Scavenger Hunt

2014 MBBB “Amazing” Race by Eric Struck

In the past the MBBB has had scavenger hunts. One time it even had geocaching, but it had never had an Amazing Race-type event until 2014. This year I volunteered to put together a new scavenger hunt for the MBBB, but I did not tell the participants that it would actually be something quite different until the day of the event.

Earlier in the day I had injured my ankle and Achilles during European Handball at Birch School. Later I would tell people that I thought I would still be able to run the “scavenger hunt”. This caused some confusion as Span did not understand why I needed to be able to get around to judge a scavenger hunt. Once we got to Cedar Creek Park, it would become more evident.

I had everyone come to the top of one of the numerous hills in Cedar Creek Park so I could explain how the event would work. I told everyone that this event would be part scavenger hunt, part geocaching (I could hear Mehr groan) and part Amazing Race. I told them that we were standing at both the starting line and the finishing line, but that getting back first did not necessarily make you the winner. There would be ways to gain and lose time out on the course and so we would need to do some calculating once everyone was done.

So now it was time to pick the teams. With seven players, we would have two teams of two and one team of three. We tried to split up the runners and we also split up the Strucks, to make sure that one of the questions out on the course would be fair. The teams would wind up being Marc and Eugene, Mehr and Brian, and Team Discovery Channel, which was made up of David, Span and Matt.

Once the teams were established, I would hand each team a piece of paper with 10 items* on it. This was the scavenger hunt portion of the event. Each item that a team took a picture of would take 45 seconds off of their total time. Among the items on this list were the statue near the entrance to the bike path, something pink and the number 40. This would prove to be very helpful to one team and very costly to another.

*The full list of items:

1) Picture of a dog

2) Picture of a gazebo

3) Picture of a base

4) Picture of something pink

5) Picture of the number "40"

6) Picture of the words "Cedar Creek" on a sign in the park

7) Picture of the Nassau County flag

8) Picture of the statue near the bike trail

9) Picture of a toilet

10) Picture of a parking field sign with an odd number

Next I told everyone that I would send the teams out one at a time. This would hopefully spread the teams out a bit and make it more difficult for teams to know who was leading at any point during the race. Marc and Eugene would go out first. Then it would be Mehr and Brian and finally Team DC.

STAGE 1

Eric hands each team an envelope. Inside that envelope is a math equation. Teams need to figure out the answer to the following question and bring it back to me: The number of green benches at the base of the hill TIMES the number of softball fields you can see from the top of the hill TIMES the number of tennis courts across the street TIMES the number of basketball backboards across the street. 7 benches, 2 fields, 8 courts and 6 backboards gets you an answer of 672.

Marc and Eugene went out first and they would be the first to come back with the correct answer. Team DC went out last, but they would get the answer before Brian and Mehr, who had hit their first bump in the road. First they thought there were 4 backboards, then they thought there were 5. By the time they realized there were 6, they had already dug themselves a big hole.

STAGE 2

At the top of the hill there were a pair of concrete slabs about 20-25 feet apart. Teams would need to have one member stand on each slab and throw a Frisbee back and forth 10 times. A successful throw would happen if one member was standing on one slab and the other member caught it while standing on the other slab. An unsuccessful throw would mean a 30-second penalty on the team’s overall time.

After a few practice throws, Marc and Eugene decided to give it a try. The flimsy Petco Frisbees and the unexpected wind made this challenge even tougher that I expected it to be. Also, if you missed completely, the Frisbee could start rolling down the hill, costing you valuable time. Marc and Eugene would complete 4 throws. Team DC would complete 5, while Mehr and Brian would only connect once after they finally got back from the math challenge. Their deficit had continued to grow.

STAGE 3

After completing the Frisbee Challenge, teams were handed a clipboard with 20 movie quotes from the 1980’s. Each quote that was correctly identified was worth 30 seconds towards the overall time. Everyone knew. “I know you are, but what am I?” Everyone knew, “I am serious…and don’t call me Shirley!” But Team DC would grab the advantage at this stage by getting 19 of 20 movies correct. They would only miss the quote from one of my favorite movies in the 80’s, Bull Durham. Brian and Mehr would gain some ground for once by getting 16 out of 20, while Marc and Eugene struggled. They would only get 13 of 20 and despite getting the clipboard first….they would hand it back last?

