The TeamFireball, Inc. Fit Crawl Experience!

By Alila Hollander, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
HR Consultant | HRBOOST®, LLC.™

As an HR professional, I’ve set up multiple wellness-related programs and personally participated in team building activities as well. Last Thursday, I had an opportunity to (for once!) participate in my employer’s team building challenge through Team Fireball, Inc.

Debbie Pickus, owner and founder of Team Fireball, and Bill Garcia, her awesome sidekick and partner, did all the heavy lifting (no pun intended) in setting up this fun and active day outside of the office.  In talking with Debbie, I came to learn that she has a background not just in fitness but also self-defense and she holds a black belt in Shotokan Karate. After almost 20 years in the fitness industry, she has a significant number of contacts with various venues throughout the area to facilitate corporate team building events based on what companies are looking to focus on.

In preparation for our fitness experience, Debbie sent over an entire agenda prior to the event to all of the participants and reminder emails to ensure everything went off without a hitch. We met at Half Day Brewing Company, a quaint bar and restaurant in Lincolnshire, to board a bus equipped with goodie bags of water and Kind bars which took us to our first destination: Palmieri Personal Training. This is an open-concept gym with a fun feel. There we met Mark, who is incredibly passionate about helping people not only reach their wellness goals in a way that is practical and sustainable but also believes in doing it in a way that is engaging. We went through the tried and true exercises like jumping jacks, squats, and push-ups. Mark had us counting down our reps with such synchronicity, you would think we were auditioning for the Rockettes. Bear in mind, the synchronicity was to avoid doing additional push-ups… and we were a motivated group to do as little upper body work as possible. Go team!

Mark really takes tasks that seem difficult and turns them into confidence builders in a manner that’s safe for all body types. We also took on tasks as a team – lifting John Deere tires over our heads… yeah, BIG John Deere Tires… one weighing as much as 600 pounds. It looked intimidating, and let’s face facts, crazy, but we did it! The sound of high fives going around in our group of 10 folks was deafening. We also learned quite a bit about the work Palmieri Personal Training does with the surrounding community offering their services for free to our veterans. They truly do an amazing job motivating groups of people to work together while giving back to the community. 

After this, we headed back to the bus for Human Resources Bingo (my co-worker, Mansi Patel at HRBOOST® helped Debbie and Bill come up with some interesting ways to make the trips fun… and yes, HR Bingo IS fun). After I graciously lost at Bingo, we were already at our next destination; Shanti Grace Yoga. Samantha, the owner, led our class. She’s very personable and makes you feel comfortable in her studio space. There is also a kitchenette for hosting a meal or wine tasting post-yoga…perfect for small parties. She taught a Vinyasa style class transitioning us through poses with each breath. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Half Day Brewing where snacks and drinks awaited.  Before we got there, though… we were each given creative awards reflecting our personal effort. I was pretty proud of mine… Best Form in Push-Ups.  

I would certainly recommend Team Fireball, Inc. to companies that are looking to network with others in their respective industries or for team-building within their own organization. Few things help spark conversation between co-workers who seemingly have nothing in common like a little bit of sweat and the reminder that ‘we’re all in this together.’