Team Marro Rosqa'a

Event: Dusk 'till Dawn Adventure Race
Team: Shama Eller, Timmy G, Casey Walter, Christy Kurtz

It's incredible how a team works. No single individual could run the race alone. All of our team members were familiar with climbing gear, ascension systems, and rope technician information. However, life tends to throw curveballs every once in a while. Here area few highlights of how each member of our team brought something to the table that no one else could have provided.

Shama Eller - The floor of the glass case was literally writhing with the movement of terrified scorpions. The instructions were for two of our team members to pick up four scorpions and transport them to another tray. This had to be accomplished before we could continue on to the next event. Casey led the way, moving three of the four scorpions by himself. Timothy George, master of all wriggling creatures, seemed to be the next obvious choice to transport the remaining scorpion. But who would have expected that the scorpion was the one disgusting, nasty creature that he is afraid of. But that didn't stop Shama. Without hesitation, she grabbed the gloves from Timothy and stuck her hand in the cage. With hardly a grimace she deposited the wriggling scorpion safely on the tray. Her quick, decisive movements enabled our team to move quickly on to the next event.

Timothy George - Master of trades, this monkey is pretty much an all-around do-it-yourself guru. As the son of missionaries to the Phillippines, he's got a whole closet full of talents and skills that come in handy at the oddest of times. The task at hand: to balance-walk across a long bar that was 100 feet up in the air. Who would volunteer?... "Oh, I've done that lots before! I used to do that all the time in the Phillippines!" came Timothy's cheerful admition. (Is that a word?) Because of his experience and agility, he stayed balanced the whole time and we didn't waste precious minutes having to attempt the stunt again.

Christy Kurtz - One of our tasks was to navigate the biology trails to find a map that would direct us to the next checkpoint. We had a map of the trails and because I have trained on the biology trails for the 1/2 marathon that I ran last weekend, I am quite familiar with both the map and the trails. This came in handy because our destination happened to be nearby one of my favorite spots to run and I know the area by heart. "Are you sure you know where you're going? Like, positive sure?" Casey inquired as I led them off into the darkness. "Yep! I promise. It's going to be a ways but I know exactly where it is." Sure enough, it was right where I thought it was. We were able to turn the Biology trails, which is usually an event that takes quite a bit of time, into a short and invigorating midnight jaunt through the woods.

Casey Walter - Casey is a pretty handy guy to have around. He had lots of random stuff in his pack that came in useful: a 5 foot piece of rope that we used to haul timothy over a tall wooden wall, a machete from the Phillippines that we used to chop firewood with, and other odds'n'ends. But more than all that, Casey has a hidden talent: he's a volunteer-fire fighter. Leading us through a shortcut to the back of the fire station, he shouted out quick directions. "Put your gear on! Grab the hose! Roll it out! Like this..." As he showed us how to navigate the workings of a fire-truck and hose, we got a crash course in fire-fighting. The fire-station personnel that were there to give instructions just leaned back and took a break as Casey expertly helped us to complete the task in record time.

Before

After

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, the teamwork paid off :)