Here is the full list of clues and the instructions. You can swipe to the right of each hyphen to see the answer.

1980’S MOVIE QUOTES:

Name the MOVIE that the following quotes come from. NO USING SMART PHONES TO LOOK ANYTHING UP. Each correct answer will take 30 seconds off of your team’s total time. There is no penalty for wrong answers.

Take as little time, or as much time as you want. Once you hand your sheet into Eric, you will get your next clue.

1) “I know you are, but what am I?” – Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure

2) “Oh God! The dog wet on the picnic basket.” – National Lampoon’s Vacation

3) “They’re hee-eere!” - Poltergeist

4) “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Beuller’s Day Off

5) "Son, your ego's writing checks your body can't cash." – Top Gun

6) "Screws fall out all the time. The world is an imperfect place." – The Breakfast Club

7) "The hell you will. He's got a two day head start on you, which is more than he needs. (NAME)'s got friends in every town and village from here to the Sudan, he speaks a dozen languages, knows every local custom, he'll blend in, disappear, you'll never see him again." – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

8) "Isn't that just like a wop? Brings a knife to a gun fight." – The Untouchables

9) "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." – The Shining

10) "I don't believe in the no-win scenario." – Star Trek 2 – The Wrath of Khan

11) "I am serious...and don't call me Shirley." - Airplane

12) "O' Captain, my Captain." – Dead Poets Society

13) "They're not gonna catch us. We're on a mission from God." – The Blues Brothers

14) “So we finish 18 and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, 'Hey, Lama! Hey! How about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know.' And he says, 'Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.' So I got that going for me, which is nice." - Caddyshack

15) "Oh fudge! -- Only I didn't say fudge. I said THE word. The big one. The queen mother of dirty words. The F-dash-dash-dash word." – A Christmas Story

16) "We came. We saw. We kicked its ass." - Ghostbusters

17) A: "You're hit. You're bleedin', man!" B: "I ain't got time to bleed." - Predator

18) "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." – The Princess Bride

19) "Skip: What's our record, Larry?

Larry: Eight and sixteen.

Skip: Eight... and sixteen. How'd we ever win eight?

Larry: It's a miracle." – Bull Durham

20) "I'll let you in on a little secret, Ray. K-Mart sucks." – Rain Man

STAGE 4

Teams would be given an envelope with instructions to find the entrance to the bike path. (BTW, if only they had noticed who it was named for they could have saved some time later on). Once they arrived they would need to sit on the bench and figure out what to do next. If they were STUMPED, they could give Eric a call for a hint (and a 5-minute penalty).

All three teams would solve the first geocaching portion of the race and see the small stump across the path. Inside the hollowed-out stump was a clue sending them to the Field 6 parking sign and telling them to look on the back.

This stage is where the wheels would come off for Brian and Mehr though. First, they would head towards the entrance to Cedar Creek Park thinking that was where the entrance to the bike path was. As I was driving to the next meeting point, I would see them doubling back to the bike trail. After they found the stump, they would misinterpret the clue and never actually find the paper on the back of the Field 6 sign which was supposed to send them to the top of the nearest hill.

STAGE 5

The clue at Field 6 would send teams to the top of the nearest hill to look for something “attractive”. The two teams that would go to the top of the hill would find magnetic key holders attached to one of the metal awnings. This was the second of three geocaching-inspired parts of the race. Inside was a clue telling them to look for Elvis’s favorite place in Cedar Creek, which they should be able to see from the top of the hill.

Teams were being sent to the nearby dog park where my dog Elvis loves to run and play. This was the reason that one Struck brother needed to be on each team, in case not everyone else knew my dog’s name. Team DC would actually arrive at the park just before I did and were anxiously awaiting the next clue.

STAGE 6

“Cache and Dash” – Time for some running and time to look for the smallest cache known to man…the dreaded nano. Teams would need to select one member to complete each portion of this stage. The “dash” would require one team member to run to both the Field 9 and Field 10 parking signs. On the back of each of the signs were code words (Chewbacca and Bugs Bunny) that the team member would need to bring back to Eric.

In the meantime, the other team member would need to locate a nano cache that had been placed on the fence of the dog park. A nano cache is a black, metallic, magnetic container that measures approximately ¼ of an inch by ¼ of an inch. Even for seasoned geocachers, these caches can be, as David would ultimately say, insidious.

