TIPS
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Advancement. Teams advancing from Regional tournaments to
the State Tournament, or from State on to Global Finals may
not realize the team can (and should) improve their
performance. Most experienced teams are constantly thinking
of ways to improve skits, props, etc. to try and get an edge
on other teams. Remember, each tournament you advance to
means the team is going to face the best of those
tournaments. We know of teams that have transformed 80% of
their performance looking for a better way to impress the
Appraisers. |
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New and experienced Team Managers should take advantage of
trainings put on by Wisconsin DI. These TM trainings are put
on by certified and experienced people that can take you
through the in’s and out’s of managing a team of students.
Take it from me, a TM can have a difficult time if they have
no experience. The trainings can give you a helping hand and
prepare you for many of the circumstances you’ll meet. |
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Celebration. Tournaments are meant as a time for the
celebration of a team’s creativity. From DI’s upper echelon
to the Appraisers, we strive to celebrate how the team has
accomplished their solution. We expect this will be true
from the Team Managers and parents.
But what about winners and losers? Creativity and its close
cousins, teamwork and quality, can be very subjective ideas.
One person’s exceptional creativity may be ordinary to
another person. That is why we have a team of Appraisers of
varying backgrounds to help evaluate a team’s performance.
In the end though, all Appraisers revel in the creativity
that is exhibited by all the teams. That is why we say there
are no losers. We hope that all Team Managers and parents
will watch and celebrate with us as we experience all the
creativity that is exhibited by the Wisconsin community. |
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One thing to help you as a Team Manager is to find out what
the teams expectations are at the beginning of the season.
Does the team want to do this for fun? Do they want to be
real competitive? Do they want to just try DI and see what
it’s like? If you know what the team wishes to do, then you
can tailor your managing style to what the team wants to get
out of it. This helps you not push the team in a direction
they don’t want to go, and helps you avoid interference.
And you never know what will happen, a team in it for fun
has no pressure and their creativity could just shine. If
they win at Regional, then they may want to go for more. If
a team wants to learn about the program, then it is
excellent way for them to learn about creative problem
solving and teamwork and have a little fun. |
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A great resource for information is the DINI Groups forum.
Sign up at dini@yahoogroups.com.
The forum is populated with Team Managers, Coordinators,
Appraisers, Challenge Masters and Directors. If you are
looking for general information, this can be a great
resource.
For example, you may have a child that just doesn’t get
along with the rest of the team, what do you do? People on
this forum can help.
But remember, if you’re looking for a solution for your team
regarding their chosen challenge, then this is bordering on
INTERFERENCE. Questions of this nature can only be answered
with a clarification from the ICM’s. |
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You may have heard this before, but you and the team should
read and re-read the Challenge throughout the season.
It’s amazing what insignificant fact is forgotten at crunch
time. |
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Clarifications: Challenges are sometimes not written with
the clarity we all would like, especially for a young team,
so if your team is having trouble understanding what exactly
the Challenge Writers are saying, don’t be afraid to ask for
a Clarification. If your team is pushing the boundaries of
the Challenge (which they should be doing) but they
want to make sure they are not stepping over the line, then
they should ask for a clarification to make sure the
solution is acceptable to the ICM’s.
Your questions will not be disclosed to anyone but the
Challenge Masters (to protect your team’s solution). If,
however, the ICM’s see a pattern where many teams are asking
for a clarification for a particular aspect of the
Challenge, the ICM’s may issue a general Clarification for
all teams.
Go to the idodi website to ask for clarifications. Questions
are accepted until approximately Feb.15th. |
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If you’re inviting parents and grandparents to the
competition site, please make sure they know which
Challenge, competition level and school the child (team
member) is participating in. The volunteers at the Check-In
Desk do not have the names of individual team members
readily available, and they will have a difficult time
directing family members to the correct venue. |
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When the team fills out the Tournament Data Form for their
particular Challenge, be sure the team is succinct and
to-the-point. Because times between performances can be
tight, Appraisers may not have the time to read a lengthy
explanation on how something was designed and assembled. But
Appraisers will want to know this, and the time will come at
the end of the team’s performance for them to more fully
explain their solution to the Appraisers. |
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Make sure your team fills out all be required forms before
the competition; there will precious little time to have
these filled out day of tournament.
In most cases, you will have the Tournament Data Form, the
Declaration of Independence (2) and the Expense Form.
Bring an extra set to the tournament site in case the
original set ends up missing. |
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Many new Team Managers don’t know about Clarifications.
General clarifications are issued by the International
Challenge Masters to help clear up general misconceptions
about the Challenge, or correct typos that can sneak into
the written challenge.
Please keep checking for clarifications. Sometimes they can
have a big impact on the meaning of the Challenge. Technical
challenges can generate many clarifications, other
challenges may only have one or two. But your team should be
aware of these. |
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Teams sometimes try to squeeze a lot of information on the
Tournament Data Forms by using very small handprint;
Appraisers sometimes have difficulty reading this. A
solution is to use the interactive forms that are available
on the idodi website. Not only is this easier to read, but
kids have an easier time organizing and correcting text on
the computer. Usually these forms are available for use in
February. |
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When a team is in Prep Area, or when they are answering
questions from the Appraisers immediately after the
performance, it is expected that the team will be answering
the questions. Some Team Managers get too involved and start
answering for the team, this leads to suspicions that the
team had too much TM or parental involvement in the
solution, and Appraisers will start looking for areas of
Interference. It is best to let the team answer as many of
the questions as possible, after all, it is their solution.
TM’s can help but their input should be at a minimum. |
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When it is published, TM’s should download the Travel Guide
for Teams. This is usually available sometime in January.
The Guide will inform you what will happen at a tournament,
and give you more tips for coping. |
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Is it Interference? It is certainly true that the seven team
members must design and construct their own costumes, skit,
music or technical mechanization. But the Team Manager is
not just an impotent bystander, he/she can push, nudge and
encourage the team to expand their ideas beyond the first,
second or even third thoughts. They can take the team on
road trips to explore options for materials, or take them to
a nearby university to expand their understanding of
scientific or technical concepts. Universities love talking
to teams.
Remember though, you, or the experts, cannot offer solutions
to the Challenge for the team. |
| Construction Materials: Cardboard. Cardboard is a great construction material for elementary teams, and, it is even acceptable for teams at the Middle School Level if used in creative ways. But Secondary teams should be looking at alternative materials. At this level, Appraisers are looking for quality, and if not constructed and designed well, cardboard can look a little simple. |