The day of our event finally arrived! We can safely say that almost everything went very well. All the volunteers came on time, had no trouble understanding what to do, and were very cooperative. The participants also came on time, all eager to begin, so we started very quickly after explaining the race and going over some important information with them. Once the teams were well on their way, we began making the frozen yogurt which was going to be part of the refreshments. We misjudged how much time we needed, so in the end, the yogurt wasn't frozen at all, but all the servings were consumed at the end. We also forgot to make lemonade, and since we didn't have supervision, we couldn't make it in time before the participants came back, so we served cold water instead. Nobody seemed to mind though. Unfortunately, we could not visit each station personally, so we were not 100% sure what actually happened at each station, but judging from the feedback from the volunteers and the participants, the race seemed to have gone very well. There were only a few problems that we heard complaints about. One was that a team had gotten the scissors stuck somewhere at Nanaimo Station, so we had to deliver more scissors there. Luckily, they got the scissors out and more scissors proved to be helpful when there were more than 2 teams at once. A couple teams had trouble finding the volunteers at one station, but there were a lot of other people there and we thought that added a challenging element to the race. Some stations had 3 teams at once which we did not expect, but the volunteers were able to handle it well. We gave out our cell phone numbers, which proved to be a good idea, for this allowed us to easily contact the teams to check up on them. With the contact information, the volunteers and participants were able to contact us if they needed help. We had a chart with the route information of each team, so we were abe to tell what point they were at in the race. The race also ended a lot earlier than we expected, though this wasn't a bad thing either, because everyone wanted to rest after an exhausting race! The race was very exciting even though we were not part of it, but the best part was when everyone was back from the race and they were all talking about their experience. It felt nice to know that this event really did bring people together to not only have the chance to work together to reach a goal, but also to have fun while doing so. At the end of day, everyone was tired, yet in a good way. Participants and volunteers got to work on their communication and teamwork skills, as well as apply problem solving skills to the clues and challenges. People said that they had a lot of fun and would do this race again, so maybe in the future there would be another Amazing Race.
A huge thank you to all the volunteers and the participants, as well as Randy and Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House for helping us put this event together!
A huge thank you to all the volunteers and the participants, as well as Randy and Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House for helping us put this event together!
Moments of the Week:
Why are the participants' expressions the way they are? Describe the work behind the race and how these photos describe the success behind such a project.
Judging from these photos, the participants, and we quote, had a blast. The weather may have been hot and dry, but the conditions did not stop the participants from giving their all and striving to reach their goal - finishing the race. Although this race did require quite a bit of organizing and planning, for us and the wonderful volunteers, the race was worth all the work everyone put in. When planning some of the activities, we were not sure of the activities would end up being enjoyable or not, but thankfully, based on those pictures, reactions from the participants, and the feedback we received, the activities proved to be ones that people did have fun doing. The goal of this race was to be a fun event where youth can come together and work together, while learning being more involved in the community, and from the results of this race, we have reached our goal.
Judging from these photos, the participants, and we quote, had a blast. The weather may have been hot and dry, but the conditions did not stop the participants from giving their all and striving to reach their goal - finishing the race. Although this race did require quite a bit of organizing and planning, for us and the wonderful volunteers, the race was worth all the work everyone put in. When planning some of the activities, we were not sure of the activities would end up being enjoyable or not, but thankfully, based on those pictures, reactions from the participants, and the feedback we received, the activities proved to be ones that people did have fun doing. The goal of this race was to be a fun event where youth can come together and work together, while learning being more involved in the community, and from the results of this race, we have reached our goal.