Judy

The Possibilities of Duct Tape

season kickoff, team support Comments Off

Sep 052011

Robert Rauschenberg, an American Abstract-Expressionist artist, said that “You begin with the possibilities of the material.” In his art, Rauschenberg combined many different types of media and materials to create unique and imaginative images (Go HERE to see some of his art). In creative problem-solving, especially Destination ImagiNation®, we can appreciate and learn from Rauschenberg’s statement and should start examining the possibilities in the materials we use.

I would be hard pressed to think of another material more beloved and used in Destination ImagiNation than duct tape. It is used in costumes, scenery, props, emergency kits (just to name a few areas)—there is even a duct tape costume ball every year at Global Finals. Yet, what do you know about every DI-er’s best friend? By examining the properties of duct tape, we can start to see the potential outside the obvious uses we know and love.

The possibilities and versatility of duct tape are due to three different materials that make up duct tape’s three distinct layers. The outer layer is a soft plastic compound, called polyethylene, which provides the tape’s protective, water-proof cover and its often colorful appearance. Manufacturers can make multiple colors and designs of duct tape, because the polyethylene will keep that design or color. Another reason manufacturers use polyethylene is because of its resistance to getting damaged. Try taking a piece of sandpaper to the top layer of duct tape and see what happens.

Next is a woven cloth layer that gives duct tape it durability, because the mesh distributes stress throughout that piece. The durability of the cotton web used in duct tape depends on the thread count in an area. The tighter the weave and the more threads per square inch a duct tape has, the greater its tensile strength will be. (Note: Tensile strength is a material’s resistance to breaking under tension—in other words, how much weight the material can hold without ripping.) Premium quality duct tape can have a thread count of 44 by 28 (72 total) threads in one square inch. Some cotton shirts only have a thread count of 60 threads per square inch. Due to the high thread count and tight weave, superior quality commercial duct tape has a tensile strength of 40 pounds, whereas lower quality duct tape’s strength is only 20 pounds. There are military and nuclear versions that are even stronger!

The last layer is the rubber-based adhesive which gives duct tape its power. Duct tape’s adhesive power is the strongest when it’s sticking to itself. It can reportedly pull up to one ton (2,000 pounds) when stuck to itself! That sticky power is weakest when it is being adhered to a wet surface. The adhesive used in duct tape is so sticky because 1) rubber compounds bond more strongly than other adhesive compounds and so hold longer and 2) the rubber adhesive is very thick. Duct tape is about .3 mm thick compared to masking tape, which is about .13 mm thick.

So, how can YOU use these layers, either individually or combined? Can you use one of duct tape’s layers for your own work to make it better? Or can you improve it? Can you find a way to make duct tape even stickier? Can you come up with a solution to make the cloth mesh even stronger? Can you find a way to make the top layer more eye-catching or more resistant to damage? I bet if you use your imagination, you can come up with endless ideas and potential uses and improvements for duct tape.

Post written by Alisha Heisterkamp, Co-Affiliate Director

Resources:
MacLennan, Sean. “The Tape.” Sean’s Duct Tape Page. <http://seanm.ca/duct-tape/tape.html>

Schuller, Randy. “How Products Are Made: Duct Tape.” Gale-Edit.com. <http://www.gale-edit.com/products/volumes/duct_tape.htm>

Destination ImagiNation kicks off 2011-12 program season

contests, season kickoff, start a team, team support Comments Off

Sep 022011

Start a Team

Did you know that program materials for the 2011-12 program season can now be downloaded? All you have to do is purchase a single or 5-Team Pak by credit card, signed purchase order or check by visiting ShopDI. Once your payment is verified, you can download your program materials from the Resource Area of IDODI. (Use the same email address and password you used at ShopDI). A single-Team Pak costs $135, a 5-Team Pak is $390, and a Rising Stars!® Team Pak costs $55. Do you need to upgrade one or more Team-Paks to a 5-Team Pak? No problem—there is an upgrade package available. Single teams or Rising Stars!® teams may be either school or community-based, while 5-Team Paks may be purchased either by a school or a recognized community group (such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H Club, PTA/PTO group (and so on). A preview of this year’s Challenges is available for download HERE. Do you need materials to hold an information meeting? Visit our Recruiting Kit page HERE and download the materials you need.

