The Great Race

The Great Race

August 22, 2016

 

Purpose:

Team Building

Communication

Problem Solving

Exploration and Navigation of NYC

 

Objective:

To find Checkpoints and successfully complete Roadblocks. The House with the fastest time (including time credits and penalties) will win.

 

Teams:

Each House will provide four teams - one Running Team, one Strategy Team, and two Sprinting Teams. Documentation of teams is required 30 minutes prior to the start of the race on official race forms available in the Strategy Room.

 

Team Member Requirements

Teams

First-Year Students

Returning Students

Sprinting Team

Exactly 2 per team

Exactly 2 per team

Strategy Team

Maximum 2 (3 if incoming class is ≥ 16)

Maximum 5

Running Team

All remaining first-year students

Minimum 5

 

Sprinting Teams: Race to as many Destinations as possible collecting time credits for the House. Each Destination will have a specified time credit of 1-10 minutes that is applied to your finish time. (e.g. If your House finishes the race in 3 hours and 45 minutes and your Sprinting Teams collect 30 minutes in time credits your final time will be 3 hours and 15 minutes.) The Sprinting Teams will document their arrival at each Destination with a photograph of three team members (the fourth will be the photographer). All photographs must be labelled by location and immediately submitted to jsheaffer@tkc.edu upon crossing the Finish Line. The sprinters must not go to any more Destinations and must go directly to the Finish Line as soon as the Strategy Team has solved the final Riddle.

 

Running Team: Race to Checkpoints throughout the City and complete Roadblocks. Complete each task in order:

  1. Follow directions given by the Strategy Team and find the correct Checkpoint.
  2. Locate the King’s staff member(s) posted at the Checkpoint to receive your Roadblock.
  3. Follow Roadblock instructions.
  4. Proceed to the next Checkpoint as directed by Strategy Team.

 

Strategy Team (located in Strategy Room): Solve Riddles and direct the Running Team and Sprinting Teams to their locations.

    • Help Running Team navigate to each Checkpoint and complete Roadblocks:
      • Receive and solve Riddle from Race Officials.
      • Communicate location and navigation to the Running Team.
      • Once the Running Team completes the Roadblock, receive next Riddle and begin again at step 1. (Note: Strategy Team may need to participate in the Roadblock.)
    • Select Destinations for Sprinting Teams and provide navigation:
      • All Houses will select from same map of Destinations. Once a Destination has been chosen by one House, it cannot be selected again. Destinations will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis.
      • For initial Destinations only: All Houses may select from the entire map of Destinations (i.e. A House can choose the same initial Destinations as other Houses). Choose a Destination by filling out the form in the Strategy Room at least 15 minutes before the start of the race. Once every House has selected their initial Destinations, those chosen will be removed from the map.
      • Choose the next Destination after a Sprinting Team arrives and takes a picture of their current selected Destination. All photographs must be labelled by location and immediately submitted to jsheaffer@tkc.edu upon crossing the Finish Line.
      • Communicate location and navigation of the next Destination to the Sprinting Team.

 

Flow of Race:

The Strategy Team should await the start of the race in the Strategy Room. Running and Sprinting Teams should await the start of the race just outside 56 Broadway without crossing any streets. The Competition starts when the Strategy Team receives the first Riddle. The Strategy Team will solve the Riddle and communicate the Checkpoint’s location to the Running Team via cell phone.

 

Three and a half hours after the start of the race, each House will be given the Finish Line Riddle if they have not received it already. Houses must immediately solve the Riddle and head to the Finish Line. Before leaving for the Finish Line, verify location with Race Officials. If incorrect, the Strategy Team will be required to use the Hint and will incur the corresponding time penalty. Any unsolved Riddles, unreached Checkpoints, and incomplete Roadblocks will incur the following time penalties:

    • Unsolved Riddle – 15 minutes
    • Unreached Checkpoint – 30 minutes
    • Incomplete Roadblock – 30 minutes

 

The entire House (Running Team, Strategy Team, and Sprinting Teams) must cross the Finish Line together and immediately submit all photographs, labelled by location, to jsheaffer@tkc.edu. Time penalties and credits will be assessed.

 

Hints for Riddles:

The Strategy Team has the option to use Hints if they are unable to solve a Riddle. The Strategy Team can take one Hint per Riddle. However, each successive Hint receives a larger penalty (e.g. a team who takes a Hint for both Riddle 1 and 3 will receive a total penalty of 40 minutes whereas a team who takes only a Hint for Riddle 3 will receive a 15 minute penalty). Hints will incur the following penalties:

  • First Hint taken—15 minutes
  • Second Hint taken—an additional 25 minutes
  • Third Hint taken—an additional 35 minutes
  • Fourth Hint taken—an additional 45 minutes
  • Etc.

