Race Standings on 1/18

1. Vegas Gold
2. Navy
3. Pink
4. Graphite
5. Kelly Green
6. Forest Green
7. Royal
8. Red
9. Purple
10. Columbia Blue
11. Gold
12. Orange

Recycling to Boot Camp Race Results

Recycle Race

1. Royal Blue
2. Gold
3. Vegas Gold
4. Pink
5. Graphite
6. Columbia Blue
7. Purple
8. Kelly Green
9. Navy
10. Orange
11. Forest Green
12. Red

Boot Camp Results

1. Navy
2. Graphite
3. Pink
4. Vegas Gold/Orange (Nick & Jon competed as 1 team because their partners were not able to participate due to illness)
5. Forest Green
6. Royal Blue
7. Columbia Blue
8. Gold
9. Kelly Green
10. Red
11. Purple

From Recycling to Boot Camp

ATTENTION CADETS! Sargent Bethany and Mariel here representing team Columbia Blue. Today started out in a frigid recycling warehouse that is owned by BestWay disposal. Upon arrival they gave us each a neon yellow t-shirt, a pair of goggles and work gloves.

 We knew at this point that we were in for a unique challenge. Two company leaders started off by giving us a tour of the warehouse, explaining the recycling business, and how the business operates. During the tour we saw BestWay workers sorting through fibers, plastics, glass, and cardboard. Little did we know we would be switching places with each of the workers on the line for some sorting of our own. 

As we each took our turn sorting through the recycled material, we soon figured out that this task wasn’t as easy as it looked. There were three legs to this race so that we could each get a chance to sort each material. The workers there were very helpful and offered up some good advice for us. One important thing we learned was to keep our eyes focused ahead so that we wouldn’t get dizzy or nauseous. The workers got a good chuckle out of our frantic and spastic movements in rookie attempt at their job. Occasionally we forced them to dodge glass bottles as we unsuccessfully attempted to hurl them into their respective bins. The competitive side broke out when two people were fighting over the same scrap. Bethany and Kelly ripped glass bottles out of each other’s hands across the conveyer belt in hopes of increasing their pick count. This experience opened our eyes to the strenuous jobs many people have to endure every day.

For our second race of the day we all knew we were in for something intense, since national security clearance was in order for this challenge. Caty Rozema, a Calvin College graduate who works for the Air Force hooked us up with an army challenge at Fort Carson. As we rolled up in our 5 intimidating mini-vans, security closely checked us over and let us enter the camp. Not a minute later, we pulled up to a rocky field and 10 stern uniformed soldiers. We quickly experienced a glimpse of what we would be doing as our “warm-up” included rank formation, cadenced push-ups and lunges.

The actual race consisted of running a two-mile course up and down a mountain with checkpoints every half-mile to complete a minute of push-ups, sit- ups, etc. The high altitude of Colorado Springs increased the difficulty of this challenge and had even the most fit teams gasping for air. The checkpoints were made even more difficult as army soldiers yelled insults in our faces. Some of the funnier ones included:

(To Ethan) “Did you just SPIT on my obstacle course?”

(To Jon) “Are those CARGO shorts? What do you think this is, Daddy day care?”

            (To Ali) “Come on yellow do you call that a push-up?”

           

            The race ended but apparently they didn’t work us hard enough because we still need to “cool-down.” We went back in to rank formation and performed a number of cadenced, vigorous exercises. 

Thanks to our lovely friends, Ethan and Mark, we were held in the squatting position for quite some time as the soldiers insulted our form and demeanor. At this point the soldiers seemed to feel plenty comfortable critiquing our every move. We finished this challenge by taking a picture with these soldiers. 

We all generously thanked the soldiers not only for their help on the race but also for their service, as we gained an even greater respect for all that they do. It’s hard to put into words all the emotions we were feeling throughout this race. A fellow racer, Jenny, said it best, “Today I had 4 army drill sergeants yelling in my face as I attempted to do sit ups, push ups, diamond push ups, etc. I may have yelled back and shot up a few cries out to Jesus, but at the same time it made me all the more thankful that there are stronger and braver people than me protecting this country.”

Voting Results

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to come to this blog page and cast your vote for your favorite Calvin Amazing Race team.  As the votes rolled in it became evident that this group of students has the support and love of people all over the country.  The students appreciate your voting support as well as your attention to and encouragement of the races we are running.  So, here are the final voting results.