Vote NOW for Pin & T-Shirt DIsign

To kick off the new program season, Students for a Creative Iowa is asking all Iowa DI participants (both students and volunteers) to vote HERE for their favorite pin and T-shirt design. Manufacturing requirements demand that a design be submitted early in the program season, so over the summer 15 designs were submitted by Iowa students. Please review these designs and vote for your favorite single-pin or T-shirt design no later than Friday, September 9th. The final design will be selected by the Board, based on such factors as ballot results, cost, ease of reproduction and other criteria. To date, only a small number of participants have registered their votes. Please make your preference known!

Plan a Team Meeting

Not ready to purchase a Team Pak? Many schools or groups meet early in the program season, despite the fact that they have not yet purchased a Team Pak. The period before a team purchases a Team Pak and/or chooses its Team Challenge is a wonderful time to encourage teamwork through warm-ups and games, to practice creative problem-solving by exploring Instant Challenges, and to learn new skills—particularly with regard to making materials work. Team Managers and Coordinators can help their students learn new skills by exploring the materials in these upcoming posts written by Co-Affiliate Director (Co-AD) Alisha Heisterkamp and Co-Affiliate Training Director (Co-ATD) Judy Nolan:

The Possibilities of Duct Tape
A Lesson From Cardboard
From Sewage to Sets and Everything in Between
Don’t Eat That!
Manipulating That Sheet of Paper
The Possibilities of Hook-and-Loop Tape
Choosing Paint Products That Work
Sewing Notions: A Variety of Connectors

The first post will appear next week, following by a new post each subsequent week. Consider holding mini-workshops around each of the materials described in these posts.

Finally, welcome to all returning participants and to new ones. Questions about the program? Email Judy Nolan at: judynolan@aol.com

Vote NOW for cre8iowa’s Pin & T-Shirt DIsign entries

contests, get involved, season kickoff Comments Off

Jul 262011

Iowa’s Destination ImagiNation® students and volunteers may vote NOW for cre8iowa’s Pin & T-Shirt DIsign entries. View the 15 design images that follow the ballot. (Click on individual images to enlarge them). Then submit your vote for your favorite choice. You may vote once only. Voting will remain open through Friday, September 9th. (Please note that the previous deadline of September 2nd was extended one week to allow more time for voting, since many schools are just now beginning their year.)

Please note that any required elements that are missing from these designs (such as the words Destination ImagiNation, cre8iowa or 2012) will be added during the manufacturing process. In addition, the Board reserves the right to make any final decision, based on cost or other factors.

Thank you to all of the participants for their design entries!

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: 1 Wind Turbine

: 2 Laughing Hard with cre8tivity

: 3 Iowa – a whirlwind of activity

: 4 Corny For Creativity Version 1

: 5 Corny For Creativity Version 2

: 6 Corny For Creativity Version 3

: 7 Corny for Creativity – Version 4

: 8 Angler Fish Version 1

: 9 Angler Fish Version 2

: 10 Angler Fish Version 3

: 11 Angler Fish Version 4

: 12 Protozoa Version 1

: 13 Protozoa Version 2

: 14 Sparkling like Diamonds

: 15 Legendary Creativity

Globals-bound team comes home to tornado

global finals, scholarships, team support, tournament No Responses »

Apr 182011

At 7:20 p.m. following the State Tournament held in Ames on April 9th, 2011, a tornado three-quarters-of-a-mile wide with winds of at least 136 miles per hour swept through the town of Mapleton, located in northwest Iowa. Four high school students who had competed at the Destination ImagiNation® Tournament that day left early to participate in a play at their school, never realizing the true life drama that would ensue. Five minutes into their performance, tornado sirens began howling, sending everyone to shelter. Trees were ripped from the earth and flew through windows, one of the boys lost his family’s car, and sixty percent of the community was flattened. Fortunately, no lives were lost during this horrific event, but many homes and businesses in Mapleton were destroyed.

