Sunday June 14 was day two of the Relay Weekend. Late the night before at 9PM SL time (Midnight SLT) was the Luminaria Ceremony, also known as the Luminaria hour. People were asked to be quiet and encouraged to pause their walking as they reflected on those lost to cancer.
The Luminaria Hour would be live on Youtube as well, luminaria floating upwards over ACS island.
Some people pulled an all-nighter. Others got some rest, even if it was a few hours. Fortunately there were some snacks and drinks at various places such as the Roos With A Dream camp.
Many were running to get as many laps as possible. While I planned to walk a few, I also talked with others, such as the Roos.
Some on the track insisted on using speed boosters, some leaving streak trails as they zoomed across the track.
"Woosh for a cure" someone called it. There would be 25 people who would win the Chettah Award, also known as the cheater award, one making a hundred laps!
It should be noted the track had some of the most varied lengths. It wasn't just all brick and asphalt. There were stretches of wood.
The ACS sim had glass bridges. ACS2 and three had wooden ones.
Once again, some creative avatars were going down the track, like this giant snail from the Giant Snail Races.
and this small dragon bounding down the track
And there were also gryphons.
There were ponies (I ran into one when going to a sandbox to unpack something, told her about the Relay, and she came over and brought a friend).
And these ... whatever they are.
Ran into Zada Bury, who was filming the area for Drivers of SL.
I would also check out a few other campsites, including the Second Life Cheerleading Squad's, of which I would climb the double helix and parachute off.
I would do a total of a bit less than the equivalent of four laps. And eventually at 10 AM was the closing ceremony. The lag was so heavy, I risked crashing if looking at more than a few complete avatars, my clothes turning white.
Again, the Closing Ceremony was broadcasted live on Youtube.
From the video, Cynthia Farshore was there in her balloon.
The Committee congratulated everyone for a job well done. There was some news that was a little sad though. After some years, Trader Whiplash and MamaP were stepping down from their leadership positions.
After the Closing Ceremony was the Victory Lap. Many would do one more lap around the track. Some would also go to parties on the track. I ended up running into Mattie Carlton, the leader of Kitsunes For A Cure, that had just hit Silver Level fundraising.
It was an exciting Relay Weekend. But the fun at the track isn't over yet. The sims will be up for a few more days, with the "Flood Party" taking place sometime Wednesday. The Royal Ascot by Team ACTS is taking place in the Relay track this time, in a couple sims in the southwest, to Sunday June 21st.
There's always "that guy" who takes down his camp early. So be sure to see the campsites while you can.
Go Relay!
Bixyl Shuftan
