Foundation For Youth Triathlon

Oh the In it to Win It girls! They have so much fun in Columbus, Indiana that it just shouldn’t be legal. Today was a day of volunteering, sight-seeing, and fun! Our day started at 7 AM with the Foundation for Youth Triathlon. Missi had been training for weeks for the swim portion at her grandparent’s pool. Oh how she spent each night going back and forth in their above ground pool. She was mentally prepared for the event and Mandi and Erin were there to cheer her on! The team was given the duty of helping people out of the water as they exited that part of the triathlon. They were paired up with other volunteers from the community and they did such a fine job. One of the other volunteers is the General Manager of Old Navy, so the team was able to do a bit of networking too! Those In It To Win It girls are always making the most of every challenge! Unfortunately, our blog format does not support video images, otherwise you could hear the crowds roar! As Missi came in from her swim everyone cheered for her. She wasn’t the first in, but she did a great job. Yes, she was not the first out of the water . . . In fact, she was the last! It turns out that training in an above ground pool just doesn’t compare to the horrendous conditions of Tipton Lakes . But alas, she was consoled after the race by Mandi and Erin as they told her that she made them so proud just by attempting the swim at all. Erin even showed her pride by giving Missi a victory dance that really boosted her spirits and she was once again ready to race on!

Tony Stewart and Spinning Out!

After the triathlon the In it to Win it Girls headed over to the Tony Stewart sign to get a picture for that challenge. Everyone driving by hooted and hollered for them as they stood by the sign. Jeff Gordon even came by and offered to let them get a picture with him but they politely declined. They new that they must stay focused on the final prize, so they headed on their way.

They decided that since the Landfill was close by, they would head over to the Recycle Sign made of grass. Here they received some unexpected fun. After being under the Tony Stewart sign, they were all feeling ready for a spin! Missi got the bright idea of laying on their sides and rolling down the hill. Now that sounds like fun right? You would think so and it was . . . but it was also down right dangerous! It has been close to 100 degrees all week. As a result, the grass is brittle and nearly dead. Erin's husband, Chris, tried to warn the girls that they should maybe leave the spinning to Tony, but to no avail! And as soon as they headed off down the hill, they knew they were in trouble. Each time they turned it felt like needles poking into their skin. And unfortunately, no one had thought about how they would have to wait for the momentum to stop before they would quit rolling! Mandi was thoroughly enjoying herself and laughing so hard, she thought she might have an accident! And as they finally slowed down, the world kept spinning for Missi and Erin. They both said that this activity should be illegal, as they felt high as a kite as they neared the bottom. In fact, Missi felt so disoriented that she actually lost her lunch before she finally returned to normal. All three girls were left with cuts and abrasions all over their skin from the grass, they were covered in a strange rash, AND a great amount of itching!!

Anderson Falls

After the team gained their wits temporarily lost from their roll down the grass sign, they headed over to Anderson Falls . Oh they had been outside all day and the only thing that really got them through the heat was knowing that they would be able to relax in the beautiful revitalizing falls! As they approached, the girl’s jaws dropped to the ground. They discovered that the name of this place was very misleading! For one, it was not anywhere near Anderson, Indiana and for two, there was hardly a drop of water, let alone falling water! Mandi dropped to the ground in exhaustion. They had come all this way for the refreshing springs! Erin screamed "NOOOOO" and it echoed over and over in the empty hole that used to be the falls. Missi exclaimed, "This is not what it looked like in the brochure!"
But alas, not all was lost. Miss and Erin enjoyed dangling their feet over the edge of the so-called falls. Missi even found a hole with some interestingly green water and seaweed that she claimed was the pit of youth. She rubbed the seaweed and water over herself and her teammates. They left the falls feeling refreshed, young, and quite professional once again!

The Biggest Block Party Ever Featuring In It To Win it!

