Everyone in Alberta is new to DI and most of the students have never been to a tournament. Some students are getting anxious because they don't know what to expect. Here is a summary of what you can expect.
1. Before the tournament: Ensure you have checked the published clarifications. Ensure you have the required number of copies of your tournament data form, expense report and signed Declarations of Independence. Ensure you have your sign stating your team number, team name, school name, challenge level (elem, middle, secondary). Ensure you have a printed copy of any clarifications that your team has requested.
Also, there are a couple challenges that instruct the students to verify something with the tournament coordinator (if they want the verification). If your team wishes to do that, the students should be sending the questions and not the team manager.
Day of the Tournament:
1. Registration: Students should arrive 20-30 minutes before the opening ceremony. Team managers should organize this with the parents on the team. Pick a time and meeting place (just inside front door, just outside, near registration desk, etc). Once the team manager arrives, the team can be checked-in at the registration desk. The team should be checked in by the team manager, or a parent appointed by the team manager. The team manager will be given a registration package.
2. Props: Teams should take their props, backdrops, etc to their challenge's prop room. Each challenge will have an assigned prop room and all of your presentation items can be stored there. All work to assemble props/backdrop will be done in the prop room, if it's not already done.
3. Challenge E teams: Take your structure to the structure appraiser and have it checked. The team must bring a box to place the structure in once the check-in is complete. If the structure does not pass inspection, the team will be permitted to fix their structure so that it can pass inspection. They can then go back to the check-in appraiser. Once the structure passes, it will be sealed inside the box/container that the team supplied. 20 minutes prior to the scheduled presentation, a team member can pick up the team's structure and take it (sealed) to the prep area appraiser. The prep area appraiser will break the seal. If the seal is broken prior to arriving in the prep area, the structure will need to be re-inspected. If the structure has not passed inspection prior to the scheduled presentation time, the team will have the choice of speaking to the tournament organizers to request a later time (if it is available) or to present without the structure and only be eligible for partial points.
4. Opening Ceremony: Make your way to the opening ceremony and follow instructions that you will be given.
5. Prep area: Go to your challenge site 15-20 minutes before your scheduled time, with all of your props, backdrop, in costume, etc (assembly will not be permitted in the hallway). Prep area appraiser will look over your paperwork, expense report, etc and make sure that everything is in order.
6 Long Term Challenge: Prep area appraiser will tell your team when they can enter the launch Area (make sure everything can fit through a standard door). Students move everything into the Launch Area and the team manager will be shown where to sit. The challenge master will then give a copy of your tournament data form to each of the appraisers for review. If the appraisers have any questions, they will ask at this point. Once the appraisers are comfortable with your tournament data form, the time keeper will introduce the team and explain any unique details of your presentation to the audience.
He/she will then ask the appraisers if they are ready. They will then say, in unison, a cute little saying that they've created to mean `yes'. The timekeeper will then ask your team if they are ready. Most teams will also have a unique little saying that they have created to mean `yes' (example: last year there was a challenge called `Triple Take Road Show' and the appraisers said, when asked if they were ready `yes we are, yes we are, yes we are' - it was play on words for `Triple Take'). Your team can simply say `yes, we're ready', but they might enjoy coming up with a unique/catchy phrase.
Once the appraisers and presenters have said that they are ready, the timekeeper will start the timer. At this point, the students will move their props/backdrop to the centre of the stage (nobody can help the students at this point).
If teams do not require their full time, they should say `time' at the end of their play. Most teams incorporate the word `time' into the play so that it's the last word of the presentation. Example: `oh no! We're late! Look at the TIME' When they say the word `time', everyone on the team typically says it, in unison.
The idea to have the student work `time' into their play at the end, and to have a funky phrase for the timekeeper, are not required in DI. They are just pretty common and fun for the kids.
Once the presentation is over, the appraisers will step out from behind their desk and talk to the students. They will ask how they thought of a certain idea, what process they used for a particular item, etc. They show their interest and make the kids feel like they have done a great job. Once the appraisers sit back down, the students quickly pack up their props/backdrop and move everything out of the presentation room. Everything should go back to the cars at this point to save room in the prop room and to help clean-up at the the end of the day.
20-30 minutes after the presentation is complete, the team manager can check back at the challenge site for the raw scores. Raw scores will be posted on the wall outside the challenge site once they are available. Teams can review their marks. If they disagree with the raw score, the team manager can speak to the challenge master. An objective mark can be argued, but a subjective mark cannot.
7. Instant Challenge: Parents are not permitted to watch the instant challenge. If there is more than one team manager, only one team manager will be permitted in the instant challenge room. Students will have the choice of asking their team manager to sit outside in the hallway, If the team manager has expressive body language, reacts when frustrated/surprised, etc, that team manager should wait outside in the hallway. If the appraisers feel like the team manager's non-verbal language (verbal isn't an issue because they are not allowed to speak) is comminicating to the team, the team will lose points on their challenge. Students are not allowed to discuss their challenge with anyone, other than their teammates and team manager, from the tournament until after Globals. If they do speak of their challenge, or are overheard speaking of their challenge, the team can be disqualified from the tournament.
Once the instant challenge is over, the team will go into the Chill Out Room. Team managers should not go into that room, but it is not against the rules. While in that room, the team will create a `ta da'. This is the little dance that they do as they leave the instant challenge area and see their parents to indicate that they are done, had fun and did their best. It can be a little dance, a song, or anything they want. `Ta das' are usually 5-30 seconds long. Anyone standing in the area when students come out and do their `ta da' are expected to watch and applaud. `Ta das' are not required, but every team does it.
8. Clean-up / Entertainment: All teams are expected to help with clean-up. The tournament program should indicate the areas of the school that the teams are responsible for cleaning up. We are expected to return the school and classrooms to the state they were in when we started the tournament set-up. Once the area has been determined to be clean, then the students can head for the entertainment. This part of the tournament lasts about 40 minutes, and it allows the score room to get all the scores entered, winners determined, etc.
9. Closing ceremony: Awards are given to the teams who win or have demonstrated great DI spirit.