The four Mapleton students who performed at the Destination ImagiNation Tournament qualified to advance to Global Finals at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville on May 25-28, where they will compete against teams from all over the U.S. and 30 countries. To get to Global Finals, every team member must raise $610 for room and board, plus additional dollars for state T-shirts and trading pins, and transportation for participants, chaperones and props. Ordinarily a team is able to count on its community for fundraising support, but the assistance the team would normally receive from Mapleton is now focused on a massive clean-up and rebuilding effort.

In recognition of these extraordinary circumstances and the special challenges facing The Laser Tag Team from Mapleton, Students for a Creative Iowa is awarding a one-time special distribution of $500 to this team from the Kitch-Eilerts Memorial Scholarship Fund. This scholarship was established in part to honor the memory of a Destination ImagiNation participant named Aaron Eilerts who died when a tornado struck his Boy Scout camp on June 11, 2008.

If you would like to assist the Mapleton team or any of Iowa’s Destination ImagiNation Global Finals teams in their journey to Global Finals, please e-mail cre8iowa@gmail.com to request contact information for that team. Include in your e-mail the name of the team you would like to support, the list of which may be found HERE.

If you would like to support the Mapleton relief effort, you can mail your donation to:

Mapleton Tornado Relief Fund
c/o First State of Mapleton
P.O. Box 78
Mapleton, IA 51038

2011 State Tournament results

tournament No Responses »

Apr 102011

Global Finals qualifiers

Congratulations to all of our teams for their fabulous performances at the State Tournament! You amazed us with your creativity, problem-solving and teamwork. The following teams have qualified to advance to Global Finals on May 25-28, 2011 at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville:

Challenge A: Unidentified Moving Object

Elementary Level, Team 112-30173, Meeker Elementary, Ames
Middle Level, Team 112-17864, Ames Middle School Team A, Ames Middle School, Ames
Secondary Level, Team 112-58797, The Laser Tag Team, Maple Valley Anthon Oto CSD, Mapleton

Challenge B: Spinning a Tale

Middle Level, Team 112-36521, Wishing for Whiskers, Maharishi School Gold, Fairfield

Challenge C: Triple Take Road Show

Elementary Level, Team 112-87904, Western Hills Elementary 4th Grade, West Des Moines
Middle Level, Team 112-75532, The Terrible Tasting, Tater Tot Eating, Glow Worms that Petrified Planet Panera, Maharishi School Gold, Fairfield
Secondary Level, Team 112-17235, Pompeii Didn’t Stand a Chance, Maharishi School Gold, Fairfield

Challenge D: Mission Mythology

Elementary Level, Team 112-25479, The C-ville Einsteins, Centerville TAG Program, Centerville
Middle Level, Team 112-73368, Awesome-Possum Team of Improv, Grinnell Middle School, Grinnell
Secondary Level, 112-27725, Dingbatz, Valley, West Des Moines

Challenge E: Verses! Foiled Again!

Elementary Level, Team 112-96674, The DI Pods, Maharishi School Green, Fairfield
Middle Level, Team 112-87657, Taco Eating Zebras, Villisca Community School, Villisca
Secondary Level, Team 112-19853, ROFLCOPTER Really Stupid I don’t know I kind of like it, I kind of like it, Denison

projectOUTREACH: Dynamic Networks

Middle Level, Team 112-90121, Ames Middle School Project Outreach, Ames Middle School, Ames
Middle Level, Team 112-49939, Mambas, Grinnell Middle School, Grinnell
Secondary Level, Team 112-27122, Chucky the Whirled Mouse, Maharishi School Gold, Fairfield

Complete competition results may be found HERE.

