Time of Our Lives: Amazing Race Youth Conference

Okay, just so you know... Day 1 was just a little appetizer for the two following days in our Amazing Race Youth Conference. Day 2 was packed to the brim, and exhausting (in a fun and happy way) for every person involved.

Beforehand, I had asked a young-adult girl to be the Race Photographer, and gave her specific places and times, so that she was able to photograph teams coming in, and working on the activities. I also had the Team Parents take photos all along the way, and there were some clues that required photos to be taken of the team doing the activity.

Day Two: We had everyone meet at the church building at 7:30 a.m. Friday morning. The teams were all given their t-shirts, which they were to wear for the rest of the youth conference. Each team was given a bag of snacks and waters to keep in their coolers and then they were all given the same set of instructions: "Get in your car and follow the enclosed driving directions. As you travel to your first destination for the day, have team members work together to solve the enclosed puzzle about this particular destination. When you have solved the puzzle, you will have a better idea of where you are heading. As you continue to drive, play the game in the brown box. Have each team member take one paper out of the box and choose which question on the paper they would like to answer. Everyone should take a turn, including the Team Parents. Continue to play until you get to your destination."

For this first activity of the day, we weren't racing quite yet. We planned it so that we all left around the same time and arrived at Ensign Peak together.

The puzzle mentioned in the above clue was just a word puzzle about the history of Ensign Peak. And the game was sort of an "ice breaker" game so that the team members would get to know each other quickly on the 20 minute drive to Ensign Peak. We put several questions in a little brown box and just had each team member answer one (or more) of the questions as they rode in the car together. When they arrived at the trail head, they all waited until all of the teams arrived, and then hiked all together up to the top of the peak. Once there, we had a devotional by a member of the bishopric, and then had a big group photo.

Don't you love those t-shirts? We actually had people asking
if we were from the show...

After the devotional, the teams were given their next clue, one at a time (two minutes apart), in the order they came in on the previous night. The clue they were given said, "DELIVERING DELIGHT: As spectacular as the view is from Ensign Peak, it can't compare to the joy we feel as we do what the Savior instructs in Matthew 25:34-40. When your entire team is in your car, read the scripture together, as well as the enclosed information about Primary Children's Medical Center. Make your way to Primary Children's to deliver the blankets your team made last night. Park in the parking area north of the hospital and go to the north information desk that is shaped like a boat. Ask the security guard for Marie _______. Give your blankets to her to receive your next clue."

Beforehand, we had dropped the clues off to our contact at the hospital, so she was able to give the kids their next clue. She was really excited about being a part of our Amazing Race, and also so very grateful for the blankets the kids would be delivering.

The clue that Marie then gave them said, "Drive your team to the place shown in the photo. After parking, head to the ticket desk and using your CONNECT PASSes, get a wristband for each team member. Once you all have your wristbands, go back to the place on the photo and count all the people depicted on the entire monument. When you give the Task Supervisor (positioned near the monument, and wearing the green t-shirt) the correct number of people, he will give you your next clue."

The Team Parents were given enough CONNECT PASSes for every member of their team. These were purchased beforehand, and included the admission for a few of the places we would be stopping at along The Race. By buying the CONNECT PASS, we were able to save some money.

By looking at the photo, the teams were able to discover that the next stop was This is the Place State Monument. They stopped there, and did what was instructed on the clue that Marie had given them.

There are people depicted on all sides,
and on the top, too!

These are the kids trying to give the correct answer to
my son, who was a Task Supervisor at this stop

Once they counted up all the people on the monument (easier said than done!), they told the Task Supervisor the number, and if they had it correct, she gave them the next clue. It read, "DETOUR - TRADE OR TRAVERSE: A detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In the DETOUR, teams must choose between TRADE or TRAVERSE. In TRADE, teams must use the enclosed pocket map to choose from a variety of traditional pioneer trades. Possible task locations are underlined in the "Open Buildings" section of the map. Each team must choose two locations to visit. At each location, EACH team member must complete their own craft before moving on. Crafts requires some skill, but handy teams may finish this task quickly. After each team member has completed BOTH crafts, locate one of the two roaming Task Supervisors within the park. They will check your work and provide your next clue.
In TRAVERSE, teams must use the enclosed map to locate the train stop. Once you get to the stop, the entire team must wait for the next train to arrive and board the train. Travel together in the train, round trip, returning to the same stop. The task doesn't require any skill, but teams may lose time waiting for the next train. Once you have completed a full train ride, the team must locate one of two roaming Task Supervisors within the park to receive your next clue."

