2013 Calvin College Amazing Race Intro

Welcome to the 2013 Calvin College AMAZING RACE blog.  This blog will chronicle the adventures of 24 Calvin students competing in the 2013 version of the Amazing Race interim.  Over the next 2 & 1/2 weeks we will travel through 4 states covering many, many miles by plane and by car.  The students will find themselves facing many different types of challenges, some physical and some mental.  Overall, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that will teach them about the healthy and unhealthy elements to competition, how competition fits into our lives as Christians and as Christians how we can strive to keep competition healthy and good. Students will also be challenged to further develop life skills such as teamwork, healthy competition, and conflict-resolution.
The races or competitions the students will participate in will be the laboratory for the study of competition.

At the end of the course, students will be expected to have developed in their:

· Understanding of the nature of competition

· Understanding the inherent sinful side of competition

· Understanding the inherent good and healthy side of competition

· Ability to compete with others in a Christian manner

· Ability to lead, cooperate and work as a team toward a goal before, during and after competition.

· Ability to make important decisions for a group, sometimes under stress.

· Ability to successfully meet physical and mental challenges.

· Ability to live, play, work, and cooperate within a community within the realm of competition.

·  Ability to discern and evaluate the role of leisure and recreational activities in the Christian

life.

So how will these teams of students actually be competing with one another?  Here is a brief explanation of how THE RACE will be conducted. 

1.    THE RACE will feature 4 types of competitions: timed races, contests, puzzles and quizzes.

2.    All events will be scored (see below) and the teams with the 3 highest cumulative scores during the preliminary stages will automatically qualify for the Finals of THE RACE. One additional team (as determined by a weighted lottery) will also advance to the Finals to be held on Monday, January 24.

Order of finish	Timed Races (pts)	Contests (pts)	Puzzles (pts)	Quizzes (pts)	Probability of Qualifying for Race Finals (%)
1st	16	16	8	8	100
2nd	14	14	6	6	100
3rd	12	12	5	5	100
4th	10	10	4	4	30
5th	9	9	4	4	23
6th	7	7	3	3	17
7th	5	5	3	3	12
8th	4	4	2	2	8
9th	3	3	2	2	5
10th	2	2	1	1	3
11th	1	1	1	1	2

3.    In any events that include instructor participation the following point adjustment will be made:

+1 point for finishing ahead of the instructor(s)

-1 point for finishing behind of the instructor(s)

4.    Only 1 team will win THE RACE and each member of the winning team will receive free textbooks courtesy of Calvin College for Spring 2011 semester.

5.    In the unlikely event that there’s any dispute among teams during THE RACE, the decisions of the instructors will be final.

Throughout the course the instructors will work intentionally to build a Christian community among the students through social activities, devotions, informal group worship and attending worship services.

Evaluation is based on a daily journal, active participation in course activities, critique of journal articles about competition from a Christian perspective and a written examination.

Let's meet the racers!
(written by the racers themselves)

Team Gold: Trevor & Ali Roode

My name is Trevor Roode, and my teammate for the Amazing Race is my little sister, Ali. We are teammates because there isn't anyone better to team up with than family. I have known Ali ever since she was born and have been together fo many years. We are going to be hailed as the victors of the Amazing Race because after living together for most of our lives, I don't foresee any slippage on our team and will be able to battle through all the challenges together.
     
Team Navy: Jeremy & Stacey Kamp

 

We are Jeremy and Stacey Kamp,

We are first cousins and have know each other for as long as we can remember. I am an engineering major and play varsity baseball at Calvin. Stacey is an accounting major and a varsity volleyball player at Calvin. We are both sophomores and both live in the southwest suburbs of Chicago.

We are teammates because we are basically best friends. Being cousins and being such good friends has been a lot of fun. We think this is one of the advantages we have over the other teams. Since we are so close we know what the other person is thinking and can react even faster to each others reactions. Since both of us are varsity athletes, we are both in pretty good shape and we feel that we can take any team in any challenge. Stacey has the brains of the team and I have a little bit more of the common sense. We think that we compliment each other very well and are about as well rounded as a team could be. 

Team Orange: Jon & Melissa Bosma

 

The reason Jon, my brother, and I joined up to be teammates for the Amazing Race was to share this experience together for the rest of our lives. This race I believe will bring us closer than we ever have been before. Jon and I have very similar personalities, but we also carry different strengths from the other in certain areas, which will help us work as a team. We love competition, to be active, and most of all having fun. The joy we will carry throughout the race will give us the perseverance to push through to the end.

Team Kelly Green: Greg Boer & Drew  Sroczynski

In a galaxy far far away, two guys emerged as a prime duo. These guys are known as Greg Boer and Drew Sroczynski. Three years of living together and playing the greatest sport in your galaxy, lacrosse, together has made these guys a force to be reckoned with. They know each other better than you know your mother and amazingly have the same middle name "Awesome." To put it quite simply, they are kind of a big deal. What makes them winners? Athleticism, smarts, humor, zest, good looks, competitiveness. Need I say more? These guys are too legit, too legit to quit.

