Relay for Life hosts first Relay Relays event
The event took place Wednesday, Nov. 3 and incorporated field games to raise more money for the American Cancer Society
November 5, 2021
For the first time ever, Relay for Life hosted a sub-fundraising event called Relay Relays Wednesday, Nov. 3. The event had seven different yard games, including a cornhole competition, and provided free hot chocolate. Cash prizes were awarded for winning the cornhole tournament.
Relay for Life chair senior Maddy Williams explained how the idea of Relay Relays came up and the thought process behind the event.
“The four head chairs [seniors] Quincy [Hubert], Damara [Stevens], Alyssa [Canning], Anna [Brazil] and I were brainstorming different ideas a few months ago and we were joking around like, ‘What if around Thanksgiving we had Relay Relays?’” Williams said. “Since it sounds funny like, ‘Haha Relay Relays’ and we were saying, ‘We could do field games.’ We were taking the cornhole competition we had in the past and making it into something bigger.”
After the idea was pitched, next came the planning and the decision making. Williams described which games were held and why.
“We had cornhole, kickball, gaga ball, spike ball, three-legged-races, [jump the creek and ladder golf],” Williams said. “There were seven different activities and two big activities which were kickball and cornhole, everything else was on the side so participants could play.”
In order to participate in Relay Relays, a participant would need a signed safety waiver and a partner to play all of the games with. Junior Avery Blubaugh described her favorite part from Relay Relays and how she learned about the event.
“I heard about Relay Relays through social media. Mainly the Relay for Life Instagram but also from my friends’ [Instagram] stories. My partner was [junior] Emma McCall,” Blubaugh said. “My favorite part of Relay Relays was definitely the friendly competition. I loved being around my friends outside of the classroom. I would say that my favorite game was cornhole.”
Additionally, Blubaugh and her partner won the cornhole game, winning $20 each for their win.
“My partner, [junior] Emma McCall and I ended up winning the cornhole tournament and taking home $20. Our second game against [seniors] Danny Talavera and Adrian Dimond was very nerve racking and I honestly wasn’t expecting us to win,” Blubaugh said. “After we won I ran over to [junior] Emma [McCall] and picked up and swung her around. It was a super fun and exciting moment.”
With the success of the first ever Relay Relays, Williams expressed her feelings on the event and her hopes of future head chairs going through with the event in future years.
“I think it turned out really good and I think that it should be something carried on to next year. We had a pretty good amount of people show up, I would love to reach more people next year and get more people from Mill Valley to come,” Williams said. “We always have a lot of committee members and their friends come but I want to reach out so we can fundraise even more money.”