We knew the block party would be fun! Mandi and Erin had planned a wild outfit for the night! We began at 4:00pm promptly as the doors opened wearing our usual In it to Win it t-shirts and gear. We gave the secret password, Visual Delight, and easily completed our given challenges. We then headed over to Extreme Entertainment’s booth where Missi’s friend and Amazing Race competitor, Demaris was face painting. We all got our faces painted each a little differently. Missi chose a spider WEBB to signify her last name. Erin chose a butterfly and Mandi chose the princess look. We were so excited to see Demaris, as we had an extreme outfit planned for the night and the face painting would be the perfect addition. After getting our faces painted, we headed home to change our outfits and prepare for the fun night ahead. We are not really sure what the theme of these outfits was exactly, but we like to call it the “In It To Win It” clubbing look. Everyone seemed to love our glamour and several stopped to ask us what we were doing and why were dressed like superstars. That allowed us the perfect opportunity to promote CYP and the race. By the end of the night everyone was talking about the race and our team as we walked by. We were even offered help in the race by many people at the block party. One table was really eager to help us, and asked all about what we have done so far and our future challenges. So we pulled out our challenge book and they gave us several tips to help us on our journey. They were such nice people and we shortly discovered that they are Chamber members and business owners throughout the community! This chance meeting turned out to be a wonderful networking opportunity!

Midway through the night we were greeted by the Mayor, Fred Armstrong, who asked to have his photo taken with us and requested an autograph. He had heard about us from The Republic coverage of the event on opening night and he was so excited to meet us. We granted him a photo, gave him some campaign tips on being In It to Win It, thanked him, and then headed on our way.

As usual, there was one small mishap! Missi accidently bumped into a Columbus Police Officer almost tangling him in her neon green boa! Luckily for her, he was a very understanding man and let her go with only a warning!

Irwin Gardens, the Sculpture Tour, and MORE Injuries . . .

Next, we headed to Irwin Gardens which was so beautiful. We spent about an hour strolling through and getting pictures of the flowers and animals. Our adventurouous morning had been fun, but we were now ready to eat. We headed to the Columbus Bar where we met the cook, Nana, and enjoyed the food.

Of course the day was not without injury. Who knew that the sculpture tour would be so dangerous but it certainly was. As we headed our way through town to see each sculpture, Mandi stepped on a large piece of glass. The glass penetrated all the way through her sandal, but luckily did not reach her foot. Erin, like any good teammate would do, readily came to her aid and began removing the glass. It seemed that all injury was avoided when Erin suddenly realized that now her hand was bleeding pretty hard. She had cut herself removing the glass and it was her “We are #1 and In It To Win It finger.” She needed some medical attention and she needed it quick. They looked around….no one was close by to come to their aid. Where is that Stat Ambulance team when you need them?
Then it came to them. They were right by the Senior Center and they probably would have a band-aid and a place to wash it off. Well they got into the Senior Center all right, but as they walked in, to their surprise they were in the middle of a wedding reception. Oh we felt so bad for the couple! While all attention was on them previously, suddenly everyone was crowded around us for an autograph. We got the medical attention that we needed, signed a few autographs to be nice, and then headed back into the city to discover more of Columbus.


Anyone keeping up with our journey knows that we are injury prone! And that’s why Mandi and Missi gasped with horror as they saw the next humorous pose that Erin was attempting. They tried to stop her. They yelled at her to “Please, get down!”, but she did not! Before they could talk reason into her, Erin was hanging over the bridge by the senior center. Luckily, no injury was sustained but that one was close!

We continued on for the rest of the sculpture tour and took funny pictures at each one. At the Monk sculpture, Mandi and Erin got the idea to have Mandi on Erin ’s back for the photo. It all seemed like a simple enough plan until Mandi jumped and we all heard a loud ripping sound! Mandi’s pants split right in the middle as she jumped on Erin ’s back! After we quit laughing hysterically and inspecting the damage, we decided something had to be done to repair the pants. We had a lot to do and Mandi now had on black pants with a white stripe showing down the middle! Erin came to the rescue with a safety pin, creatively closing the split. You would think the multiple injuries suffered by the team, would have stopped here, but oh no there is more…As they ended the sculpture tour, they walked to the car, ready to sit down and relax a minute from the long day of walking. BUT, at the exact second Mandi went to sit down, the safety pin being used to keep her pants together, suddenly popped wide open, giving her a much unexpected poke! BUT, as is to be expected of the In It To Win It team, we did NOT lose our spirits and raced on!

