FAQ and Glossary

under construction and revision

Squad Captain: on a Squad of Four, this is the well organized point-person (representative) responsible for communication among the Squad and between the Squad and the Organizers. The captain apprises the Organizers of any changes in membership of that squad, i.e.,  if they make temporary or permanent use of a substitute from the Joiner/Sub Pool. They must be familiar with Google Docs since a Google Doc or Google Spreadsheet is likely to be used to collect evidence of task completion. Following the Organizers' protocol each leg of the Amazing Race, the captain uses one-on-one emailing with the organizers rather than huge group threads copying everyone under the sun. That is because the Organizers have Day Jobs and their email boxes explode on their own, let alone when supporting The Amazing Race for CCW. The Captain may occasionally receive e-mails with instructions to be carried out by the Squad to ensure completion of registration and payment steps.

Detour Card;  During the Race, This is a choice between two activities for the squad to do as a whole

Draw a Joiner/ Sub: Squads may operate with 2-6 members maximum. For teams wishing to pull others into their squad, they can Draw A Joiner from the Joiner/ Sub pool for as many legs as they need them.  Use your Joiner to advance the squad that leg.

Fast-forward-- your squad can exercise during one leg only a "fast forward" by which you jump to the next round or into a faster start of the leg without being eliminated IF you successfully qualify by doing something tricky the organizers pass your way.  Hint: fast and impressive performance in Legs 1 and 2 are likely to earn Squads this option.

Leg: A portion of the Race that the Squads perform. Some legs are elimination rounds (not always announced ahead of time) when the team coming in last will be eliminated.  Legs 1 and 2 occur before April 30. The rest of the legs occur May 9.

Joiner/ Sub: this is a contestant who has been eliminated or who never was part of a Squad but wants to participate. If they wish to participate in upcoming legs, they can join the Joiner SUBSTITUTE pool. They might be drawn into the competition.  Losers are sometimes quitters... but invited to attend all of the gatherings  logistical support and spectators. We might need them to hum very exciting heart-palpitating music to motivate slow-pokes to complete their competitions before last call. We might need them to order a round of beers for the Organizers.

Joiner / Substitute Pool - this is a list of rando's not presently on a squad but who can be drawn in for a leg by a squad needing additional forces.

Organizers:  These are Maggie-the-Librarian, JJ, Julia, Sneha, Kaku, Liz and others recruited who plan the course and manage the logistics. They have occasional meetings for organizational purposes online via Zoom, or in person where Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, or Virgin Marys join the team for added creativity.

Road Block: The squad selects ONE of their members to complete the challenge.

Squad:  A team of four, fully registered tocommence =the competition. A squad should be built to diversity their skills set, can include people who already know one another, and we encourage them to pull on someone whom they do not yet know well because the point of our Amazing Race is to increase awareness of CCW activities and to bond Cornellians together through fun, learning and service.

Spoiler Squad of Subs: The organizers maintain the right to introduce at any point in the race "new teams" by this name. They enter the race AT THE BACK OF THE PACK, potentially well behind all other longtime competing squads. There may be additional disadvantages to the Spoiler Squad of Subs( i.e., they might need to "make up" some challenges earlier faced by participants in the race) because it is really better for all interested parties to join the Amazing Race at the beginning of the competition. but the SSS can make dreams come true for folks who have been waiting to be drawn out of the Joiner Pool to add to the fun!

Stroke Smart:  a charity founded by Cornellian Alan Stillman to educate the public on how to spot a stroke when it occurs so that remediation can immediately occur. See their materials that we'll be distributing.

Super Slow Poke:  this is a person who learned about The Amazing Race very late and never registered (deadline was April 30), but still wants to join the fun. Upon payment of a "joining fee" (the cost of which is prorated depending on how many legs of the race remain) They can be thrown into the Substitute Pool to be a sub on a squad.

under construction and revision

Send good questions to Librarian MS     @  gmail    .com

1) What is the best way to learn about the format and terms, strategies used in CCW's Amazing Race?  Answer:  Watch specifically Season 8 of The Amazing Race on the Paramount App.  Our race is loosely based upon a Reality TV Show that has 25 seasons recorded and available on the Paramount Plus app. (Season 8 most resembles CCW's race structure based on 4-member squads.)

