UTAR Alumni

OCTOBER 2013

The first alumni homecoming amazing race

"We are all excited about the Amazing Race!"

Thirty-six participants, comprising UTAR alumni and their friends, in nine teams took part in UTAR Alumni Homecoming Amazing Race held on 17 August 2013. The race, held during the alumni homecoming day, was the first ever such event organised by UTAR Department of Alumni Relations and Placement.

That morning, some participants arrived at UTAR Perak Campus earlier than 7.00am when registration started. At 8.00am, participants and officials were briefed of the rules and regulations of the race. Every team was required to pass through first five stations, collecting as many clues as they could at each station. These clues were single digit numbers. At the final station they were required to compose a correct equation with these numbers and given arithmetic operators of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and the equal sign. The first team that solved the equation would win the race.

Briefing before the race

UTAR Faculty of Arts and Social Science Dean Dr Cheah Phaik Kin started off the race by squeezing a horn

Dr Cheah (third from left) 'horning' off the race

At the first station, Station A, the teams were required to find the signatures of person-in-charge hidden in campus buildings before they get the clues. Then the nine teams were assigned two different routes to complete the course travelling in cars.

"Yeah, we've got the clues!"

Station B was at Gaharu Tea Farm, Gopeng, where teams were required to find a hidden tea pack to get the clues. It was so well hidden and one team was so persistent that they stayed back after the allotted time period to look for it.

"Are there clues in your pocket?"

At Station C at Westlake Home Stay, teams were required to collect two cards while there was a hunter constantly hunting them down. One of the teams had a team member hunted down and they did not receive the clues at this station. The rest of the teams proceeded to the next station with their clues unharmed.

"We hunt hard for our lunch."

The Tin Mining Museum at Kampar New Town was Station D. The teams needed to answer questions about the museum correctly to get the clues to proceed on.

"Quick, I?m so hungry!"

It was about lunch time when the teams arrived at the aboriginal village Kampung Batu Berangkai near Kampar, the Station E. Like the aboriginal people, they had to hunt for their lunch with a blowpipe. But they did not kill any animal only bursting balloons hanging on a tree. Each balloon was tied with a sweet potato which served as the prey. The teams needed to cook the sweet potatoes they hunted with the 'resources' available, which were dry branches, mud, charcoal and a corrugated metal roof sheet. They got their final clues after lunch before proceeding to the final station.

"Wow, this is so delicious!"

At the final station back in Perak Campus, the teams were given the arithmetic operators and equal sign and raced to complete a correct equation with the numbers they had collected from the previous five stations. It took only about five minutes after arrival for the champion team to emerge. It was Team 4 whose members comprised Long Mun Hoe, Wong Kok Hau, Tang Yih Wen and Daniel Ngan Ban Leong.

"Should it be plus, minus, time or divide here?"

After all the teams had arrived, a closing ceremony was held and certificates were presented to the participants. Prizes were presented to the winning teams later during the Alumni Homecoming Dinner held at the Grand Kampar Hotel.