Dozens of jobless New Yorkers took a breather from trying to win a paycheck yesterday and took part in a different competition — the Unemployment Olympics.
The games at Tompkins Square Park in the East Vil lage included the “Of fice Telephone Toss,” a “Race to the Unem ployment Office” sprint, a “Pin the Blame on the Boss” variation of the donkey-tail game, and a stress-relieving piÑata-bashing.
The job-seekers’ olympiad was the brainchild of unemployed computer programmer Nick Goddard, 26.
“I wanted everyone to have fun,” he said. “This seemed really cathartic for people.”
Instead of medals, there were prizes and gift certificates donated by local businesses — and plenty of encouragement and support among contestants.
“It’s fun to be out with people in the park,” said Jennifer Jacobs, 31, of Chelsea, who was laid off six months ago from a film company. She won a $25 gift certificate to the St. Marks Bookshop for second place in “Pin the Blame.”
“It brings good humor to a bad time,” she said. ” I wanted to see who else was out of work.”
Luis Garcia, 27, an unemployed advertising exec who won first prize in the Phone Toss, was delighted to win a $50 bar tab at Boxcar Lounge and a book titled “Monster Boss.”
“I thought I’d kill some time today,” he said. “Why not? I didn’t really like my job, so I’m excited to do things like this. ”
Katina Garrard, 36, who moved to the Big Apple two months ago after being pink-slipped by a Tennessee corporation, said it took her weeks to get “out of my layoff depression.
“I was at a job fair this morning and it didn’t look good,” she said. “This makes me nervous. Seeing all kinds of unemployed people is beginning to scare me. I thought it would be funny to come here, but it scares me.”
Goddard is not planning an encore olympiad.
“It would be hypocritical to do it with a job and I have my fingers crossed that I’ll get a job soon,” he said.