Spring 2005 MouseAdventure Event RecapTwo events in one day make for a milestone challenge
for players and crewFriday, March 18, 2005
by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix, Spring 2005 MouseAdventure event coordinatorComplete Results
| Team Photos When I volunteered to organize our tenth MouseAdventure
event, I had two goals: I wanted to create a game that would appeal to
brand-new and veteran teams alike, and I wanted to try out an event concept
that I started musing about long before The Amazing Race became
a reality-show hit. 
The Invitational players in their last moment of serenity before the event begins. Photo by Lani Teshima.
It quickly became clear that the only way to accomplish both goals was
to create two different games: An easy and fun, classic MouseAdventure
game for new participants and families that we called MouseAdventure Open;
and an extreme game that would pose a true challenge to our most competitive
veterans that we called MouseAdventure Invitational: The Enchanted Race.
With these concepts in place, we began the process of planning and hosting
two entirely different events for game day, Sunday, March 13. 
Sleeping Beauty Castle gets smaller with each event photo, as the crowd
of players gets bigger and bigger—and this is only the Open division!
Photo by Frank Anzalone.
We are always pleased to announce during our awards ceremony that each
event is our biggest game ever, and Sunday's event was no exception—approximately
450 players turned out for the spring event, in Disneyland. We welcomed
90 returning teams, and introduced 57 brand new teams to the joys of MouseAdventure.
We somehow managed to avoid both the recent rainstorms and the oppressive
heat that has become the hallmark of MouseAdventure weekend, something
the teams would become grateful for as the day wore on. 
Properly Warned (team 4060), is smiling during the event—a good indication
that they are participating in the Open division. Photo by Frank Anzalone.
Teams participating Open division played a classic MouseAdventure game.
Quests included a trip to Tom Sawyer Island to identify a missing tombstone,
an exploration of the tribute windows in Toon Town, and an excursion into
Innoventions to learn the difference between Hallmark and American Greetings.
Teams also tried to identify 10 “Eye Spy” photos, and hoped to receive
a bonus quest by trading postcards with teams participating in the Invitational
division. 
Members of the Single Rider Syndicate contemplate a puzzle during the
Open event. Photo by Frank Anzalone.
In case of a tie, we asked teams to try to predict their final score.
It's a good thing we asked, since we ended up needing the tie-breaker
for the third-place winners. 
Our spiffy sign in an official sign-in table just to the side of the Disneyland
park turnstiles made Sunday morning check-in easier, and raised some eyebrows
among those who never thought they would see a MousePlanet sign on Disney
property. From left: Jeff Moxley, Sheila Hagen, Andrew Rich, Jennifer
Rich, Adrienne Krock, Lisa Perkis, and Emma Perkis. Photo by Frank Anzalone.
We may have scared some of our veteran players out of taking us up on
the Inviational challenge, since quite a few of them chose the Open event.
And since roughly half of the Open teams were experienced MouseAdventure
participants, we decided it best to honor the Open division winners based
on whether their teams consisted entirely of new players or not, thus
recognizing the top three finishing teams for both new teams, as well
as returning teams in the Open division. 
The Tinker Belles (team 4033), pore over their game packet. Photo by Frank
Anzalone.
Several events ago we hit upon the strategy of giving teams their entire
game packet at once. Some teams discovered that too much of a good thing
could be overwhelming, and asked for more time to complete the packet
of puzzles and quests. We were able to add an hour of playing time to
this event, which meant that more teams had the opportunity to at least
attempt every quest. This also meant that several teams were able to get
perfect scores on the quests. The Eye Spy and bonus opportunities became
even more important, and in one case, the tiebreaker question made all
the difference. 
A member of Invitational team Ladies and the Tramp inspects some black-and-white
photos in the Disneyland Hotel lobby to complete a Hollywood Squares–inspired
puzzle. Photo by Frank Anzalone.
Unfortunately, the close scores also meant that any slight error in grading
would affect the final results, and we made a few. The corrected rankings
are listed below, and we very much regret the errors. The maximum score,
with all bonuses, was 1110 points. For our experienced veteran players, we introduced a new format—MouseAdventure Invitational: The Enchanted Race. Inspired by the road rallies I enjoyed in college and fueled by a popular reality television show, The Enchanted Race took our teams outside the normal boundaries of a MouseAdventure game. Teams started in Downtown Disney, rode the Monorail, traced a circle around Disneyland, eventually made their way back to the Disneyland hotel, searched the Mickey & Friends parking structure and discovered exactly how long it takes to walk to the Howard Johnson's hotel before they crossed the finish line in Frontierland. 
The members of The Mission: Kim Possible Dream Team (team 405) contemplates
their next clue in the Invitational event. Photo by Frank Anzalone.