 

Rules:

  • You may not use cabs, private vehicles, bicycles, scooters, or any other kind of private transportation. Participants may walk/run, or use subway, bus, tram, or ferry at personal expense. A specific mode of travel may be required as part of the race.
  • Equipment:
    • Sprinting Teams: maximum of 2 phones per team (provided by the House). Phones may only be used to call the Strategy Team and take pictures at Destinations. You may NOT use your phone’s other capabilities (GPS, internet, email, texting, etc.). Please note: for emergency purposes, each member of the Sprinting Teams is encouraged to carry their phone, but only 2 of the phones may be used in the competition.
    • Running Team: maximum of 2 phones per team (provided by the House). Phones may only be used to call the Strategy Team or when specifically allowed by Roadblock instructions. You may NOT use your phone’s other capabilities (GPS, internet, email, texting, etc.). Please note: for emergency purposes, each member of the Running Teams is encouraged to carry their phone, but only 2 of the phones may be used in the competition. NEW: Running Teams will receive a Supply List of items that may be helpful in completing Roadblocks. Teams should plan to carry these supplies (provided by the House) throughout the race.
    • Strategy Team: laptops, tablets, maps, etc., and a maximum of 2 phones for communication (provided by the House).
  • Teams may not use advisors, staff, faculty, or alumni for help of any kind during the race.
  • Running and Sprinting Teams may not carry maps of any kind. They must rely on the directions given by the Strategy Team.

 

Scoring:

The House with the fastest cumulative time (with assessed time credits and penalties) will win.

  • Time Credits
    • Predetermined time credits for Destinations will be credited to your finish time.
  • Time Penalties
    • Race Officials reserve the right to adjust penalties at their discretion. Additional penalties may be assigned for failure to comply with any instructions received during the race.

 

                                                                 Time Penalties

Non-participating first-year students

+5 minutes per student

Non-participating required returning students

+5 minutes per student

1st Hint used

+15 minutes

2nd Hint used

+25 minutes

3rd Hint used

+35 minutes

4th Hint used

+45 minutes

No picture at selected Destination

+15 minutes per Destination

Unsuccessful completion of Riddle

+15 minutes per Riddle

Failure to reach Checkpoint

+30 minutes per Checkpoint

Unsuccessful completion of Roadblock

+30 minutes per Roadblock

 

Glossary of Great Race Terms:

Checkpoint: One of several locations that Running Teams must reach in a predetermined order during the race. A specific Roadblock must be completed at each Checkpoint before the Running Team can move on.

Destination: 1 of 150 locations to which Sprinting Teams can be sent. All Destinations are marked on the Destinations map in the Strategy Room.

Finish Line: The final location where all teams from a House must converge in order to finish the race and receive their final race time.

First-Year Student: Any student new to The King’s College in an on-campus capacity. These include transfer students, first-time college students, and students switching from a King’s Online to an on-campus status. NYC Semester students will count as first-year students if participating, but will not incur penalties for failure to participate. It is highly encouraged that you invite NYC Semester students to participate.

Hint: Information provided upon request for each Riddle that makes solving the Riddle much easier. Each Hint utilized will incur a penalty for the House.

Penalty: Penalties are incurred in the form of minutes for failing to follow race procedures as laid out in the rules. For example, a 15 minute penalty would change a House’s finishing time from 3 hours and 45 minutes, to 4 hours.

Race Official: Student Development staff overseeing the race; especially those stationed in the Strategy Room.

Returning Student: Any student who has previously studied on-campus at The King’s College.

Riddle: A word-problem or other puzzle that must be solved by the Strategy Team, the answer to which is the location of the next Checkpoint.

Roadblock: A task to be completed at each Checkpoint, before the next Riddle can be received. If instructions for a Roadblock are unclear, teams should make a judgment call.

Running Team: Team consisting of a minimum of 5 returning students and all first-year students not assigned to other teams who travels to Checkpoints and completes Roadblocks as directed by Strategy Team.

Sprinting Team: Team consisting of 2 first-year students and 2 returning students who travel to Destinations, as directed by the Strategy team, accumulating time credits.

Strategy Room: Headquarters for the race and for Strategy Teams; located in the City Room.

Strategy Team: Team consisting of 5 returning students and a maximum of 2 first-year students, 3 if incoming class is ≥ 16, who solves Riddles, directs Running Team to Checkpoints, and directs Sprinting Teams to Destinations.

Supply List: List of items needed to complete Roadblocks; distributed before start of the race.

Time Credit: Credits are gained in the form of minutes by the Sprinting Teams for visiting Destinations. For example, a 15 minute credit would change a House’s finishing time from 3 hours and 45 minutes, to 3 hours and 30 minutes.