Texas has a history of pride: the Lone Star State, the Alamo, the steaks, the rodeos and the pageantry. With that pride, comes a playful rivalry amongst our Dallas and Houston offices. However, every now and then, there’s an idea so great that one cannot simply ignore the other. This is a story about one such sporting event.
In the midst of baseball season but in the doldrums between basketball/hockey and football season, there’s kickball. No other sport combines the likes of amateurs and professionals better than kicking a ball around a baseball field. With its low equipment costs and taste of childhood reminiscence, it truly brings out the camaraderie and competitiveness in each of us.
Houston was the originator of this office tradition. This year was its fifth annual game, which brings together the office at all levels. Each year the event has grown, and this year another Consultant/Intern team was created to accommodate the additional players. In 
the first game, two mixed Consultant/Intern teams, team red and team black played against each other for the right to battle the Senior Consultants. In game two, the Senior Consultants, team blue, were victorious and earned the right to play the Houston Managers, team white. Though the senior’s youth and vibrancy provided some advantage, the Managers pulled through a hard-fought win in overtime, laying claim to the cup. Managing Directors act as the referees for the final games, inciting rumors of favoritism, but all games succumb to the overarching scoreboard. The game is followed by an awards ceremony where certain team favorites are awarded for their atheism, lack thereof, team spirit, and of course, the overall champions.
Dallas, having heard of Houston’s yearly contest, put together its first annual game this year. To add a little variety, they separated themselves into four teams mixing all levels from the office for a sudden death tournament. In the first game, the Hippies were knocked out by the Americans, which was followed by a victory by Team Luau over Team Country. In the final game, Team Luau proved to be the most worthy of the first annual Dallas 
Cup.
The tournaments, venues, and people may be different but there are an incredible number of factors that showcase the strong culture present in both of our wonderful Texas tribes. They both suffer through the heat, are fiercely competitive, and enjoy each other’s company in sport, food, and a copious amount of laughter. Both look forward to the post-festivities, the opportunities to see another dimension of our peers, and the chance to cultivate the bonds from weak to strong.
Whether it is kickball, client delivery, 
or solving complex problems, we come together in the end for one goal. So embrace the summer; embrace the bonds you create; embrace the similarities more than the differences. It may only be one day in Texas, but the memories that we create last forever.