Along the way, the Invitational players found out that there is more
than one City Hall inside Disneyland, learned how to read bar codes, solved
new types of puzzles, and had the opportunity to face author and MousePlanet
columnist David Koenig in a trivia challenge. The game lasted six hours,
and we estimate that teams walked over 10 miles to complete the course.
Although only 17 of the 26 teams that began the race made it to the finish
line, many teams declared this new format the “best game ever,” and are
clamoring to know when we are doing it again. 
In a nod to The Amazing Race, Darkbeer and the Garlic Fries (team
328), receive one Disney Dollar for the race, as well as fry cook hats
that indicates to MouseAdventure crew that they could become legally separated
from each other during one particular task. Photo by Frank Anzalone.
The Invitational division attracted some of our most competitive returning
teams. Because of the difficulty of the event, we invited our Master teams,
two teams previously retired from competition after they each earned three
first-place finishes, to enter and compete in this new format. One Master
team, the–mouse.com, took the challenge and was in fact the first
to cross the finish line. Unfortunately, they had incurred a time penalty
earlier in the event that knocked them out of the standings by just 38
seconds. The true heartbreaker, however, was that even with their time
penalty, they would have placed second had they come in just 60 seconds
sooner. One member of the other Master team participated in the Open division
with her son as team Kids of the Kingdom (team 2061), and the duo earned
the eighth highest overall score in that event. 
Invitational teams discover how difficult it can be to search a collage
in a crowd during one of the legs, where they had to search for specific
items in a display exhibit in the Disneyland Hotel. Photo by Frank Anzalone.
When the final results were in, the Happy Haunts earned not only the
first-place title but also the honor of being named our third Master team.
The second and third place teams crossed the finish line just six seconds
apart, with another team hot on their heels just seconds later. 
Two of the members of Open team 3079 enjoy some well-deserved food at
the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ after the event. Photo by Frank Anzalone.
After last fall's award ceremony was cut short by a visit from Disneyland
security, we decided to take the next step and rent the Big Thunder Ranch
for a post-game dinner and award ceremony. Those who joined us for dinner
said they appreciated having a great meal and place to relax after the
day's exertions, and everyone seemed to enjoy the novelty of being able
to hear the awards presentation over a PA system. 
Teams gather in the Big Thunder Ranch after the game to hear the results.
Photo by Frank Anzalone.
Crew acknowledgementsUnfortunately we had to vacate the venue by 6 p.m., so the presentation
was a little more rushed than I would have liked. In my haste to conclude
the event on time, I was not able to properly introduce and thank the
staff and crew who made this event a success. 
Some of the MouseAdventure crew who make this event a success. From left:
Alex Stroup, Sheila Hagen, Karl Buiter, Andrew Rich, Jennifer Rich, Steve
Kiskamp, Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix, Tony Phoenix, Adrienne Krock, Kevin
Krock, Lani Teshima, Frank Anzalone, Shoshana Lewin, Emma Perkis, Lisa
Perkis, Jeff Moxley. Photo by Karen Anzalone.
More players and more teams mean we need more help to keep everything organized, and the MouseAdventure crew perform an amazing feat every six months. This time around, I further complicated their jobs by planning what amounted to two different events on the same day. 
Karin Luster, Kenji Luster and Tony Phoenix staff the Critter Country
checkpoint for the Invitational event. Photo by Karen Anzalone
Steve Kiskamp, Jeff Moxley and my husband Tony helped write the Invitational
event. Mox and Tony were also responsible for the online registration
system. Shoshana Lewin helped write the Open game. Lani Teshima provided
editing and desktop publishing services to produce the final handouts
from the puzzles and challenges we created, which were then tested and
tweaked by various individuals. She also makes all of the great MouseAdventure
buttons. 
Hundreds of MouseAdventure participants pose for a large group photo in
front of Sleeping Beauty Castle as they take direction from MousePlanet
staff photographer Frank Anzalone. Photo by Lani Teshima.
I also want to thank the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel on South Harbor Boulevard
in Anaheim for allowing us to rent a room as our off-site location for the
Invitational event. There are now numerous people who can tell you exactly
how far that hotel is from Disneyland. Silent Salesmen Promotions, owned
by a member of our MousePad discussion boards, made the nifty lanyards given
the Invitational teams. Many MousePlanet staff joke (or complain) that they
only see one another during MouseAdventure. This is because the majority
of our staff drives and flies in from their far-flung homes to work as MouseAdventure
crew for the weekend. It is their experience that allows this game to get
larger each time we do it, yet still run pretty efficiently. In addition
to those named above, I want to thank the rest of the event staff and crew:
Alex Stroup, Adrienne & Kevin Krock, Andrew & Jennifer Rich, Sheila Hagen,
Lisa & Emma Perkis, Karl Buiter, Frank & Karen Anzalone, Vicki Groff, Karin
& Kenji Luster, David Koenig, and our anonymous spies and helpers. 