Scholarship winner

Congratulations to Jacob Stolley from Davenport West High School who received a $500 Students for a Creative Iowa Student Scholarship. Jacob, a four-year Destination ImagiNation® participant, plans to attend the University of Tennesse-Martin this fall, and plans to study natural resources management with an emphasis in wildlife biology and fisheries.

Jacob says that the Destination ImagiNation program has helped him become more outgoing and to have more confidence in front of a big crowd. “Teamwork,” he adds, “is the biggest and most important skill that Destination ImagiNation has taught me. Working with a group of people ranging in age from 15 to 18 years old definitely taught me to respect opinions based on past experience. In Destination ImagiNation the only way that a team will succeed is if they can work together and build off each other’s ideas. This skill can be very helpful in the work place because companies are looking for people who work well in teams. They must be able to formulate their own ideas as well as build off others’ to come together in one large plan to benefit the company.”

Jacob also feels that the Destination ImagiNation® program has taught him creative ways to solve problems, as well as the value of library research.

We wish Jacob the best in his future plans.

Thanks

Thank you also to all of the individuals and groups that helped to make this competition season possible. In addition to all of the Team Managers, Coordinators, Appraisers, Challenge Masters, parents, workshop facilitators and other volunteers, we want to extend a special thanks to the following:

Panera Bread for discounting the cost of Appraiser lunches at the Sub-state and State Tournaments
Coralville Hy-Vee for donation of grocery bags
Alpha Copies & Print Center for the discount on photocopying for paperwork and certificates
Doyle Forster and the folks from Chartwells who provided food service for the State Tournament
American Legion of Iowa Foundation for medals, award plaques, and training workshops
Cyber-Anatomy for providing free printing of the Instant Challenger materials
Iowa Energy Center for free use of facilities for Board meetings
Ames Middle School for hosting our Tournaments and free use of the facilities
Kristie Rysdam for donating a printer
Everyone who donated to the Students for a Creative Iowa Student Scholarship and the Kitch-Eilerts Memorial Scholarship funds

12 Tips for Instant Challenge Preparation

instant challenge, team support Comments Off

Mar 172011

Don’t forget about Instant Challenge between Tournaments. Especially at the State Tournament, the best teams can rank closely in their Central Challenge scores. What generally makes the difference, when it comes to team placement, is Instant Challenge, since this represents one-quarter of the final score. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Make sure your team practices Instant Challenge at every single meeting. Although one meeting does not make up for a lack of consistent practice, arrange for a meeting, if necessary, where you can focus on Instant Challenge.

2. It is not just the quantity of Instant Challenges practiced that matters, but also the quality of the Challenges and the quality of the debriefing that takes place afterward. Select Instant Challenges with a view toward providing students with exposure to new skills or experiences they need to acquire. Then make sure you discuss the outcome with students.

3. Although it is critical for a Team Manager or Coordinator to provide students with constructive feedback after a practice Instant Challenge, students also need to be involved in evaluating themselves. Ask them how they might score themselves, what they think they did well, where they could improve, and what they might do differently. In fact, give students a chance to repeat all or part of an Instant Challenge to help them experience learning success.

4. Go back to old Instant Challenges, and ask students to develop a different solution. Then encourage them to solve the Challenge again with a third solution. This teaches students not only that there is more than one solution for every single Instant Challenge, but also the importance of generating a unique solution.

5. Just as there is more than one solution to every Instant Challenge, there is more than one way to prepare for it. Encourage your students to play board games together that stress risk-taking (and consequences), critical problem-solving and creative thinking. Games to consider include Risk, Apples to Apples, Cranium, The Game of SCATTERGORIES, and similar games. To emphasize pattern analysis, ask your team to solve a jigsaw or Sudoku puzzle. To focus on balance, movement, and spatial awareness, have your team play Jenga or build a marble maze. To sharpen acting skills, play charades.

