By Lilyen McCarthy
The idea surfaced in September 2021 of Delaney Kiendra’s first-year at Adelphi. Kiendra is a junior right side hitter majoring in management with a focus in human resources. She wanted a fun way to celebrate Halloween with her teammates, and she has always been known for her event planning abilities. Kiendra asked her teammates if they wanted to do the scavenger hunt and what kind of prizes they would want to win–and the planning began. Here she explained how it all came about.
Q: What gave you the idea to host a Halloween scavenger hunt for your team?
A: At its start, it was more of an idea for team bonding. My first-year class coming in had the same number as the rest of the classes combined, so we had a sort of disconnect. October is the busiest month for the volleyball team, so I thought doing something fun with the team would make our schedule a little more bearable.
Q: How has the scavenger hunt changed since your first year?
A. It has become way more intricate. The scavenger hunt started as an Easter egg hunt where everyone got the same amount of candy to one giant riddle that led to a grand prize. Last year, I planned tasks to move people from one activity to the next. My teammates had to sing in the athletic training room, play rock, paper, scissors with the CRS [Center for Recreation and Sport] front desk staff and solve puzzles. I am looking to top it again this year and make it even more intricate.
Q: What does your planning process look like?
A. Lots and lots of idea writing, notes and Google docs. I also now have everyone on the volleyball team fill out a Google form in order to find out what they liked and did not like from the year before and what they want to see this year. I also take a lot of inspiration from the CBS show “Survivor” and the puzzles that they do there.
Q: Do you bring in any outside help for ideas?
A: I do. While I take a lot of inspiration from outside sources and ask for team input, I will also have help from the athletic staff to work challenges and ensure that the scavenger hunt runs smoothly. Some teammates will also help me with the process of making goodie bags and getting things together in order to help me with getting everything on time. This year, my teammate Zoe West is helping me with the entire thing, which will be super exciting to bounce ideas off another person.
The third annual volleyball scavenger hunt was held on Oct. 20.
“My favorite part of the scavenger hunts is always how creative they are,” said senior outside hitter Sammy Meehan. “I never know what’s next and it’s so exciting and interesting.”
With this year’s scavenger hunt besting last year’s, the team is already excited for what year four brings.
“Every year I think the scavenger hunt cannot possibly get better, and every year I’m wrong,” said junior setter Kambel Fiser.