1. Pink
2. Navy
3. Purple
4. Vegas Gold
5. Columbia Blue
6. Red
7. Royal Blue
8. Orange
9. Graphite
10. Kelly Green
11. Forest Green/Gold(tie)

Colorado Springs Day 1

Hey everyone! Stacey and Jeremy Kamp here! (Team Navy)

After our first day in Colorado Springs we are super exhausted but really excited about the massive amount of cool things we experienced today! After a really frustrating last day in Phoenix, we think we finally have found where we belong, the mountains!!  First off, words cannot describe the beauty of Colorado Springs.  Everywhere you look there are massive snowcapped mountains and the sunset behind them at the end of our last race today was picturesque.  

We started off our morning with a tour of the Olympic Training Facility here in Colorado Springs.  After seeing many of their gyms and learning about the lives of the athletes living there we thought our tour was over.  Little did we know we would actually be competing and racing in some of the gyms/pool that many storied Olympians have trained in!! This was probably the best kept secret of the trip so far because every single person had a look of disbelief on their faces.  We had a mini Modern Day Pentathlon which includes fencing, swimming, shooting, running, and horseback riding.  However we did not do the horseback riding due to the lack of horses and an actual course on the grounds.  When we found this out, we immediately looked at each other with a grin on our faces.  We knew that these four activities were some of our strong suits and we looked for a high finish in this event.

After everyone fenced their partner, we had to choose who was going to do which activity.  Whoever fenced had to swim and whoever did the shooting had to also do the running.  We decided that Jeremy’s strong suit would be shooting because of his great background with hunting.  Stacey could excel in either swimming or running and fencing was kind of a tossup.  The 12 members that chose to fence went up against everyone one time, including Mark Asma, who really isn’t that good of a fencer.   After putting on our suits and feeling like we just walked out of The Parent Trap, it was a lot of fun to interact as a whole group in an exciting event.   

Next was the shooting and running part, these two were intertwined.  Jeremy excelled on the shooting right off the bat and never looked back in the running.   

It is amazing how the higher altitude with less oxygen will affect an athlete.  Finally we moved on to swimming where Stacey swept the field away winning the 100m dash by 15 seconds.  This was a highlight for everyone to be in the same pool that Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte both peed and swam in.   

After that long morning we were treated to the athlete’s cafeteria and had a pop quiz given by famous pairs figure skater, John Coughlin, with random facts we learned throughout the day.  

If that wasn’t enough for one day, we then were rushed out to a nearby park where multiple para-lympic bikes awaited us.  There were two different types of bikes, one was powered by feet while lying down and another powered with only hands.  Each partner had to take each bike around a .6 mile track in a timed relay race.  It was a cool experience for everyone to realize how different a lot of people’s lives are.  This was a great start to Colorado, and we feel that it was a day of good bonding with everyone in the group.  After this we proceeded to get pizza and obnoxiously watch the Calvin-Hope basketball game on multiple computers in a hotel lobby.  Way to show the Dutchmen their place Knights!!! We are looking forward to the rest of Colorado and hoping to keep the streak going!

Learning to Race - Racing to Learn: a word from the profs

Learning to Race - Racing to Learn

This interim course is built on the understanding that competition and cooperation are embedded in all aspects of life, yet are rarely acknowledged as important concepts to explore and understand.  Depending on whom you ask, competition is either glorified as what makes everything better, or vilified as the source of all that is wrong with the world. Is the Christian life completely compatible with competition, resistant to it, or somewhere in between? Diligent Christians are left to sort out these concepts on their own in their work and play...or they participate in the Amazing Race.     

Phase one of this race began in southern California. The races required map reading through the city, courage in the heavy surf, fitness in a variety of speed events, and cleverness on the problem solving challenges.  In many cases, cooperation became a necessary element of success, even in a competitive environment.  In these early challenges, the teams were exploring how to maintain a positive social standing within the larger group while still pursuing task excellence and a competitive advantage.  For those near the top of the rankings, the questions were, “Will my classmates still talk to me if I am really trying to win?”  Is it ok to maximize my strengths when it means others will be left behind? “  For those near the bottom the questions were often different.  “Am I giving it my all?”  Do I have the capacity to compete at the highest level?”  Is there something I can learn about myself in losing?” 

