Race Course

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. )

• Leg 3: sign-in and announcements on May 9, Gadsby's Tavern, Alexandria Old Town.

• Legs 4-10 followed by Happy Hour on the  Alexandria Waterfront, ending around 4 :30 May 9

MAP?

DETAILS ON LEGS 3 ONWARD  BELOW WILL SOON BE HIDDEN FROM THE PUBLIC ACCESS.   DO  NOT SHARE A LINK TO THIS WEB SITE DURING THE BRIEF TIME WE HAVE IT OPEN. 

Leg 1 (ends April 30) :

1. A 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. 

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 forward faster! 
   
   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. • Pacer's Parkway Classic - Lowest Times determine winners - (beers at beer tent)  (Cornell Club's Running and Walking group promotes this race 

                     •  Attending any of the CCW Calendar of Events 

                     • attending a Board Meeting for 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 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."  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.
   
   

May 9 completes the Race:

-- under construction like the whole web site!

Leg 3:    

 Squad Breakfast and Beverage (complete sometime between 9:30 and 10:35 am):  Consider getting your Squad together for their breakfast or coffee sometime before 10:35.  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.  That coffee must be itemized on the receipt for registration.  Suggested places for your team-building breakfast:

• McDonalds anywhere

• Dunkin' Donuts anywhere

• Gadsby's Tavern 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 (see business cards.  Sorry the  QR Code doesn't work.) Meet other squads. Consider who will be your allies in the course of the day. Who will be your fiercest competition? 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? (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 5 pm.  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 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 front of the Gadsby's Tavern, 138 North Royal Street, Alexandria. According to the progress on the leaderboard and use of Fast Forwards, Squads might be placed  in different "corrals" for their starts:

Green 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, 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.

Leg 4:  (Julie's leg?)   hide this soon

Something 6 minutes-ish, low risk where we all stay in area. Serve as social Icebreaker? Predict the team that will win? A relay that gets nametags onto people? Something in the Market?  A matching game with names/ teams/ colors? Something with the biz cards?  Charades about what people's interests?  Squads A-C compete while Squads D-F spectate ... then reverse? Top finishers move into Green Corral?

Leg 5:    Pass the Potato:  where?    hide this soon

Remaining Squads line up in this manner:  Single file in alphabetical order by first name. Line up before the starting line. A finish line is at least 50 feet away and is marked "dump."

Designate which squad member is Person A, which is Person B, which is Person C and which is Person D in a sequence. (You may enlist Losers if you want to use as much of the alphabet as you want, but you must maintain and respect the sequence in alphabetical order as the race unfolds.  

When Maggie says it's time, begin arm distance apart. Person A places a potato between their kneews. Other squadmates create an array not more than an arms length distance away from their prior teammate. Without using their hands,  squadmates should pass the potato between them but never take more than just a couple steps as the potato goes from person to person, advancing the potato and passers in A-B-C-D , A, B, C, D again  order) till the last person"dumps" it at the place marked "take a dump." 

At any point that the potato is dropped, the whole team must START OVER! Just return to the starting line to begin the passing of the potato again.

(Organizers demonstrate with A, B, C signage around necks.)

Leg 6:   (Alan's leg?  Distribution of the StrokeSmart materials)   hide this soon

Start at Torpedo Factory, 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA

Ideas for structure:

Each team begins with a bag loaded with the materials. # magnets   # posters    a role of low damage masking/ adhesive tape, thumb tacks

In the order of the last leg's finishers, SquadCaptains will choose the street on which they will concentrate their distribution: King Street, Prince Street, Queen Street, Duke Street, Waterfront, Metro, etc.  List below:

All teams must deliver materials to each of these locations where they will see that some teams may already have beat them there. Delivering them there is in ADDITION to covering their street assignments!

• Library? Find the diminishing (?) pile of Stroke Smart materials Leave 10 magnets in the pile

• Community Center?  Find the diminishing (?) pile of Stroke Smart materials

• Tourist Center? 

• Public Toilets at the Torpedo Factory?  Find one stall that does not yet have a poster taped in it. Using tape loops, NEATLY place a poster where it can be studied. If the poster is not neatly placed up, it will leave a sloppy impression and will not count.
  
