DRAFT:

Spring, 2026:  Join Cornellians in a months-long quest to win CCW's Amazing Race. You will be placed on a squad of 4 for a competition that includes exploration of the wider DMV, usually on Saturdays, sometimes midweek evenings, but enabling a degree of choice to suit busy work and life schedules.  The various stages of the competition include both physical and mental challenges; some require all members to address the challenge together. Other challenges will require your team to supply just one or two players to tackle that task while others spectate (or watching the leader board.)

The challenges will engage you and your team in social, service, physical and learning activities. You will be given clues and a set amount of time to accomplish the goal (hours... or in some cases several days or weeks.) Although the majority of the challenges are metro-friendly, each squad formed must either possess or be willing to rent a car for at least 2 rounds of the competition (March and May), so plan accordingly. In each leg of the race, there will be squads that advance.  But each leg also includes the strong possibility of elimination due to failure to complete the challenge(s) in a timely manner. The last team standing at the end of June will win $1,000,000.*

Just like the ACTUAL reality TV show. 

Getting Organized: WE CAN DO IT!

We will offer our CCW membership Interest meetings (select one to attend in person or by Zoom before April 30.)

• Online in Zoom (with break-out rooms for team formation... or the chance for captains to organize their plans for such a  meet-up)

• Maggie will allign these meetings with her schedule to see if she can attach it to other CCW events like happy hours already getting PR'd on the calendar.  This will include 

Agenda - Interest Meetings  (February 19 at 5:30)  and March ___ and April ___ (align with HH or other CCW events?)

• squad photo requirement announced.... there's a chance to take the photo and submit it at the end of the meeting

• Overview how the race works (basically the content we are starting to develop on this brainstorming page, but REFINED)

• Q an A

• Announce first 2 "legs" of the competition and how to advance ones squad before April 30

• Strongly recommend that Captains ensure: "no photos shared on social media without the express consent of the people in them." For example, Maggie doesn't want her photo anywhere that she is not doing the posting herself. Thanks! Plenty of people in the club feel the same, I've learned.  It COULD be useful for all four squad members to each have a gmail address in case we have to lock down the web site or engineer sharing via a google doc.

• Provide the link to the competitions's web page (under development).  It will be a "low profile" but publicly accessible web site, created with Google Sites by Maggie.

• Provide link to the public access leaderboard. These are things we won't pass out broadly, but it will not require a password to access the updates there. It will be attached to a web site that provides the clues and competitions for each round, linking resources.

Budgeting:

Community Service Committee has a very small budget but could afford $50 if this competition is not self-funding.

Members are charged an initiation $25 to get commitment and to help fund the prizes that might come back to them if they win a round or win the entire competition.  (offer an early bird discount?  Non-CCW members can get involved by paying $30 (non-refundable, $15 starting April 17 ) to join the Loser-Substitute Pool at any point in the race.  That fee guarantees being drawn onto a squad for at least one round of the competition ...or potentially to form a Team Of Losers for found 4 at the very back of pack for Round Five. NonMember Losers are welcome to register for CCW events in the same manner as they always do-- paying the registration fee at the non-member rate that the activity requires to cover costs.  

CHALLENGES ideas from committee members:  

Maggie's To Do or To Delegate List:

• Recruit ORGANIZERS at each CC gathering - under way

• Post teaser at CCW home page. Done!

• Establish first Org meeting and send to recruits - done. AGENDA POSTED and archived

• DONE:  Framed  out the competition Web site - STATUS: 5 page site in draft form at https://sites.google.com/view/theamazingracecornellclubdc/leaderboard - RESTRICTED ACCESS but available for sharing with ORGANIZERS only.

• DONE!  Develop a Logo for CCW's Amazing Race - assigned to Steve  for my review by Dec. 12

• Investigate bandanas

• Determine non-refundable registration fee 

• DONE but snow cancelled it.  Post a January INTEREST meeting link as a "teaser" and "save the date" at CCW and link it to a web page for updates.  Status: rough draft has been started. Needs target date

• potentially add WhatsApp Thread  in lieu of emailing for ORGANIZERS 

• Use WhatsApp thread to begin HEART PALPITATING COUNTDOWN - delegate

• Review  the late January leg's events and email those folks to suggest forming a Squad that is "already in the lead."  Maggie has access to their email addresses, Three events (interest/organizational meeting, DC Central Kitchen , Love, Makato dinner meet up (ready).  Some puzzle to solve and submit that requires mining at the web site and team-building for each Squad. (photo challenge/flag/ name of team... under development to post at Participation web site. Will be PUBLIC to PROVIDE a feel for the race. Physical challenge of some sort to mimic panic/ rushing/ running?  Basically, using the logo and registration link, MAKE SOME PR BUZZ

• Verify the CCW membership status of all Squad CAPTAINS.  

• Develop Spreadsheet listing participants and LOSERS. (Maggie started)

• Add TAR to  Running Events on Running Calendar.

• Send invitations to potential Squad Leaders as PR. Use RUNNING GROUP list.

• Spreadsheet the leader board content

• Create the graphic for the leaderboard

• Set up the WhatsApp threads for     a) competitors    b) CONFIRMED ORGANIZERS

• Keep cleaning up web site and differentiate private web site from public facing pages.  CAN USE THIS WEB SITE for "logistics"