From extreme pogo to a pentathlon, Saturday’s inaugural Hudson River Park Games filled the Lower West Side waterfront park’s piers, waters and even its airspace, with a day of feel-good competition and games. Goldman Sachs won the coveted Hudson River Park Cup, taking first place among 20 New York companies and community groups. Presented by Friends of Hudson River Park, the Games were not only healthy competition, but a fundraiser (the Games were pay-to-play) for the 5-mile-long park, which receives no government cash for its operations. The Olympic-style pentathlon was the day’s highlight, with teams clashing in back-to-back gruelling games of beach volleyball, flag football and dodgeball, plus kayak races and a daunting obstacle course. Goldman Sachs ultimately prevailed by winning a tug-of-war contest, besting the likes of Circle Line Cruises, PwC, CitiGroup and the all-female squad from 24/7 Staffing. The delivery.com Games Village, at Pier 26 in Tribeca, was the event’s home base, and saw appearances by former Knicks greats John Starks and John Wallace and New York Liberty standout Sue Wicks, who pumped up the energetic crowds for the festivities. There was also a 5K “fun run/walk” for kids and adults, sports clinics, stand-up paddleboard yoga, XPOGO pogostick classes, cardio kickboxing and more. Pier 26 also sported live music and a beer garden (and drinking games) where the pentathletes et al. drank beverages afterward, hopefully noncompetitively.
