The Great Nissan Car Squeeze Challenge!

The Great Nissan Car Squeeze Challenge, organised by The Cathay, took place on the 30th of April, last Saturday. Dozens of people turned up at the grand foyer of The Cathay on Handy Road to take part in the competition. The event saw contestants from all walks of life, many were students, and others were from a local church. Eight hopeful teams took part in the challenge but only one walked away with the grand prize, a Nissan March 1.2L 5MT worth $42,000!

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The Great Nissan Car Squeeze Challenge kicked off late in the morning. Split into two rounds, the first round required teams to pile as many members into the popular hatch as possible. Only the top five teams would proceed to the finals. First up was team Hope Singapore, from Hope Church Singapore. They set the bar high when they managed to squeeze 25 people into the Nissan March! A feat that was unmatched for the rest of the round, though the Squeeriels came close. They managed to fit 24 people into the March.

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The qualifying got tense once the last three teams were left. Four teams had made it through already and there was only one more place in the finals left. The Nissan Sardines, formed by students from ITE Bishan and led by the teacher Ms Becky had fit 16 contestants into the Nissan March. But up next were the Okinawa Dragons, they had a team of 19. If they could fit their whole team into the car, the Sardines would be relegated. The Sardines watched anxiously as the Dragons stepped up to the car. Unfortunately, the Dragons just about managed to pack in their 19th member, much to the Sardine's disappointment.

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Some teams were there just to be a part of the event and have a good time. Team ISR only had 10 members but were as enthusiastic as any one of the other teams. The Dreamers were also there for the thrills, they may have had only 12 members but they came decked out in bright colours and clown noses. It was no surprise that the Dreamers walked away with the prize for the Most Creatively Dressed Team - $400 of Ben & Jerry's vouchers!

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The organisers mixed things up for the final round. Instead squeezing as many people as humanly possible into the Nissan March, teams now had to find a way to squeeze 16 people into the hatch. The team with the fastest timing would win. The judges also decided to let the Sardines participate in the finals, much to the jubilation of the crowd. Teams quickly split up and started strategizing for their final shot at the March.

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The Okinawa Dragons, Nissan Sardines and the Superheroes all put up a valiant fight. The Squeeriels came in with an impressive timing of 8.1 seconds. But even that was not enough. Team Hope Singapore emerged champions, beating the Squeeriels by mere milliseconds to claim the keys to the sought after hatch!

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Credits: varun0108