Team Purple: Jenna & Kelli Heethuis

We decided to participate in the race together because we thought it would be fun to be able to compete with each other since we are used to being on the same team when it comes to sports. But as twins, we are also familiar with competing against each other when it comes to things like test scores. We think that we will have an edge over other teams since we know each other so well and we know how the other one functions when it comes to different tasks. We have seen each other at our bests and also at our worsts so whatever challenges we face during the race, so we know each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Team Columbia Blue: Bethany Zoerhof & Mariel Knot 

Hello everyone, Bethany and Mariel here!

Our friendship began not all too long ago but ever since we met, our crazy personalities clicked and created a tight bond from the start. When we heard about the Amazing Race we knew that this would be something right up our ally. Not only do we like to have fun and goof off a lot but we also have a serious edge of competitiveness! Something that sets us apart from the other racers is that we have the type of friendship where we don't let little things get to us. We are a focused, strong, and smart duo that can't stopped! Watch us as we win this thing!

Team Pink: Alyssa & Kimby Penning

Hello! We’re Alyssa and Kimby Penning and we’re sisters. We have been teammates in cross country and track for over 8 seasons, so we know what it takes to compete together. Through cross country and track, we have both learned to be competitive, to push ourselves to our limits, to not give up, and especially how to work together.

Since we’re siblings, we have been there to see each other at our worst and at our best. We know how to deal with each other. We get along well and balance each other out. We’re both quite headstrong. However, Alyssa is more of a leader. She loves to make decisions but often gets flustered when things don’t go her way. Kimby has a mind for puzzles and does

a great job of staying calm in tense and surprising situations.

We’ve got a great sister-sister relationship. We’ve never really been ones to fight. We think that’s sort of a rare quality in sisters as close in age as we are. We love to spend time together and we can’t wait to do that in this race! We’re pretty confident in our skills and are beyond excited for January!

 Team Graphite: Dan & Lauren Turner

Our names are Dan and Lauren Turner and we are a brother sister duo. Growing up, our family ingrained in us a love for adventure through extensive family vacations including road trips around the country and challenging bike trips. When we heard about the amazing race, we immediately knew we needed to apply because it appealed to both of us individually, and we wanted to share the experience together. To put it plainly, we are team-mates because we have 21 years of experience of living and traveling together. We’re definitely competitive and always enjoy pushing ourselves through new challenges and experiences. Why are we going to win? It’s simple. We couldn't have asked for better training. 

Team Forest Green:  Tyler & Ethan Deur

 

We decided that we would like to go on the Amazing Race when we saw a number of our friends competing in it two years ago. Our whole lives we have gotten along really well and have always enjoyed hanging out together and competing with and against together whenever we had the chance. We share a lot in common, which will help us work together, but we also have a number of differences in our personalities and in the way we cultivate ideas and carry them out. This subtle diversity will broaden our collective abilities, while still maintaining a cooperative attitude. We have also watched the entire “Bring It On” series in preparation, and are ready to get our Hayden Panettiere on. Go team!

Thanks!

-Deur Dudes

Team Vegas Gold: Nick Holtrop & Zach Willis

What's going on guys, we are Team Vegas Gold, our names are Nick Holtrop and Zach Willis. We are about a combined 350 pounds. We have a huge competitive edge because we have been battle tested throughout the years playing sports together in high school and in college. We currently play the toughest sport on campus, soccer. We plan on leaving the unconditioned volleyball players in our dust and taking out anybody else who gets in our way. Goooooooood luck. (Voice from Taken) 

Team Scarlet: James & Jenny Denooyer

We are brother and sister from Kalamazoo, MI.
James is a Junior and Jenny is a Sophomore at Calvin College. We grew up playing board games and sports with one another and we are very excited to take our love for competition to the next level. Neither of us can wait to see what is in store for us during the Amazing Race!

Team Royal Blue: Megan Rietema & Kristi Zietse

Kristi:

Right when I heard about this interim happening two years ago I texted Megan and said, "Meg. This was made for us." We both made a pact that when it became available again, that would be how we were going to spend our January. We're stoked! It's right up our alley. Megan has been my best friend since first grade. We grew up together, attended the same schools, played the same sports, and went on the same trips. Our interests and hobbies have been basically identical for our whole lives. Most of my major moments in life have somehow included Megan. So obviously she was my first choice as a partner on this amazing race! We're very similar, yet different enough to bring more things to the table. I think we'll have an edge because we're not afraid to challenge each other's opinions until we can figure out the best option. We're both competitive and love to win, but I think Megan will help me out because I mostly just hate to lose. She'll keep my head on straight and she lives in the moment like no one else I know, so we'll be loving every second of every part of this race and cherishing every aspect. Also, having Amber as a coach for the past three years, I'd like to say that we might know how she thinks a bit better than the rest of the teams......but you never know with her really. We'll see! Bring it on!

Megan:

Kristi and I have been besties for a long time. We know how to work together and we complement each other really well. Especially after these last three years of playing volleyball together here at Calvin, we know what it takes to win, and we're prepared to bring it. We have a blast together and have learned to not to take life too seriously, HOWEVER, winning is definitely a passion of ours and we will not be taken down easily! We've been through a lot together and I don't think there's much they can throw at us that we won't be prepared for although I'm sure one of their goals will be to make me eat those words. We've been pumped for this race for a long time and are ready to be put to the test! Royal Blue all the way!

Today is the first of many posts that we will write throughout this journey.  We ask for your prayers of safe travel, hygiene(especially in the vans), and lots of laughter and great memories. 

HERE WE GO!!!!!!