27/06/2023
ONTO THE NEXT PITSTOP!
An Accelerace Article by Hanani David C. Buan
Coming into this race, I thought that I wouldn’t be able to reach the finish line. Will I finish the race? Will I fight a good fight? And most importantly, will I keep the faith?
At last, the youth sprinted! Last June 17, after four long years, Youth Life Ministry kicked off Accelerace 4.0 at Life-Giver Church, with 44 participants.
Spearheaded by Youth Pastor, Ptr. Jonathan Corpuz, this exhilarating and physically-bounded youth activity, the fourth edition of its kind, has marked its return after the pandemic. Following the same format as the earlier versions of the race, the racers sprinted to the pit stops scattered all around Bataan. The racers' creativity was put to a test as they tried to decipher the clues to find the location of the next pitstop, recite a memory verse to clear each challenge, and earn puzzle pieces after each game to be assembled at the end of the race. The challenge-takers were divided into five groups representing the colors: blue, pink, red, green, and yellow; they were assisted by their own hybrid leaders, chosen from the existing pool of assistant leaders in the said ministry.
The first stop was held at the grassy field of the new access road to Capunitan.
The racers had to strip a piece of garter from their heads to their toes without using their hands and try taking a bottle down with the same piece of garter afterward. From there, racers had to walk to Villa Angeles Court, the second pit stop head, body, and team coordination awaited the racers as they were challenged to walk with balloons in between them. Meanwhile, sharp and articulate throws were demanded from the racers as they tried to shoot paper airplanes into a box at the third pitstop held at Balagtas Park, Pag Asa. At the fourth pitstop, wacky faces were captured as the racers tried to balance a pencil in between their nose and mouth together with a chopstick in between their chin and neck and shoot it at a bottle standing on a tiny stool. The plain roads of JEAG greeted the racers with their fifth pit stop where they had to juggle a ping pong ball using flip flops and take to a basin.
With a fixed budget, the racers had to strategize and commute to Balanga City where the next pit stops awaited them. Some groups rushed with competitiveness, huddled themselves onto a jeepney and sat on the floor to get there quicker. At the sixth pit stop, the racers had to channel their sharpness, endurance, and willpower of their guts as they try to shoot two ping-pong balls consecutively into a small cup and finish it off by drinking from a wide range of odd refreshers varying from apple cider juice to ampalaya shake. At the seventh pit stop located at the center of Balanga City Plaza, another game of group coordination greeted the racers, where they tried to balance a ball on a pencil and take it to the next station.The racers had to use their budgeting and bargaining skills as they moved to their next pit stops at Sibul Nature Resort, Abucay. One group merged with another group and rented an entire jeep to take them from Balanga to Abucay, while some had to ride tricycles. The eighth and ninth pit stops were both held at Sibul. The racers tested their accuracy and precision as they threw their shoe at a basin and popped
balloons filled with flour and water using a headband with needles attached to their member’s head.
The racers together with the staff took a well-deserved rest and spent the remaining hours eating and cooling off by dipping into the cold pool and just having a pure blast of enjoyment. By the end of the day, all of the teams were given pizzas as a reward. However, as for all races, there is only one winner, and the pink team was awarded as this year’s Accelerace winner.
I ran the race, and reached the finish line. Through His strength, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have fought a good faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)
To God be the glory!
