What are the components of The Amazing Race? 

• Legs 1 and 2 completed by April 30, WHEREVER squad members reside.  Basically, they involve registration steps, orientation, team-building and buzz. ) You will have the chance to order Amazing Race baseball caps with our cute logo.  Expect to send a check to Kaku for about $14 when our order form goes live. You'll pick it up at the registration table May 9. (Come dressed in your team colors, instead.)  

• Leg 3: sign-in and announcements on May 9 at Founder's Park (which is on the Waterfront of Old Town, a little north of King Street.  See map. Look for the card table and Cornell flag.)

• Legs 4-10 ending around 4 :30 May 9. 

• Immediately following at 4:30:  Other members of the Cornell Club will be starting a Happy Hour at Virtue Feed and  Grain in Old Town.

Leg 1 (ends April 30) :

1. A squad leader reads the competition overview and begins recruiting 1-3 other squad members. Can request that TAR (The Amazing Race) coordinators pull and assign someone from our "Joiner" Pool to your squad.

2. Squad Leader reports the NAME of the team, members, makes non-refundable payment registers their team with this link.

3. Squad Leader MAY want to subscribe to the WhatsApp thread for fun or offer that link and function to their team members. Anyone can hop on that thread. It is a means by which TAR operators might be able to blast out fun photos or emergency communication during race day.   Watch this space for that link in April.)

4. Does your squad have a color? A nickname? A distinctive uniform for the day?  Some will, and the proof of such advances your team to the front of the pack!  
   
   Squad Leader e-mails a team photo (can be a collage made digitally) that demonstrates the SQUAD COLOR or trademark clothing that will be worn on race day: Examples: all are wearing orange baseball caps.  All are wearing BLUE t-shirts, or red bandanas or pink scarves or bright yellow neon socks.  Just find ONE way to distinguish your squad from others for race day so that other squads will notice you. (Visit Leaderboard for more examples.)
   
   

Leg 2 (also ends April 30):

1. By attending and participating in select activities from the CCW calendar (listed with registration links below), members of the Squad may have the opportunity to advance their teams to the front of the pack for May 9 (Legs 3-7.)  For example...

   1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. •  Attending any of the CCW Calendar of Events 

                     • attending a Board Meeting (at least one squad member.)

                     •  participating in an interest meeting for TAR

                     • going to a monthly Happy Hour held by the Cornell  Club of Washington

2. Report such attendance to Maggie so that she records it and confirm that you have advanced your squad to the front of the pack for "Race Day" on May 9.  You will be earning your "Fast Forward defined here."  You'll see your squad advance and start beating others on our Leaderboard!
   
   

3. Photo Challenge: supply a photo collage of the 4 members of the squad, labeled with nicknames (no last names) and with a squad NAME big and visable on top or on a banner you are holding. These might be shared on our social media and WILL be shared on our event web site.   Example to follow:

4. Email that squad photo that has nicknames to Maggie to post on CCW's social media and the CCW web sites connected with our leaderboard here. With the permission of all in your squad, post your team photo on social media , e-mail it to Maggie, link people to our registration page, post it on the WhatsApp thread for race participants.  Start the trash talk (and warm alliance building?)  between teams on our WhatsApp thread.

5. Spread the word to your Squad about the opportunity to order an AMAZING RACE baseball cap.  (Order form will be linked here.)
   
   

May 9 completes the Race:

Leg 3:    

Arrive at Founder's Park in Alexandria between 10 and 10:15, BUT--> Squad Breakfast and Beverage might start as early as 9:30.  Consider getting your Squad together for their breakfast early.  Depending upon where you choose to share coffee, it will help you answer clues during the day.  (Just be observant at that location.) Save your receipt from wherever your squad chose for their meet-up.  Your receipt must indicated today's date, May 9, and also that at least ONE of your squad had 1 coffee minimum or bought a bottle of water.  That item must be itemized on the receipt for registration.  Suggested places for your team-building breakfast:

• McDonalds anywhere

• Dunkin' Donuts anywhere

• In the Farmers' Market? Do they give receipts?

• Not Gadsby's Tavern because it doesn't open till 11:30 - 2pm on Saturdays

• Waterfront eatery for a brunch

• Any metro-friendly cafe

Squad Captains: Your early Saturday meet-up is a great opportunity to:

• Make sure all members of your Squad have access to the CCW web site at CornellClubDC.org and also this Amazing Race Web site which has the URL: https://sites.google.com/view/theamazingracecornellclubdc/race-course . Meet other squads. Consider who will be your allies in the course of the day. Who will be your fiercest competition? Which team looks like one that you might want to place a "yield" upon (which would slow their progress during a leg?) Will you use deception to gain advantage, or will you become a pillar of wholesome integrity like all Cornellians? Do you know other Squad Names and their team colors? (The leaderboard helps.) Like some contestants do on the TV show, do you have a silly nicknames by which you refer to the competition?   

• People milling at the starting line can meet our pool of "joiners", and remember that this is a set of people from which you can DRAFT new members onto your squad in the course of the day if anyone on your squad needs to depart before 4:30 pm.  That's because you should try to have 4 people on your squad at all times. On race day, it's possible to grow your Squad from 4 to maximum 6 members for each leg. (Some teams might report their need/location  on the WhatsApp thread and see if any Joiners show up to assist.  Gather phone numbers for direct contact if you want. )

• Function of the WhatsApp thread: It's for fun. It's optional. (Hell, it might not even be created in time!) But we'll put a link on the Q/A page if we create one.  It might help us TAR coordinators blast out a message to anyone subscribed during the course of the May 9 legs (to build excitement. Organizers cannot promise to be able to monitor or moderate it, though! We will be busy with equipment...)

10:35-ish:  Race starts!  Squad Leaders have their Squads assembled in Founder's Park at the CORNELL FLAG. According to the progress on the leaderboard and use of Fast Forwards, Squads might be placed  in different "corrals" for their starts:

Green corral  starts first= squads who earned faster starts due to results of Legs 1 and 2.

Yellow starts next = next squads who arrived on time

Red starts last = new squads formed DAY OF EVENT out of our set of Losers.   Pick up your first clue and GO! You have till 10:55 to complete it and it takes about 10 minutes.  

Before the first clues are handed out and the "go" is screamed, you will be introduced to your TAR coordinators Maggie, Julie, Larry, Alan, JJ, Sneha, Kaku, Liz, and more.  You will also meet the competing squads and "Joiners" whose support you will get in the course of the day. Notice what competing Squads are wearing BECAUSE noticing them around Alexandria today may come in handy for your own squad's progress and strategy.

Legs 4-10

hidden from public view!

Finish Line:

The Amazing Race ENDS with squads of 4 coming across the finish line in the order of VICTORY.   Watch other squads come across the finish line. Watch others get their medals.  Hint: the finish line will not be hard to find SOMEWHERE on the Waterfront.

Happy Hour follows the race at 4:30.

Expect a FRESH set of Cornellians  to pour into happy hour at Virtue Feed and Grain (some who did not participate earlier in the day. )  Expect Race Organizers to join them for rewarding beverages as quickly as they get cleaned up!  Look to see which Cornellians show up to the patio tables or the bar upstairs.

Happy Hour is when the winning Squad will spend part of their ONE MEEEEEEELION DOLLARS and get their first round of drinks for free as Cornellians drop in to congratulate them and hear about the success of our Community Service Project and the whole day.