6. Emphasize to teams that they need to avoid the trap of seizing the first idea that occurs to them, since this is usually the most common solution. All Instant Challenges are designed to have more than one solution. Just because adults or students are unable to generate more than one solution does not mean they do not exist.

7. Avoid the trap of assuming there is a loophole that will solve the challenge. This is related to the assumption that there is only one solution to the challenge. When in doubt about the intent of a challenge, students need to refer to the Challenge statement that appears at the start of every Instant Challenge. Note that the Challenge is read once in entirety, and then the Appraiser re-reads the Challenge statement before the Timekeeper starts the clock.

8. Make sure your team practices a balance of all types of Instant Challenges: Performance, Task and Combination. Don’t be afraid to modify existing Instant Challenges so that your team is exposed to as many different types of challenges as possible. Shorten the time, add or subtract a step, change the materials, or switch a verbal challenge to a non-verbal one. Your goal is to help your students build a library of experiences from which they can draw when they compete, or at the very least achieve a level of comfort with the unexpected.

9. Be aware that within each type of Instant Challenge are sub-categories. Performance-Based Instant Challenges can be verbal or non-verbal, involve props or have no props at all. Task-Based Instant Challenges can be verbal or non-verbal, and involve moving, modifying, controlling, protecting, extending, building, communicating or solving a critical thinking problem that has more than one solution. Combination Instant Challenges can involve both a task and a performance which may or may not be related to each other. Sometimes a team is required to divide its members in order to accomplish multiple tasks or parts of a performance or task. Instant Challenges can have 2 or 3 parts whose tasks are well-defined; other times, there is only one part and the team must monitor the time closely to complete all of the requirements.

10. Make sure your team members are cross-trained in various roles, such as facilitating idea generation, tracking time, analyzing the rules, knowing how to score points, and manipulating materials. Even though all teams are comprised of external (talky) and internal (reflective) students, make sure everyone has a role during Instant Challenge, since this affects your teamwork score and, ultimately, the outcome of the challenge.

11. Where can you find Instant Challenges? Besides the set of Practice Instant Challenges that arrive with your program materials, you can download the Beta Roadmap to a Tournament from IDODI, which contains many Instant Challenges and warm-up activities. Visit cre8iowa’s Instant Challenge Library to download challenges written by Iowa adult and student volunteers. Go to the cre8iowa Document Library, and discover links to Instant Challenge collections found elsewhere on the Internet.

12. Next year, when your team participates in the Destination ImagiNation program, make sure you sign up for the cre8iowa Instant Challenger workshop that is held in early January. Teams who take advantage of this workshop, as well as teams whose adult facilitators attend Team Manager & Coordinator Training every year, generally experience fewer problems during the program season.

Post-Tournament housekeeping reminders

team support, tournament Comments Off

Mar 172011

Congrats to all of your teams for their efforts at the Sub-State Tournament. It is our hope that everyone took away from this event some learning, and that teams will use the Sub-State experience to improve their performance at the State Tournament.

With regard to the upcoming Tournament, here are a few housekeeping reminders:

Special schedule requests. The deadline for special schedule requests is this coming Saturday, March 19th. We will do our best to accommodate your needs. If something comes up after this deadline that you did not anticipate, you may switch places with another team in your Challenge and Level once the schedule is posted. However, both teams must then notify cre8iowa ahead of time to let us know this exchange is taking place. Send all schedule requests to: cre8iowa@gmail.com.

Location for Challenges B (Spinning a Tale) and E (Verses! Foiled Again!). To eliminate hallway congestion, the location for these 2 Challenges will be swapped at the State Tournament.

