28 points ahead of Reeds, who came in third with 13,402 points. It was a margin that kept the competition alive right until the final questions.
Tiberiu Șanta, the lecturer who coordinated the teams throughout the training program, was pleased with the results:
What Stays with Us After a Weekend Like This
Podina Resort was the perfect setting for a weekend like this—from its relaxing facilities and the hosts’ hospitality to the delicious meals that complemented the days we spent together.
But perhaps the most important moments were the ones that weren’t planned. The conversations that started between challenges, the jokes that continued after the games were over, the colleagues you discovered in a new light, and the moments you simply can’t schedule in an event calendar.
Sometimes, the best teams aren’t built around a meeting table, but around a game. Because when people laugh together, trust starts to grow almost without them realizing it. And some of the best memories with colleagues begin exactly this way: by forgetting, for a few hours, about the worries of the office.
A special thank-you goes to our colleagues Ruxandra, Ada, and Raluca, who put their heart into organizing this event and made sure every detail was carefully prepared. Thanks to their dedication and attention to detail, everyone was able to fully enjoy the teambuilding experience at Podina Resort. ❤️
Would you like to be part of the Programming Pool team? Discover who we are or get in touch with us.