CDY and Schwartz Stopped at the Norwegian Border...The Conclusion of the Amazing Race for the 08544

By Morgan Jerkins '14

For this week’s episode of the Amazing Race, contestants traded in Ghana for Kiruna, Sweden. Because this part of the country has snow on the ground for eight months out of the year, it seemed appropriate for the first challenge to be at an ice hotel. From there, each pair had a code etched in Swedish in a block of ice. Once natives deciphered the code, contestants went on to the next location. At this time, our lovely Princetonians, Jonathan Schwartz ’10 and Connor Diemand-Yauman ’10, were in fifth place and dropped to sixth once their next task began with the snow dogs.

Contestants had to race these dogs down rugged terrain while grabbing flags along the way. If a person missed a flag at a certain checkpoint, he or she had to do a penalty lap around the specific area. Afterwards, Jon and Con drove to Vassijuare Train Station, where Jonathan struggled to sled down a hill in under 1:54. After several, failed attempts and a time of 4:54, the team decided to surrender and go on to the next location.

All teams had to build a tent, ignite a fire within it, and get the “okay” from a nearby indigenous group, the earliest descendants of Scandinavian nomads. Pretty cool. But as our boys were building their own tents, they noticed a few other teams doing the same, which filled them with both hope and defeat.

By the time Jonathan and his plus one reached the Norwegian border where they would find out where they placed, they walked slowly to the host while humming “Pomp and Circumstance.” It was the end of the road. However, they were not sore losers for they compared Amazing Race to graduating from Princeton—both worthy of praise. The twosome sang an a cappella song where one of the most memorable lines was “We are the best team to arrive…”. And that you are, guys.