David was the first one to start the dash, while Span started looking for the cache. Matt would sit this one out. Shortly after, Marc and Eugene would arrive. Marc took the dash portion of the stage while Eugene joined the search for the nano cache. David and Marc would both get back with the code words before anyone had located the cache, so I called Span and Eugene over to give them a little help. I cut the search area in half by telling them which side of the park it was hidden on and told them it was not inside the park.

After some more searching, I allowed David and Marc to help their teammates as they had been searching for some time. In the meantime, Brian and Mehr showed up at the dog park. It was not because they had found the proper clues though; it was because Brian wanted to take a picture of a dog for the scavenger hunt portion of the race. When I questioned them as to their progress, I came to realize that they had not found the clue at the Field 6 sign, so they had not found the magnetic key holder either. I sent them back to the hill to find it by telling them the clue they should have found at Field 6.

Back to the search for the nano! With four people searching, the group was still having no success. I called everyone over and narrowed the search again. Now the search would only include the one side of the park and I told everyone I could see the cache from where I was standing. While the four players continued their search, I would walk over to talk with Matt. I did my best to not laugh hysterically as Span laid down on the ground right in front of the cache and did not see it! Minutes later, David would finally grab the nano and bring it over to me. Unfortunately, I only wanted him to tell me where he saw it, so now he needed to put it back, without Marc and Eugene seeing it. Once that was done, it was on to the next stage.

STAGE 7

Time for the Petco Frisbees again! This time the team members would need to use the Frisbee and an orange cone to complete their task. One member would stand behind the cone and throw the Frisbee to his teammate. If the teammate caught it, they could move the cone to that spot and throw the Frisbee again. If not, they would have to try another throw from the same spot. The throws would start at the dog park and go to the Field 9 sign. Then the team would turn around and come back to the dog park the same way. Once they had completed the loop, they would get their next clue.

David and Matt would start out first and appeared to be moving nicely before Marc and Eugene finally found the nano. Team DC was probably more than halfway to the Field 9 sign before Marc and Eugene started, but the gap would not last for long. By the time the teams had gotten to the halfway point, Marc and Eugene had caught up and actually passed Team DC. Ultimately, Marc and Eugene would be the first team to complete this stage and head out for the final task. Team DC would get back soon after and off they went as well. After both teams were headed out to the final stage Brian and Mehr would return, but without the clue from the hill. It was officially a two-team race at this point.

STAGE 8

After completing the Frisbee loop, I sent the teams back to the starting point on top of the first hill. From there they would need to call me on my cell and I would give them their final question. In the meantime, Brian and Mehr would play the Frisbee game for fun since they were not racing anymore.

Marc called me a few minutes later and I asked him who the bike path was named for. Everyone had been at the bike path earlier in the race, but I doubted that anyone had taken time to notice the name of the bike path. Marc ran down the hill and towards the path to read the sign. Team DC would call a minute later and then they were off to find the final information as well. The calls would come back almost at the same time with the correct answer, Ellen Farrant. Marc called me 60 seconds before David did, so now we would need to do some calculations to find out who the winning team was.

Once all the teams were back together, I asked everyone to show me their pictures. As Marc and Brian got ready to show me the pictures from the list that I handed out at the beginning of the race, Team DC looked confused. Span asked me what list I was talking about. I told him I gave everyone a list before the race even started. Team DC would empty out their bags and pockets, but the list was not there. This would give Marc and Eugene an advantage, since Team DC would get no time deducted from their total, while Marc and Eugene would gain 405 seconds for taking 9 of the 10 pictures. Brian and Mehr actually got all 10 of the pictures. Too bad it wasn’t going to help their overall finish.

The final calculation would take place back at Marc’s house before poker. Marc and Eugene had started 6 minutes before Team DC, so that was a 360-second advantage for Team DC. This essentially wiped out the pictures mishap, so now we looked at the other stages. Team DC had an edge in the first Frisbee challenge, 5-4. This gave them another 30 seconds. They also named six more movie titles than Marc and Eugene, which gave them another 180 seconds. Marc and Eugene called in the final answer 60 seconds before Team DC, but it wasn’t enough. Team Discovery Channel would be the winners by one minute and 45 seconds….not bad for a race that took almost 2 hours to complete.