Competition means there is an “other” who desires the same thing as you.  This person, team, or entity values the prize, and when done well, agrees to work within a set of parameters or boundaries.   On the surface, the concept of competition seems at odds with the Christian faith.  For instance, to selfishly go after my own goals while working to block others from the same achievement seems inconsistent with loving your neighbor as yourself.  Yet this approach to competition is incomplete since it denies the merits and possibilities of competition in work and play. Day by day, the racers in this interim are experiencing the excellence and failure, joy and despair, admiration and envy, satisfaction and pride, hope and insecurity that accompany competition in our fallen and redeemed world.  Along the journey, they are learning to race, and racing to learn. 

Follow the Star

In LA, several different races introduced the students to a variety of vocations and challenged them physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. Calvin alumni are major contributors to this interim, offering opportunities for the students to see aspects of their vocations in and around the races.  One in particular was Rachel Macy, our connection for the “Hollywood Stars” race, which required the teams to race up and down a busy Hollywood Boulevard connecting stars from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Rachel also used her connections to make it possible for the group to attend a taping of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the game show Jeopardy.   But first, Rachel spoke to the group about her calling in Hollywood.  She views her work in and around television and movies as a mission for Christ in a hostile land.  She encouraged the students to view the public and private workers in Hollywood as people, not commodities - people that are faced with tremendous pressure to fit in, and people that need constant prayer.  In fact, Rachel arranged for our group to participate in a prayer walk with the Hollywood Prayer Network on the Sony Studio Complex. 

Coincidentally, Jay Leno’s guests for our taping were Bill Maher, an outspoken atheist who makes a living poking fun at Christianity, and Snooki and Jwoww, two stars from the Jersey Shore, a show many would call representative of all that is wrong with our current American culture.  All the guests stayed true to form and shocked the audience with outrageous and largely inappropriate statements to get attention and laughs.  Our group was amused, but we couldn’t help but think of Rachel’s request for prayer for both the saved and lost in Hollywood.  God is competing with Satan for their attention.  Rachel Macy and the Hollywood Prayer Network are examples of Christians living out their callings, affecting culture in Hollywood through the power of prayer.  Rachel’s influence and our days in Tinseltown reminded the students of cultural and spiritual powers and framed the call for each of us to follow the Star. 

Course instructors Amber Warners and Brian Bolt

JUMP!!!!!

Hello! James and Jenny DeNooyer (Team Red) here. Typically a team has to win a challenge in order to gain the privilege of writing the blog, but today we were rewarded the honors for achieving nothing at all!

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We’re pretty sure that you could ask just about anyone on the trip and they would tell you that today was their favorite day thus far. We woke up before sunrise and all began preparing ourselves for the activity many of us have been looking forward to since the beginning of the trip: SKY-DIVING! So far this has been the only optional activity in the Amazing Race, but everyone rose to the challenge and decided to make the jump.

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The nerves set in for most when we pulled up to Skydive Arizona and even more so when we all made the final commitment to making the jump. If the fear of plunging 13,000 feet wasn’t enough, it just so happened that we decided to visit Arizona during one of the coldest times of the year. We were told that we should wear as many layers as possible because for every 1,000 feet we went up, the temperature of the air went down by 3 degrees. This meant we were going to be jumping out of the plane into -48 degree weather. Actually, we made that number up, but it was still unbelievably cold. We all did our best to bundle up and we drew numbers from a hat to see who would jump first. Six of us went up at a time while the rest of the group waited nervously on the ground.

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Most of the group would agree that the plane ride up was the most nerve-wrecking part of the experience. Our instructors harnessed us in nice and tight as we ascended to 13,000 ft. and once we reached the perfect height, it was time to jump. They opened the door and we all got ready to approach the edge of the plane. Everyone agreed that we barely had time to think about the jump because before we knew it, we were out of the plane and free falling through the air.  

The feeling was absolutely unreal. It felt less like falling and more like flying—so incredible. Thankfully all 28 parachutes deployed and we each made it safely to the ground. Some of us even got to steer the parachutes as we prepared for landing.

  

​Everyone had a similar reaction after landing, and most said it was the coolest/craziest/most amazing thing they have ever done in their lives and they would love to do it again. The group was able to bond over this challenge, whether it was sharing fears of death beforehand, or bonding over the joy of living afterwards, we all walked away with a truly memorable experience.

​It sounds fun, but how was this a challenge, you may ask? That part is yet to come. Last night all of the teams were given the task of writing a poem that encapsulates the entire feel of our wild day of skydiving. We have to pour our hearts and souls out into 3 stanzas and I don’t think anyone will disappoint. Be sure to look for an update on this in the near future!

Until then, be sure to vote for Team Red as your favorites J

Stay classy,

Jenny & James DeNooyer – Team Red