I arrived at the Expo Center early, earlier than I ever had before. A few volunteers and vendors also began morning setup as well. There was just enough time to make some preparations for what was about to come. Half an hour later, everyone else began to stream in, arrayed in their panoplies. I knew that this Challenge was going to be a little different for me for a couple of reasons. From an authorial perspective, I knew that I would not be able to document events as I usually do. I was effectively trapped in the building, minding the running of the well-oiled* machine that was Texas Challenge and would not be out finding the caches or doing the activities. On the other hand, I would be the one who would set the tone for what was to come. I took the stage and bellowed a welcome to the competitors that may or may not have busted a few eardrums. You see, I have quite the voice on me. I could fill the place all on my own. That’s how I’m used to speaking. Mic’d up and amplified? I could (and may have) hurt someone. I also called to lock up the doors. Everyone who was going to play was there and it was time to do what must be done. All the scorecards were handed out, the rules were rundown, and final warnings and instructions were given. All that remained was to give the coordinates to the Team Captains. I decided to make them work for that. There were going to be some stupid human tricks and it doesn’t take a deep knowledge of me to know what was going to happen at a Challenge on Pi Day.
Luckily, folks took photos. Pie flew all about. I was too busy judging how much pie myself, but I promise as soon as I get my hands on a video, you shall see it in real time and judge for yourselves! And, after a false start caused by some confusion over the rules versus tradition, they were off! and as soon as they headed out, I inflated the log.
Again, I wasn’t able to see the activities myself, but I know some of them involved bottle flipping, duck herding with pool noodles, and a Hungry Hungry Hippos simulator involving riding around on your bellies on piano dollies. I can again only go off what I heard from others, but I hear is was a blast (as intended)! For several hours, all the competitors went for it, but as the moment to end drew near, they began to trickle back.
We rolled up the side door and they came in, both individually and in groups, dropping their cards in the hands (or, more to the point, bag) of the waiting score team.
I, of course, got to have a happy meeting with an old friend from HQ, em_adventuring! She was visiting family in the area so she came to compete on Team CenTex (or South/Central since the teams have taken a liking to one another) like she did back in Round Rock. I also got to meet a new friend, Arnokovic! He’s a volunteer translator for HQ and a member of an unexpected French contingent in attendance. Coincidentally, he recognized me because he translated one of my previous HQ interviews into French!
Soon after, once the teams had returned, everyone got together outside for a group photo. No, I’m not in it. I was busy putting out one of those proverbial behind-the-scenes fires that crop up during any event. My fun was secondary to that of the attendees. Their fun was paramount. Once the photo was taken, the location of the afternoon’s Individual Challenge was announced. That’s when my older daughter took my keys and went out to compete in her bracket. As a parent, I wish I could have gone out and cheered her on but I still had work to do. Both she and the car made it back in one piece, so I’ll call it a victory! My younger daughter stayed with me for a while once her sister left, but eventually opted to walk back to our hotel and get some rest. Both were back in time for the end of the day. That’s when the raffles, geo-bingo, and silent auction prizes were awarded. I’m not big on raffles, but they were did well and people were happy with them. I was a little amazed how popular geo-bingo turned out. I’ve seen them before, but I put this one together a little differently with every card being unique. That made some cards easier to fill out than others, but also made for a different experience that a lot of people appreciated. The silent auction baskets are put together by each region and function as a bit of a fundraiser for the TXGA. We had some really good baskets, but one of the baskets was not only far and away the best, but it may have made more than any basket in the history of our silent auction. I don;t know where we keep such records (if at all), but I’m going to see if I can confirm that. Once things had cooled down to a low simmer, we all started breaking things down, though not before I got a copy of The Geocaching County Tracker autographed by attending author Dan DeKoning. I get to have something out of all this myself, even if my fun time is on the back burner, no? We deflated the log. We pulled down the signs. We packed up and got on out of there. We were done with the hall. The 24th Texas Challenge and Geocaching Festival was officially over. But we weren’t done. Not by a long shot. Once all the work stuff was done, we headed up the road to Granger. There was an excellent dance hall with a lovely outdoor patio and stage. Many of us, myself included, changed to a different panoply and and began the rumpus that was…
*For certain values of “well-oiled”…
Geocaching While Black 