The Amazing Race - Euclid Edition
Inspired by the popular reality competition TV show, the Euclid Chamber of Commerce brought its own version of The Amazing Race to the city last month as a way to engage residents and the business community in an event together.
The Amazing Race: Euclid Edition incorporated many elements of the TV show including Roadblocks, Detours, cryptic Route Info Cards, and a final Pit Stop to announce the winners. All teams were required to commute around the city, decipher location clues, and complete challenges at various establishments. The competing teams were a mix of Chamber of Commerce businesses and community teams who registered after seeing the advertisement on the community board on Lakeshore Blvd. The race took teams from the starting line at The HELP Adult Day Support Program to Atlas Cinemas – Lakeshore 7, Briardale Greens, The Cleveland Rock Gym, HGR Industrial Surplus, NEO Sports Plant, and Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine.
Most locations were Roadblocks, meaning there was a single mandatory task that each team had to complete before moving on. NEO Sports Plant, among the participants’ favorite destinations, was the race’s only Detour, meaning each team had to choose between two activities. Upon arrival, teams were asked to choose either, “shoot,” or “serve.” Teams who chose shoot were sent to the basketball courts to complete ten free throws while teams who chose serve were instructed through a chair volleyball activity. The staff at NEO Sports Plant were extremely creative in planning their leg of the race and many participants commented on how fun playing the game with their teammates was.
Tami Honkala, President and CEO of HELP Foundation, suggested the Amazing Race to her fellow Euclid Chamber of Commerce board members. She was eager to showcase the city through a community event noting that, “there are so many fantastic places to see in Euclid!” Tami led the planning team with Sheila Gibbons, Executive Director of the Euclid Chamber of Commerce. Sheila saw the event as a great way to get people inside businesses they may have not visited before.
Participants commented on the great places they were able to visit, proving that the planning team met their goal of introducing residents to new businesses. Many of the teams had never played FootGolf before and were surprised to see a soccer ball instead of a golf ball when they arrived at the Detour at Briardale. They were even more surprised to find out that Briardale offers a full 18 holes of FootGolf! Similarly, many teams were pleased to learn that a Rock Gym not only exists within the city limits, but has been flourishing as a business for over 20 years. There were a few HGR fans who participated, but the majority of participants had no idea what to expect when entering the showroom and commented that they were unaware that HGR is open to the public and would be back to explore all that HGR has to offer.
The Amazing Race: Euclid Edition was a great success. Participants are already looking forward to next year and we hope to bring them an even more amazing race in 2017!
Rachel McKelvey
HI! I'm Rachel McKelvey. I am the Manager of Development & Communications at HELP Foundation, Inc. here in Euclid. HELP is an agency that serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through residential, day support, and vocational programs. It is my job to get the word out about the incredible work we do and engage the community in our mission. I hope you enjoy reading about HELP and will consider attending one of our events, volunteering, or sharing our stories with your networks!