Royal Rangers Selangor 7

By Diane Chew (Captain of ‘Infinity Milers’ group)

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The clocked showed 1 a.m., the morning of 18th August 2007 , the day of the Treasure Quest! My sister, Debbie and I were supposed to tuck ourselves into bed to get enough rest for the big Treasure Quest event around town that was about to start in 5 hours time! But that was not the case. For the radio in my bedroom was booming with energetic cheerleading music (thanks to Denise who forced us to mimic her cheer routine). Oh my, it was torturing.

At 6.30 a.m. sharp, swarms of rangers ranging from Discovery Kids till Expedition Rangers gathered together at a ‘pondok’ at Taman Aman to get registered. T-shirts, tickets, patches and money were given out for teams to use throughout the entire race. As we were being briefed about the race, multiple facial expressions were seen on the faces of the rangers (especially the team leaders) from uncontainable excitement to frowns. Not forgetting our ever so popular session of ‘morning exercise’ with Cmdr. Jeffrey Goh.

READY? GET SET GO! Teams were flagged-off according to three different time intervals with their very own marshal. The requirement was to solve and obtain as many answers we could at a particular place before continuing the race to another venue. The route that was to be taken was from Taman Aman to Amcorp Mall, KLCC, KL Sentral and Berjaya Time Square. The main source of transportation was neither a car nor a bus but LRT and monorail.

I could still remember my hands were trembling as I flipped through all 18 pages of questions and riddles. I gulped down my saliva and stared into space thinking “Whoa! This race is going to be tougher than I thought.” I looked to my right and left, the younger rangers were already frantically running looking for clues. One after another, questions were answered and the rhythm of the race we could feel. The desire to win was undeniable.

As the race continued, questions and pictures to be found grew insanely non-sensical and frustrating. Behind our backs, commanders were having a jolly good time laughing. Time was running out and teams knew marks would be deducted greatly. All teams cramped into the ant-sized monorail like sardines packed in tins. I remembered my marshal, Uncle Anto mouthing to me that this would be the first and the last time he is sitting on a monorail. It was that terrible.

Seeing upon the Kahuna, Cmdr. Darren was a great relief signifying that it is the end of the long and exhausting race. Team leaders hesitantly submitted their “brown envelopes” and items obtained accompanied by a song according to Acts 20:24, “However I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” The pang of hunger was relieved with hotel buffet lunch (yummy durian cakes).

The whole of Bronx 6 was in an uproar of laughter and dissatisfaction when answers were being revealed. Rangers were smacking their foreheads and giving the look of “Why didn’t I thought of that?”. Some were pointing fingers at each other and many lost hope of being the champion. Vouchers and gifts were on the grab for consolations. During the whole race, there were spies and F.B.I. that were studying us carefully. The outcome was selecting which ranger fit into these categories- The Best Nanny, The Most “Kan Chiong”, The Best Leader, The Most Enthusiastic Leader and many more. This time was an opportunity to thank those who planned and contribute into this event. It was such a successful event and all Rangers could repay back is by claiming that YOU ALL ARE THE BEST!

Now, it was the most intense moment- the highlight of the event where there is only one team to be announced as the “WINNER OF THE TREASURE QUEST 2007”. It was either Infinity Milers or Surf’s Up. You’ve guessed it. The winner goes to *drum roll*……… none other than Surf’s Up! Good job!

The long yet thrilling hunt finally came to an end. As each ranger look back to the day’s adventure, we had many hilarious, exciting and tiring times. To sum it all, Treasure Quest 2007 was amazingly AWESOME! Let us not only be pumped up when running the physical race but also our spiritual race. There are times when we are beaten down and lose hope but think again. God brought you to this race and he shall finish the race alongside with you.