Pretty self-explanatory, really. The two roaming Task Supervisors were my young adult daughter and her friend, each wearing the prescribed green shirt. They wandered around the park so that they weren't completely easy to find. Once the teams came to them with their tasks completed, they were given the next clue: "A WALK BACK IN TIME: Your team must complete any two of the following four tasks: 1-Working as a team, locate the item you see in the enclosed picture. Once you have found it, you must take a team photo by it. 2-As a team, locate the Deseret Alphabet Placard. Once you have found the alphabet, you must decipher the following message: (and then we included a message written in the Deseret Alphabet). 3-As a team, go to the historic ZCMI store and find a pattern for a women's basic pleated skirt. Locate the exact amount of fabric the pattern requires and the price of the pattern. Write the two answers below. 4-Locate the building displayed in the enclosed photo. Once you have found it, you must count the number of all the white fence pickets that surround the structure. Write the total below.
When both tasks are finished, go to the Task Supervisor outside of the park, by the monument, for your next clue."

And after they finished two of those tasks correctly, the Task Supervisor outside of the park, gave them a clue that read: "FOREVER FAMILY: Drive your car and park in the Public Parking lot on the corner of West Temple and North Temple. You will use the enclosed money to pay for the parking. Go on foot to the edifice that took 40 years to build. Count the stars on the east side of the building. Once you have that number, locate a familiar ward couple who is enjoying pondering what takes place in this beautiful edifice. Give the correct # of stars to the couple for your next clue."

One of the teams trying to count the stars
on the east side of the temple

They all drove to the specified parking lot and then figured out that the edifice was the Salt Lake Temple. When they had counted the stars on the east side of the building, they looked around the grounds for a familiar couple (who was a young-married couple from our ward) sitting on a bench, talking and looking at the temple.

They gave the teams their next clue after they told them the correct number of stars. The next clue read, "If Brigham Young could see how beautiful the surroundings of his home are now, he would be so pleased! Continue on foot to the location in the photo".

That clue sent the kids to the courtyard between the Lion House and the Beehive House. A Task Supervisor was there with a clue that sent them all inside of the Lion House for lunch. The clue said, "GUESTS AT BRIGHAM'S TABLE: Using your CONNECT PASSes, go to the Lion House for lunch. Let the hostess know that you are using CONNECT PASSes, and she will give you the options for your lunch. Do not spend more than the CONNECT PASSes will cover. If you do, your team may be eliminated. After lunch, return to the courtyard and stay there until the Task Supervisor dismisses your team and gives you your next clue. Teams will leave in the order they arrived, 2 minutes apart, with the first team leaving no earlier than 12:00."

Some of the Task Supervisors enjoying a well-earned
lunch at the Lion House
(The kids on the left and right belong to me, and the one in
the middle is my daughter's friend... oh, how we loved being
able to depend on these kids!)

And that brought them all to lunch, where they were able to eat at a regular pace, knowing that everyone would be leaving 2 minutes apart, regardless of when they finished eating. We had a large tri-fold poster there, where we wrote in the order of the teams arriving, so that we wouldn't get that confused when it came time for them to leave.

Now, I think this is a good place to stop. We've only made it through a few hours of the second day, but we don't want to overwhelm... Stay tuned for more Amazing Race info!

For information about the entire Amazing Race,

click below on the specific days.

To read about Day 1 - click here.

To read about Day 2 - afternoon and evening, click here.

To read about Day 3 - click here.