Scavhunt 2008, Part One
Scav comes but once a year, and now that it's over the memories have become bittersweet: this has most likely been my last Scav ever (at lease as an active participant). Three great years on the Max Palevsky Team, culminating in a fantastic time as team captain in the 2006 Hunt, followed by two more great years as Judge
The list can be found here, and can also be accessed from the main page of the Scavhunt website.
The Hunt this year seemed pretty polarizing. Much happened that was new, to my mind some good and some bad, but the people I've talked to can only seem to focus on one or the other.
In the 'good' column, score one for ScavAir. Long a pipe dream of the judges, often synonymous with a preposterous prank, this year it became reality. Credit is due here to head judge Jim Ryan, who pushed against the University until they okayed it and then worked long and hard through Student Government back channels until they agreed to fund it (about $5000). Essentially, each team provided us one team member who wouldn't be missed for three days. They were blindfolded, put in a van, and driven for about 40 minutes away from Hyde Park. When they got out, the blindfolds were removed, and Jim handed them each a ticket to Las Vegas, where they enjoyed two and half crazy days of a smaller Scavenger Hunt run by a small group of Judges we had flown there to help out.
Also good: this year's Road Trip, which took place in and around Kansas. At the risk of some immodesty, this was largely my responsibility to plan and execute, and I am very happy with how it turned out. The destinations were worth it, Scavvies were allowed to have a good time without being jerked around too much, and it all felt very new to me -- small towns in Kansas proved to be interesting enough that we didn't stop in any cities larger than Hutchinson (pop. 40,000). Most towns were in the 500 - 5000 range, and filled with delightful oddities like The World's Largest Ball of Twine (disputed), or The World's Largest Collection of the The World's Smallest Versions of The World's Largest Things.
Further good: an awesome list this year. We get excited for it, but only the actual Hunt itself serves to prove its merits. Not perfect, but well done. Go Team Judge!
Not so good: A list release format that seemed hand-picked to stir the dregs of bitterness. It involved most Judges playing caricatures of everything the scavvies could possibly resent us for, while making sure that few of them knew it was supposed to be an act. We burned copies of the list in front of them while making arbitrary demands to be met in unreasonable amounts of time! And to top it off, we screwed up the actual list release such that one team did not get it until well after they deserved.
Also bad: The most violent Scav Olympics yet, featuring three blade contests. The shaving contest was much safer after we changed the format at the last second from shaving people with straight razors to shaving balloons covered in foam. The marionette rotisserie chicken cockfighting grew much more dangerous than anyone was comfortable with ("Let's see: salmonella bombs with steak knives and straight blades stuck through them being swung like battering rams at similar chickens held next to contestants' bodies... what could go wrong?"), but surprisingly no injuries. The knife skills top chef challenge went more or less exactly as we all feared, and the first aid kit had to busted out. Ditto for the Finnish wife-carrying contest, which involved tripwires and some heavy marital unbliss.
Yet further bad: a misunderstanding that led the Head Judge to believe that Judgment started at 8am, while the rest of the Judges and team members believed it started at 10am, and the panic/anger that resulted when this discrepancy came to light at about 7:30am the day of.
My next post will detail my favorite items. It was epic.
The list can be found here, and can also be accessed from the main page of the Scavhunt website.
The Hunt this year seemed pretty polarizing. Much happened that was new, to my mind some good and some bad, but the people I've talked to can only seem to focus on one or the other.
In the 'good' column, score one for ScavAir. Long a pipe dream of the judges, often synonymous with a preposterous prank, this year it became reality. Credit is due here to head judge Jim Ryan, who pushed against the University until they okayed it and then worked long and hard through Student Government back channels until they agreed to fund it (about $5000). Essentially, each team provided us one team member who wouldn't be missed for three days. They were blindfolded, put in a van, and driven for about 40 minutes away from Hyde Park. When they got out, the blindfolds were removed, and Jim handed them each a ticket to Las Vegas, where they enjoyed two and half crazy days of a smaller Scavenger Hunt run by a small group of Judges we had flown there to help out.
Also good: this year's Road Trip, which took place in and around Kansas. At the risk of some immodesty, this was largely my responsibility to plan and execute, and I am very happy with how it turned out. The destinations were worth it, Scavvies were allowed to have a good time without being jerked around too much, and it all felt very new to me -- small towns in Kansas proved to be interesting enough that we didn't stop in any cities larger than Hutchinson (pop. 40,000). Most towns were in the 500 - 5000 range, and filled with delightful oddities like The World's Largest Ball of Twine (disputed), or The World's Largest Collection of the The World's Smallest Versions of The World's Largest Things.
Further good: an awesome list this year. We get excited for it, but only the actual Hunt itself serves to prove its merits. Not perfect, but well done. Go Team Judge!
Not so good: A list release format that seemed hand-picked to stir the dregs of bitterness. It involved most Judges playing caricatures of everything the scavvies could possibly resent us for, while making sure that few of them knew it was supposed to be an act. We burned copies of the list in front of them while making arbitrary demands to be met in unreasonable amounts of time! And to top it off, we screwed up the actual list release such that one team did not get it until well after they deserved.
Also bad: The most violent Scav Olympics yet, featuring three blade contests. The shaving contest was much safer after we changed the format at the last second from shaving people with straight razors to shaving balloons covered in foam. The marionette rotisserie chicken cockfighting grew much more dangerous than anyone was comfortable with ("Let's see: salmonella bombs with steak knives and straight blades stuck through them being swung like battering rams at similar chickens held next to contestants' bodies... what could go wrong?"), but surprisingly no injuries. The knife skills top chef challenge went more or less exactly as we all feared, and the first aid kit had to busted out. Ditto for the Finnish wife-carrying contest, which involved tripwires and some heavy marital unbliss.
Yet further bad: a misunderstanding that led the Head Judge to believe that Judgment started at 8am, while the rest of the Judges and team members believed it started at 10am, and the panic/anger that resulted when this discrepancy came to light at about 7:30am the day of.
My next post will detail my favorite items. It was epic.