Paperwork requirements. Please make sure that your team shows up with its paperwork completed ahead of time, and that the appropriate number of copies is brought. Your team is asked to bring 5 copies of the Tournament Data Form, 2 copies of the Declaration of Independence, and one photocopy of the Expense Report. (Please make sure you also have handy a photocopy of receipts.) These copies go to different officials for different reasons. If your team brings only one copy of the paperwork, you will be asked to make handwritten copies, which often results in illegible paperwork as well as a delayed performance. This then affects other teams, since it creates a ripple effect. Note that you can download “interactive” forms from the Resource Area at IDODI. These forms can be completed online and printed. Remember also to bring a copy of any Team Clarifications you have. The Team Manager should keep handy, in case of emergency, a Medical Release for each student.

Arrive ahead of time. Make sure your team checks in for its Team Challenge and Instant Challenge at least 15 minutes ahead of time. This helps us to stay on time.

Supervision. Encourage your students to watch as many other teams as they can to take advantage of the learning experience. Once all teams have performed and you are waiting for Closing Ceremonies to begin, your team can borrow one of the board games available at the Sales & Registration table. Please make sure your team members are supervised at all times, including in the school gymnasium.

Making changes to the Challenge solution. Can students make changes to their solution between the Sub-State and State Tournaments? Absolutely. Ideally, teams should triple their level of complexity between Tournaments. Ask your students to evaluate their scores and see where they might score a few extra points. Have students written a clear and detailed description of their Side Trips on the Tournament Data Form? Appraisers are required to score Side Trips on the basis of what is written, not what is said. Tell your students to read, re-read and read again the Challenge. Is there anything they have missed or misunderstood? How can the existing solution be modified to be more unique, more effective and/or more sophisticated?

Team roster changes. Team Managers and Coordinators often ask whether changes can be made to the team roster at the State Tournament. The answer is found on page 9 of Rules of the Road: “Your team may not add team members between Tournaments for any reason, even if your team does not have seven members. Adding team members between Tournaments will result in disqualification as a competitive team. You team may still perform but will not be scored.” If a team member is absent from ANY Tournament for any reason (illness, conflict, moving away, etc.), that individual remains on the team roster for ALL Tournaments.

Questions? Contact Judy Nolan, Co-Affiliate Training Director, at: judynolan@aol.com.

Sub-State Tournament results

tournament No Responses »

Mar 062011

Congratulations to all teams for their great efforts at the Sub-State Tournament held on Saturday, March 5, 2011. The results are posted HERE.

Please note that all teams will advance to the State Tournament (except for teams that have withdrawn), as discussed in the below post.

All State Tournament schedule requests must be submitted 14 days AFTER the Sub-State Tournament, i.e., Saturday, March 19, 2011. Submit your schedule request to: cre8iowa@gmail.com. Requests received after this deadline cannot be accommodated.

Sub-State Tournament reminders

team support, tournament Comments Off

Feb 282011

This coming Saturday, March 5th, teams from around the state will compete at the Sub-State Tournament being held at Ames Middle School, 3915 Mortensen Road. If this is your team’s first time participating at a Destination ImagiNation® Tournament (and even if it is not), you may find the following reminders helpful.

Schedules

The Sub-State Tournament schedule, along with driving directions, is posted here.

The last day for STATE tournament scheduling requests to be made is 14 days AFTER the Sub-State Tournament. If you do not notify us by this date, it is your team’s responsibility to contact another team in your Challenge and Level, and exchange times with them–and for both teams to NOTIFY us of the change ahead of time by emailing cre8iowa@gmail.com.

Send all special scheduling requests to cre8iowa@gmail.com. Make sure you include your team number (112-XXXXX) so that we don’t confuse you with someone else!

If your team withdraws from ANY tournament, please let us know right away, as this affects the schedule.

Clarifications

Remind your teams to read and re-read the Challenge, and then to read it again. Your team is responsible for knowing all of the rules, and for reading and following all of the Published Clarifications, and (of course) for solving the Challenge. Team Managers, repeat to yourself this mantra, “This is not my Challenge; this is not my Challenge!” Published Clarifications supersede the Team Challenge rules, and Team Challenge rules supersede Rules of the Road. Clarifications may be found here.