The biggest difference between most seasons of TAR on Paramount and CCW's version is that CCW will create SQUADS of 4 instead of 2-person teams.  Early seasons of the Reality TV series have some insensitivities (culturally and socially) that date them. 

I don't like the present season at all because they decided to develop a cast of competitors out of mostly reality TV influencers. The better shows feature common, likable people like us Cornellians, a lot of wholesome people you want to root for, with only a few nutcases and people who emerge as plot thickening "villains" mixed in.) I hate reality TV, but I LOVE this "best of reality TV"  program because of the travel, circumstances, relationship examination,  racing, competitition strategy that is explored. The pulse-quickening music makes it easy to binge.

2) Can we form our own squads of four? Do they all have to be CCW members?   We want at least one member (the CAPTAIN) of each squad to be a dues-paying member of CCW. Such is necessary because of the means of communication that our Organizers are capable of mastering (given our membership database.)  But the other 3 members of a Captain's squad can be guests of the dues-paying member. 

3) I am solo but would like to join a team of four. How can I do that?  Join the WhatsApp Chat to pull together a squad of four. You may also report to the interest meetings (any of the 4 that are scheduled, and we will partner you up.  You may step forward as a Squad Captain, and the Organizers will draw people from the Joiner Pool to create your team.

4) What happens in not ANY of my squad can report to a challenge?  At least one member of the squad has to attend. However, our Amazing Race organizers keep in mind that most Cornellians are busy as hell, travel with work or their pleasures, or occasionally come down with Covid / flu and we get it. Life! That's why we have a "Joiner/ Substitute pool" under formation. As teams get eliminated, we expect to have a "substitute player" pool of sad disqualified contestants who tearfully departed feeling, "I just didn't want it to be OVER yet, sob, sob, sob. I learned so much! I met such GREAT Cornellians! The RACE changed my life. I will never be the same and I just wish the race were not OVER for me."  For those folks eliminated, we conceive of a SUBSTITUTE pool into which desperate squads can dip for a round. Across the months of the race, SURVIVING teams will have TWO TIMEs in the course of their Amazing Race to exercise the option to "Draw a Joiner."

5) Hidden Agenda:  Is it true that CCW's Amazing Race is designed to have us all meet more Cornellians, get acquainted with CCW's Board Members and Operations as sort of "orientation" to the Club and its web site and calendar of activities?  But it's disguised as an adventure with drinking games and awesome things to discover for fun in Old Town?  Answer:  "You're sooooo dang smart! Where did you say you went to college?"

Registration Fee:   REVISE THIS  Set up the fee via CCW web site with button options??? Each squad captain is responsible for registering their squad as follows:  Collect and send to Maggie a check YES A GOOD OLE FASHIONED CHECK, PEOPLE, no Zelle or cc,  $100. The money will be used for prizes.  It is a NON-REFUNDABLE payments. Make Check out to Cornell Club of Washington. Deadline: January 20.  Mail it to _____________________ .Email Maggie for the address... or take it down during our informational sessions.  Registrations received after January 26 will be banked, but the squad members might all be dumped into the Loser Pool. This thing is a logistical nightmare if we aren't following guidelines AND timetables-- LOL! THANKS!

Where can I learn more about Stroke Smart?  It is the centerpiece of the community service that is woven into TAR, and exploring its resources can alter the course of a stroke victim's life:

Department of Education Materials: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/stroke/stroke-smart-virginia/

Alan Stillman's Ted Talk: https://youtu.be/NVZiNkx9StQ?si=y2xiIGZ9kwZFz4oT  (Alan is a Cornellian!)

Will there be t-shirts sold? Other Swag?  At this point of the FIRST time we are organizing all the elements of an Amazing Race, we might not have the organizational ability to produce t-shirts for order or for prizes. But we've discussed making t-shirts or baseball caps or ball point pens with our logo... as swag to take away. If that is a compelling interest of yours, e-mail Maggie before April 1 to ensure time to process orders.  On race day, you can place an order and if there's critical mass, we'll order such for delivery  post-race.  The logo, of course, is priceless and you'll want the memory!  (It would be printed on a white background.)