Something I’ve been wondering since I first applied to the World Race is “am I really cut out for this?” I mean, I’d been on a few missions trips before where things didn’t always go as planned, but those were only for two weeks at a time. The end was always in sight if the situation became too unbearable, although thankfully it never did.
I’m the kind of person who likes routines, schedules, and knowing exactly what’s going to be next. I won’t have these luxuries on the Race, and I’ve definitely been scared that the quick changes and need to be flexible would break me.
And then I went on a week-long trip with Enactus. (A campus organization focusing on entrepreneurship to solve social, economic, and environmental problems in the community.) It was a great trip with some great people, and there were amazing moments, but each one of those amazing “highs” came with a “low” immediately following, which taught me some interesting things about myself and how I would fare on the Race.
Let me take you through a brief overview of how the week went and what exactly I mean by highs and lows.
We got on the bus ready for an exciting week and pumped to compete against 200 other teams. Energy was high and we were killing time on our 8-hour bus ride with Catch Phrase, Heads-Up, and other group games.
AND THEN…
The bus broke down on the highway. Something about the radiator had gone wrong and we were either stuck waiting for a mechanic or a new bus.
BUT…
While most groups I’ve traveled with probably would have started complaining, we just continued our shenanigans off the bus. We spent the next two hours playing Catch Phrase and Ninja, and having silly photoshoots. It felt like time hadn’t passed at all, and even though our 8-hour drive became a 13-hour one, I think it really helped the “community” of our team really set in.
Fast forward to the first day of competition. We were to compete in the opening round at 9:30 and everything started out without a hitch.
AND THEN…
One of the presenters forgot his line and skipped an entire section. I sat there next to the computer with the media director and nearly dropped my jaw in horror.
BUT…
We recovered. Another presenter covered the line and we were back on track with time to spare.
We moved on to the next round, and the previous mistakes weren’t there. Our presenters were on fire and we were really confident in our presentation.
AND THEN…
The visual part of the presentation crashed.
BUT…
Our media director was able to bring the Keynote back up without losing her place
We were ecstatic to find out that we had won our league in the quarterfinals and would move on to the semi finals, which we hadn’t done in two years
AND THEN…
We lost our media cart, which had our projector, speakers, annual reports, and a whole case of Nutella. The media team had stashed it somewhere and it disappeared when we went back to get it.
BUT…
We found it, after searching the convention center and thankfully finding out that someone had recovered it and kept it safe somewhere.
The next day, after the semifinals, we were told that we would present in the final four, putting us in the top 1% of teams in the country. This hadn’t happened for the RWC team since 2006
AND THEN…
As we were standing together as a team outside the room, celebrating, one of our team members fainted out of nowhere.
BUT…
Suddenly our group of 40 forgot about the final four and instantly went into support/care mode. A few people told the group to stand back and give him space, others went to find a security guard in case we had to call 911 (which we didn’t, thankfully) and someone else ran back to the auditorium to get his bag, where his medication was. In that moment, it didn’t matter that we were about to compete on a huge stage in front of hundreds of people, because one of our own needed help. That focus on what’s really important is part of why I love my team as much as I do.
By the end of competition, we had won 2nd place in the entire nation, and quite honestly it still doesn’t feel real. It isn’t special because of the trophy and silver medals – it’s meaningful because the work our team does impacts real lives in our community, and that we are a team that loves God and knows he is the reason for our successes and impact.
When I came back last week and as I’m nearing the end of my time in Enactus as graduation draws closer and closer, I knew that I could handle anything the Race threw at me, because of the way this trip worked out. Highs and lows alike form the best experiences, and they really keep things in perspective. Now I can’t wait for the changes and flexibility the World Race will present. Bring it on.
(Unbeknownst to me, a bunch of my teammates wore their World Race shirts on the trip – it feels amazing to have their support!)
