The Amazing Challenge

Seventeen teams.  Five countries.  One camp in Prescott.  Thousands of memories made!

This weekend was for the girls and they loved, loved, loved it!  The theme of the encampment was inspired by The Amazing Race (my favorite show), and the cadet and senior troops in charge of the activities did a fantastic job planning and executing their plan.  There were about 50 girls participating in the race, and they were divided up randomly as well as strategically (older girls with younger girls) to allow them to make new friends and learn to work with others.  It turned out that only two of the girls in our troop were together.  

On Friday night, the girls met their teammates.  Each team was given a different colored scarf to identify themselves.  They had a few hours that night to decorate their scarves, create a team banner, and make up a team cheer.  Just look at the smiles!

On Saturday morning, we got a cute troop picture before the team debriefing and race start.

The rules were explained.  Over the course of this five-hour competition (two hours in the morning, three hours after lunch), teams would visit five countries--England, China, India, Greece, and Brazil--and chose to complete either a challenge or community service project.  They had 50 minutes to do the task and report back to the map to check in with Phil Miss Kristi.  As teams came in, they were awarded points so the sooner you arrived, the more points you received.  At the end of all five legs, the team with the most points was declared the grand winner.  The winning teams of each leg also won $5 gift cards to Cold Stone and Starbucks.  It was as exciting and intense as the show!

In England, the girls could either make blankets Project Linus-style or complete four puzzles that increased in difficulty.  

 In India, the girls chose to create decorative salt dough tea lights for the Diwali holiday or prepare thirty Sweet Rolls for Soldiers (empty toilet paper rolls filled with hard candies and carefully wrapped in gift wrap) that will be distributed at VFW halls this Veterans' Day.

Jordyn (center) and her team, the Blue Jays, finished first in one of the legs!

In China, the girls had to either count how many stones were in the Great Wall of China or memorize a pattern of beads to create GS Gems bracelets and necklaces that bring awareness to human trafficking.

In Brazil, they had the choice of putting together and scoring in a life-sized Angry Birds game or making thirty Happy Socks (socks filled with stuffing and catnip to be distributed to animal shelters).

In Greece, the challenge was to first unscramble words and then a sentence, and the community service project was to make survival bracelets.

It was really an exciting day.  It was so fun to see the girls run on "Go!" at the beginning of each leg...

And also to see them run it in to the mat at the completion of each leg.

Miss Kristi was an excellent Phil. "Congratulations.  You are the seventh team to arrive."

As the race progressed, the banners hung in the lodge kept track of teams' scores.  There was plenty of math happening at lunch.

It was a fun weekend filled with great sportsmanship.  They all tried their very best to complete challenges and service projects correctly and efficiently with their teammates/new friends.  I was proud of all the girls, and the older girls who put on this event should be extremely proud of themselves.  

Well done, all!