Site restrictions

Please note that there is a zero tolerance weapons policy in effect at cre8iowa Tournaments. This means that no weapons, real or facsimile, may be brought to the site. Dry ice and helium balloons are allowed as long as appropriate safety precautions are followed, as outlined in Rules of the Road. Dry ice must be handled correctly. Helium balloons must remain under control at all times. Lights may not be turned off during any performance. This is a safety issue. If you have questions about site restrictions, contact the Tournament Director, Bruce Antion (antion.bruce@gmail.com), for clarification.

Conduct concerns

All team members and non-competing youths must have adult supervision at all times, especially in Prop Storage areas. Please be aware that other activities may be taking place at the same time teams are there, so it is important to be quiet in the hallways and respectful of other people’s needs.

There is no dumping of Challenge materials at the Tournament site unless a team has secured approval. Teams that discard any part of their Challenge solution at the Tournament site may receive an Unsportsmanlike Conduct deduction.

Site procedures for your Challenge

If you are new to the Destination ImagiNation® program, you will find the TravelGuide for Teams extremely helpful. This guide explains, step by step, what occurs at each Challenge site (including Instant Challenge), how scoring works and what may or may not be appealed, awards, and much more. To download the guide, go here.

General information for all competitive teams

1. What paperwork does the team need to bring to the Tournament?

* Please note that in addition to PAPER copies of the Tournament forms within the official Program Materials, you can download interactive tournament forms from the Resource Area of IDODI.

* Check in at Registration & Sales before you go to your Team Challenge site. This is very important!

* Bring at least 2 photocopies of the Declaration of Independence. One copy will be turned in before you compete in your Team Challenge, while the other one will be turned in before you compete in Instant Challenge. Do NOT turn in both copies at the same location! If you have team members who have moved away or have dropped off the team, just write these individuals’ names on the form with an explanation in place of the signature. The Declaration of Independence may be found on page 42 of Rules of the Road.

* Bring 5 photocopies of the Tournament Data Form, which can be found at the end of every Team Challenge. Team members–not Team Managers–are responsible for completing this form. Younger teams may be assisted by Team Managers as long as the Team Manager writes down the exact words dictated by team members.

* Bring 1 photocopy (not your original!) of the Expense Report, as well as copies of your receipts and evidence of research about rental costs in case there are questions about your Expense Report. The Expense Report may be found on page 41 of Rules of the Road. Not sure what is exempt or how to complete this form? Read pages 19-20.

* Bring a photocopy of any response(s) the team has received for Clarification requests. These will be turned in to the Prep Area Appraiser prior to competing in the Team Challenge.

* Bring one Medical Information form for each team member in case of a medical emergency. This form will not be collected by anyone, but will be retained by the Team Manager. You can download a generic form here.

2. How many team members are required to participate at Tournament?

* Encourage all of your team members who are available to participate, both in the Team Challenge and in Instant Challenge. It is not to your advantage to compete with fewer team members. However, if everyone is not available, two participants is the minimum that is required. Team members who “sit out” during the Team Challenge will be seated with the Team Manager(s) and may not communicate in any way with team members, or else this will be construed as Interference. Team members who choose not to participate in Instant Challenge may accompany the team into the Instant Challenge room if they desire, but may not communicate with team members in any way, or else this will be construed as Interference. Team members must decide ahead of time whether they will participate in Instant Challenge. Only one adult Team Manager may accompany the team into the Instant Challenge room, and only if the team decides that it wishes the Team Manager to be there. This rule does not apply to Rising Stars! teams.

3. Interference issues:

* As students prepare for competition, it is important that they learn skills that will help them figure out how to solve their Challenge. However, to avoid Interference, Team Managers or other adults need to talk about/teach skills in a context that is different from any part of the team’s solution. For example, if a team needs to learn how to use power tools or how to sew, the team needs to practice these skills on something other than their solution. Demonstrations follow this same rule.