  But also, 

  • • • • Team 1: King St. 0–300 block

        • Team 2: King St. 300–600 block

        • Team 3: Side streets around 100–400 blocks

        • Team 4: Waterfront zone

        • Team 5: Washington St. corridor

        • etc.

 At the end of this round, one team MAY be eliminated!  BRIEF lunch break?  Report to ___ by ___ o'clock. First team back gets a HUGE PRIZE!  -->

Leg 7: (JJ's leg?)   hide this soon

Detour:  Art or Fart - choose one of the activities only for the squad to complete

Choice: 1 Squads are given these tools:  3 socks, eyeballs, sewing needles, sewing thread, sidewalk chalk, StrokeSmart magnets (5)   The squade draws art on the main square with chalk. The words "STROKE SMART! Save a Life" should be incorporated. Squad will also sew eyeballs to sock to create 3 sock puppets.  Teammates must find people on the street to explain the two signs of a stroke through performance of a skit with 3 sock puppets. When 5 people have been educated by your lesson (to JJ's satisfaction,),  the squad will receive their next clue.

Choice 2:  At the table set up on the town square, sit, open and eat a can of refried beans. When the can is scraped clean to Maggie's satisfaction, receive your next clue. The challenge: you will not be given a can opener.

Leg : 8 (Maggie's leg?)  hide this soon

Torpedo Factory - find the hidden bears distributed in different shops and ask for your clue from the person running the shop. Keep the bear as a new teammate who must make it to happy hour or your squad will be eliminated.

Can we exercise the YIELD option here? That will slow a fast team before the next leg.

Build a human sculpture of (something historic in Alexandria... ____? ) with your bear balanced on two squadmates' shoulders. After your sculpture has been photographed and approved by Julie, you will be given your next clue.

 (First ones to finish get drink cards (or an appetizer to share for Happy Hour!  The spectacle will have all teams hanging around.)

Leg 9: (Maggie's leg?)  Eat or Neat?  Detour-- choose 1:   hide this soon

Option 1: Your squad must find the ice cream shop in town that has TAR signage at the cash register. Present them the instructions on your clue. Order a scoop of ice cream on the 'special cone' given to the manager.  EAT YOUR CONE till you find the clue at the botttom.  You may use your GPS on your phone to find ice cream shops to check.

• (At the bottom of the ice cream cones teams find a laminated card to be given the address to start the next leg.  Otherwise, they are given a number that randomly assigns them to a particular TIME to report to the next leg.

Option 2: At the waterfront and public places with your bags and gloves. Collect 60 plastic bottles or cans WITHOUT dipping into the trash/recycling bins. Bring 15 in each bag, spill out for JJ to count in order to receive your next clue and starting time.  Option: if you reach ___ o'clock and have filled fewer than 3 bags, you may pick up any kind of LITTER instead of a can or bottle and present that to complete your 60 pieces. Once the total number is approved, you will be given the address to find your next leg.

The last team to complete Leg 9 may be eliminated.   First ones to finish get drink cards for Happy Hour!  Pit stop!

Leg 10: (Julie's leg?)  Road Block:   hide this soon

Report to JJ at these separate starting times: ___ , ___ , ___ (separated by 2 -5 minutes).  

Using the starting that you found on your last clue, send your fastest runner high five Maggie, pause for a photo and then RUN to Jones point. Find the bear ornament on a tree or in folliage near the lighthouse and bring it back to receive your next clue.

Clue says:  grasp hands with your entire squad. Cross the finish line where Julie will announce the WINNING TEAM OF THE AMAZING RACE and distribute the ONE MEEEEEEEELION DOLLARS.  

- - - - - - - 

That ENDS The Amazing Race with squads of 4 coming across the finish line in the order of VICTORY.   Watch other squads come across the finish line.  Award winners' medals.  Thank all who are still around. Break for happy hour wth cash to pay for the prizes awarded throughout the race and swag, prizes for First, Second, Third placers.  Head to ___ for drinks.

Dead Last Leg(s)-- as in, "we are all on our..."

THE FINISH LINE is at Happy Hour on May 9 where 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.