Visitor's Center Architectural Tour

Oh the girls of In It To Win It, they live and race each day to the fullest. Today, July 28, was a long day of CYP Amazing Race fun. It all started early in the morning with the Architectural Tour. We learned a great amount about the numerous buildings and structures around Columbus and a lot of facts that we never new. Mandi and Missi sat in the back of the tour bus reminiscing about their younger school days of riding the bus. Erin ’s son, Owen, also enjoyed the tour, but we knew he had had enough when he grabbed the cord in the bus requesting a stop! Although he is the youngest honorary member of our team, he is not too young to know that we had a busy day planned and had to be on our way.

As we ended our tour, we heard the Scottish Bag Pipers warming up so we promptly put on our homemade kilts made by Erin and headed over to meet and greet. Oh you should have seen Missi turn three shades of red as one bag piper asked her if she was wearing her Kilt properly! FYI we were NOT! Apparently, the proper way allows quite a breeze under that kilt!
As has become routine for our team, another one of the bag pipers was so impressed by our team spirit that they asked to wear one of our red, white, and blue leis as a symbol of their support!

A Beautiful Saturday Afternoon . . .

Always on the go to complete challenges, Mandi and Missi decided to complete a few as they had a couple of free hours to enjoy together on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

First they traveled from park to park enjoying the unique features of each one. They hunted for crawldads and tadpoles with some locals at Mill Race and Mandi enjoyed a few moments with her feet in the sandy beach of the riverside.

Next they went to Noblitt Park and took a few more pictures on the People Trail. Along the way, they discovered the most beautiful gardens. The landscaping was simply breathtaking and it is easy to see that Columbus is truly IN IT TO WIN IT for the upcoming Communites in Bloom International Challenge.

They also went to Donner and took a funny picture by the sign. Missi is still trying to figure out the best way to wear the Amazing Racebuff. While Mandi and Erin have both been tied up, tangled, and practically suffocated while attempting to trial their buffs, they will not be defeated and all are determined to not let that little green piece of material get the best of them!

Feeling the heat . . .

Oh we are feeling stressed. There is so much to do and so little time. We thought we were doing good but we suddenly realized just what all there is to still do. We are trying to get our game plan down. We've got brochures, we've got maps, we've got dates and time, and most of all--we've got SPIRIT!

So, after another quick team pep rally, we decided to head to the international grocery today. We talked with a local, named Padma, who has moved to our beautiful city of Columbus all the way from India. She agreed to guide us through the grocery and educate us on the many unique items available in the store. We got some interesting videos of her explaining what certain things were, their medicinal purposes, and the cultural and religious meaning of pieces of art on the wall. We spent about two hours at the store getting to know her and learning about her culture. It was a really interesting event. In fact, it was an unexpected and memorable experience that we will not soon forget.

Freedom Field

Today we visited Freedom Field which is probably the coolest park ever. We had a great time playing on all the equipment. Also, we hunted and hunted for tic-tac toe boards and did not find any. Actually, we found what could possibly be considered as the game, however there were no Xs or Os! So, we are kind of stumped there. Missi and Erin, being the fierce competitors that they are, could not resist going a few rounds at the game they discovered! Luckily for all involved, they each won a match and both walked away as winners in the end!

And of course, as is common place lately, this task also was not without injury. We were playing on the equipment, feeling 5 years old again when Mandi decided to hang upside down on the monkey bars.

We're not quite sure what happened, but she suddenly cried out in pain, falling to the ground and grabbing her leg! Our team's playtime was over and it was time to get serious again. So Mandi limped all the way to the car and we decided to call it a day, hanging our heads low as we realized we may be Young Professionals, but we are in fact, no longer, young spring chicks at all!

One, Two, Three Strikes, You're Out . . .

Oh Mandi and Erin they are true team players…Today we tried our best at the batting cages. Unfortunately, Missi was there and posed for a photo, but was too much of a wimp to try her skill inside the batting cages. Because all of the slow lanes were taken up by boys and we were pressed for time, we had to try fast speed softball. It was quite a challenge, but Erin was successful at one good hit. Mandi threw up a loose ball and also was able to hit it. I guess that got them to believe they were professionals because the next thing I knew, they were sneaking on the field to join a team singing, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," all the while. It was quite embarrassing, but the team was good enough to say that they might as well play with them as the team only had 5 players and would have to forfeit if they did not play. So they played, achieving what they considered to be their Random Act of Kindness for the day.