Author David Koenig poses with the lucky winner from Open team 4004, the
Fantastic Four, who took home a copy of his latest book. Photo by Frank
Anzalone. Speaking of David Koenig, I am terribly embarrassed to realize
that I failed to introduce him during the award ceremony. David was our
“surprise” guest for the Invitational event. Teams could either try to
beat David at a Disney trivia challenge or solve a difficult word puzzle
before they could continue on. It was a wonderful treat for the teams
to meet the author of Mouse Tales, Mouse Under Glass and More Mouse Tales
in person.
I probably should mention Alex Stroup one more time. When I offered to
organize this MouseAdventure event, I had no idea what I was getting myself
into. The amount of work, preparation and organization that goes into
this event is staggering. Alex never said, “I told you so.” He was always
willing to take my panicky phone calls, and really did a lot more to make
this event a success than I think he intended to when he handed it off
to me. To repay him for his kindness, I'm handing the event right back
to him. He has some pretty ambitious plans for our fall event, so stay
tuned for details. Open Division New TeamsFirst Place — Open Division New Team
Tiki Twosome (team 2015), 1080 points
Photo by Lani Teshima.
Second Place — Open Division New Team
Single Rider Syndicate (team 4047), 1060 points
Photo by Lani Teshima.
Third Place — Open Division New Team
Admiral Boom (team 2101) 1060 points, decided by tie-breaker
Open Division Returning TeamsFirst place — Open Division Returning Team
The Dream Team (team 4002), 1080 points
Photo by Lani Teshima.
Second place — Open Division Returning Team
Team 2090, 1070 points
Photo by Lani Teshima.
Third Place — Open Division Returning Team
We Have Your Laughin' Place (team 4113), 1060 points, decided by tie-breaker
Photo by Lani Teshima.
Team Spirit Award — Open division
Lucky Charms
Photo by Frank Anzalone.
Best Costume — Open division
Peripatetic Puzzles
Photo by Frank Anzalone.
Invitational DivisionFirst Place – Invitational
Happy Haunts (team 204), total elapsed time: 5:11:23
Photo by Frank Anzalone
Second Place – Invitational
Ralph Wiggum, FEJ, and The POP featuring Nirvanaman (team 401), total
elapsed time: 5:31:16
Photo by Frank Anzalone
Third Place – Invitational
The Space Cadets (team 218), total elapsed time: 5:31:22
Photo by Frank Anzalone.
Team Spirit – Invitational
Team N'Ohana
Photo by Frank Anzalone.
Best Costume – Invitational
The Unintelligibles
Photo by Frank Anzalone.
Complete Results
| Team Photos
Thoughts, questions, or comments? Contact Adrienne here.
|
mouseadventure-side
Teams walk a lot during the event. If you are
not used to walking for extended periods, get yourself in shape beforehand.
Walk at least three times a week, and wear old, comfortable shoes with good
treads for the event to avoid blisters.
Make sure you get some breakfast in the morning.
Although caffeine may help you wake up in the morning, you might want to avoid
it (caffeine acts as a diuretic, causing you to need more bathroom breaks).
Although you need only show up with a writing
instrument, the following is a helpful list. Consider packing everything into
a backpack (or a hydration pack) so your hands are free:
• Water bottle in a holder or hydration
pack such as a Camelbak
(you will not want to waste time buying soda)
• Comfortable shoes
• Sunblock (the higher the SPF the better)
• Writing instrument
• Clipboard
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Water bottle
• Scratch paper
• Small snacks (raisins, nuts)
• Water bottle
• Rain poncho or large garbage bag (poke arm holes) if weather calls for
drizzle); umbrellas just get in the way
• Bandages for blisters
Are you a parent who is considering registering for MouseAdventure?
The following may help you decide whether to bring your children with you.
If you want to bring your children, consider registering and
playing leisurely just for the fun of it, since you want to make sure to allow
for potty breaks, diaper changes, and periodic breaks.
MouseAdventure lasts all afternoon, and your children will
have to wander around the park without going on any rides until after the event.
Consider this and your children's demeanor.
The Trivia category may require an extended period of sitting
while you concentrate on the exercise, so your children may feel ignored and
get bored.
The extra amount of work involved in doing both the Trivia
and Quests activities is such that you might want to consider doing just the
Quests.
If you have a child small enough to ride in a stroller, find
a friend or a sitter to watch that child while you participate, or decide which
parent will participate, and which will be the sitter. You will be moving non-stop
through the park to get everything done, and a stroller will slow your
entire team down.
For more information and advice for parents by Adrienne Krock,
visit her “Parenting in
the Park” column.
|