* It is Interference for team members to talk to the audience (or to Appraisers) during their Team Challenge. This makes the audience or the Appraisers part of the team.

* Props must be created by team members, not by adults! If repairs must be made at the Tournament site, it is Interference for adults to repair props, fix costumes or apply makeup. Ahead of time, teams should brainstorm a list of items that might be useful to include in an emergency tool kit

4. What is the procedure to be followed if a team or Team Manager has concerns about what happened at the Team Challenge site?

* Approximately 30 minutes after the team’s performance, one adult (usually the Team Manager) and one team member may pick up raw scores from the Head Appraiser. Please do NOT interrupt a team that is performing! If you have concerns or questions about the objective portion of these raw scores, you have 30 minutes to address them. The correct procedure is to approach the Head Appraiser first for clarification. If you do not feel your questions have been adequately addressed, you may then approach the Challenge Master. If you still have concerns, you may take them to a DIalogue team consisting of at least 3 people, one of whom is the Tournament Director or Affiliate Director. A final decision will be made at this point. Instant Challenge scores may not be appealed, as appraising for this part of the competition is subjective. Remember: Only objective scores may be appealed.

5. Can teams change their solution between the Sub-State and State level of competition?

* Absolutely! It is encouraged and expected that teams will triple their level of sophistication between the Sub-State and State level of competition. Treat the Sub-State Tournament as a trial run, gathering as much information as possible to prepare for success at the State level of competition. Watch other teams perform, then fine-tune your own solution.

6. Is there anyone in Iowa that I can talk to about team or Tournament issues?

* BEFORE the Tournament, please direct your questions to Judy Nolan at judynolan@aol.com. If she cannot answer your questions herself, she will direct them to the appropriate individual(s). Solution-specific questions, however, need to have been submitted as Clarification requests to IDODI.

*DURING the Tournament, refer to #4 above.

*AFTER the Tournament, contact the Affiliate Director, Jay Swords, at jswords@prodigy.net.

7. How many teams will advance to the State Tournament?

Students for a Creative Iowa emphasizes above all the learning process of creative problem-solving. We recognize that the popularity of two Challenges this year created a significant disparity in the number of teams competing across all challenges. We understand that Destination ImagiNation® involves competition; however, to eliminate teams at the Sub-State level in some Challenges while allowing all teams to advance to the State Tournament in others is inconsistent treatment. Therefore, all teams that make a good faith effort to present Team Challenge and Instant Challenge solutions at the 2011 Sub-State Tournament will be allowed to advance to the 2011 State Tournament.

Any team that, in the opinion of the Team Challenge and/or Instant Challenge Appraiser team(s), fails to demonstrate a good faith effort to present a solution will be denied the opportunity to advance to the State Tournament. This also eliminates that team from the opportunity to advance to the 2011 Global Finals Tournament. The Appraiser team recommendation will be carefully reviewed by the Affiliate Director, who will make the final decision.

By participation in an event conducted by an Affiliate, Region or other gathering related to the Destination ImagiNation® program, the participant or participant’s parents or participant’s guardian understands and hereby voluntarily agrees to release, waive, forever discharge, hold harmless, defend and indemnify Destination Imagination Inc., and their agents, officers, boards, volunteers, and employees from any and all liability and all claims, actions, or losses for bodily injury, property damage, wrongful death, loss of services, or otherwise which may arise out of the participant’s participation in activities related to the Destination ImagiNation event, including travel to and from the event.

Where to find Appraiser or volunteer information

appraisers, tournament, workshops No Responses »

Jan 262011

Have you volunteered as a team Appraiser or Rising Stars!® volunteer? A special page on this Web site has been created just for you. Please bookmark this page, as it will be updated periodically with information you will find helpful:

Appraiser Information

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Students for a Creative Iowa