Farmer's Market & JCB Neighborfest . . .

Today was quite successful for our team. We got a lot accomplished. Mandi provided some appropriate attire for the challenge. She gave us all a straw hat to visit the Farmer’s Market downtown. We had such a great time chatting with all the people and met a few Chamber of Commerce members along the way. We purchased a beautiful bunch of sunflowers at the market. We couldnt wait to get home to sit beneath them as one person told us "sunflowers are the poor man's tanning bed". After the Market, we traveled over to the JCB neighborfest. We met a lot of interesting people. One slightly intoxicated man asked if he could buy a sunflower from Missi which she kindly just gave to him, achieving her Random Act of Kindness for the day.

We also met a guy near the ColumBus stop that had rode the city bus all over town. He said he did not know why he was riding he just felt like going for a ride. He was worn out so he shared with us some of his story. He was interesting. He said, "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get". After meeting with him and taking photos of the bus, we decided to head home, quite content with our accomplishments of the day.

Shopping For Gumby . . .

Oh, how determined they are to win. They will search high and low for the treasures asked for in the race. Today, our unwavering team gave it there all to search for anything Gumby or some orange Tupperware. While Missi found an old fashioned bowling pin right away, the rest of the day was not as successful! And unfortunately, the day ended in failure and yet another team injury.
Mandi and Erin were walking along in their search at a local rummage sale when Mandi said to Erin, “Oh by the way, CYP posted Columbus’ favorite team on the website and it was NOT us, it was Equilibrium. Erin quickly looked at Mandi in disbelief and said, “NOOOOO!” and a few other choice words that we will NOT print here. She was in such a tizzy that she walked right into a small metal post, banging and slicing up her knee! To top it all off, none of the treasures sought were found. Mandi consoled her bleeding friend, the best that she could. And after a brief motivational and spirited speech, they all brushed themselves off, determined to race on and think of creative ways to cause a little imbalance in that Equilibrium . . .

CYP 4th of July Tailgate Party

For our next challenge of the Amazing Race, we attended the CYP 4th of July Tailgate Party. We came decked out in our famous Uncle Sam hats and proudly displayed our new shirts made by Mandi with IN IT TO WIN IT proudly displayed on the front. We also showed off our team spirit with our patriotic pyramids and sparklers! Much to our dismay, we were only given a few opportunities to perform our exciting stunts before our husbands took away our lighters, adamantly proclaiming that we needed to leave the firework displays in the hands of professionals!!

This event provided a good networking opportunity. We got to know several of the teams and took many exciting photos. We tried our skill at the game Corn Hole and found that Mandi certainly may have been a Corn Hole champion in a previous life, as she had exceptional skill. Erin and Missi, well they decided not to quit their day jobs and go on the corn hole tour as their skills left much to be desired.

A Day In The Life . . . June 28, 2007

Oh a day in the life of IN IT TO WIN IT . . . It is always exciting, never bland.

We are three girls determined to win the race at whatever the cost. Our funny journey began the night of the kick off event. We hooted and hollered our way into the heart of Andrew Laker from The Republic who chased us down Fourth Street to get that winning front page story. Oh how his life has probably changed since then. We imagine awards and fame certainly followed that night for him.

That was a night of fun but there was also injury. The eye doctor of our group got glitter in her eye from one of the fan's signs that proudly displayed IN IT To WIN IT in bright glittery letters. Dr. Webb (Missi) is not really sure how it happened but thinks it was probably when the fans crowded around her and then threw her into the air passing her back and forth on their hands as if she was a star at a concert. Anyway, glitter did get in her eye and she readily retrieved it out like any sensible eye doctor would do. So why did she show up at the local ophthalmologists (Dr. Pankratz) the next day? Well, one tiny piece of glitter found its way down her tear duct, producing an awful reaction and requiring immediate medical attention. Luckily, she did recover! So alas, she took one for the team and continued on her race for the final prize!