Montana Destination Imagination

Let's Talk SIDE TRIPS

By now your team had been working on the Central Challenge for weeks, maybe even months.  It's time to start thinking about Side Trips.  Side Trips are the details that your team has incorporated into it's challenge solution that makes it unique and remarkable.  (For the record, Side Trips are NOT places your team visited for training ideas, or materials.)  Your team can identify any part of its solution as a Side Trip that is not already being scored in the Central Challenge.  Here are some places to start looking: backdrops, scenery, original music, team member talent, etc.  The list is endless.

Your job as a Team Manager is not to tell your team which areas are Side Trips.  The team should identify those areas of the solution that they feel are most likely to bring the most points.  As one Team Manager says, "The Side Trips reveal themselves as tournament day approaches."  To start identifying potential Side Trips ask the following questions:

•  What are the best parts of your solution?
• What things have you created that you are most proud of?
• What have you put into your presentation that no one else will have?

You MAY also ask the team questions that help them decide how to bring the Side Trips (and points) to the Appraisers' attention.  Are the potential side trips you have identified going to give you more points if you look at the big picture or if you guide the appraisers to something specific?

In places where the big picture is evident and full of details, teams might want to have the appraisers score for the overall details.  For instance,

• Side Trip: Scenery.  Our scenery is full of color and many details.  There are four trees and each have the bark, leaf shape and flowers/fruit of real live treas including, maple, apple, willow and cherry.  These trees set the stage for our presentation.

This guides the appraisers to look at the big picture of the scenery and its many details.

Teams may choose to identify individual items that took moe time, have more detail and stand out in the presentation.

• Side Trip: Originality and humor in elf's poem.  The elf in our story talks in rhyme and has a sassy way of giving directions to the children who are looking for the golden key.  There are 12 puns in his poem.

The elf's part might be small but the team may have spent quality time and talent writing the poem.  This might be a place to get big points for something specific in the presentation.

The key to receiving maximum points for Side Trips is in the description on the Tournament Data Form.  Just remember, teams should be specific in what they are asking the appraisers to look/listen for.

Instant Challenge Strategy

Now that your teams have had a chance to try different kinds of Instant Challenges, the best way to prepare for competition is to devise a strategy for quickly sizing up and solving IC's.  Since you don't know what the challenge is going to be, your team needs to be able to listen to the instructions and begin working toward a solution.  Below are some ways to do this.

First, have your team come up with assignments for the different tasks that are included in every challenge: time keeper, score seeker, inventory taker and a person who will quickly lead the group through the identification process of the challenge.

Once the challenge has been read, the team should recap the key points of the challenge in 30 seconds or less and be able to begin solving the challenge right away.  Example: The team has just been read a challenge by the appraisers...

Leader: What kind of challenge is this?
Team Member: Task Based
Score Seeker: Height of the towers is key to getting the most points.  We can sacrifice creativity points if our towers are high enough.
Leader: What are the best materials here for making towers?
Inventory: We have sturdy materials here that can be altered as needed.  I suggest straws/paper clips for the one tower and index cards for the other.
Leader: Good.  Other suggestions?  OK. What do we have to link the towers?
Team Member: I'll make a chain with the colored rubber bands that we can attach at the end.  This might add to our creativity points.
Leader: What's our time?
Time Keeper: We now have 4 1/2 minutes to complete.
Leader: OK.  Let's get started.  You two take the cards; we will start with the straws.  Time keeper let us know when we have 30 secods left so we can attach the chain.

Teams can practice setting up many challenges in this manner without ever actually doing them.  The point is to identify what needs to be done and create a quick plan.  As teams practice going through this process, they will learn to make decisions quickly and act on them.  Of course, they will want to practice doing the whole IC whenever possible so they can become accustomed to making meanigful skits and working with different materials.

As tournament time grows closer, your team may need time to finish its Team Challenge.  Practicing strategy on 2-3 IC's per meeting can be done without materials or set up time.  This exercise can also be done while riding in the car or as IC warm-up on tournament day.

Cost, Costumes and Creative Materials

Teams are responsible for budgeting the costs for their Team Challenge and submitting their Expense report to the appraisers at tournament.  Your team's budget limit is listed on the first page of your selected Team Challenge.  The primary reason for this rule is to keep the pllaying field even.  No team should have an advantage over another team because they were able to "buy" better materials and costumes.  This rule has intended consequences of forcing teams to use everyday materials and trash in new and different ways.  In fact, successful teams make a game out of using discards in the most surprising and innovative ways possible.  Think about this: which costume is going to leave a more lasting impression on the appraisers and audience, a glittery store-bought fairy costume or a flowing fairy costume designed by the team and made of toilet paper?

Every item that is displayed in your team's solution should be listed on the Expense Report.  This form is found on page 50 of the Rules of the Road. It assists your team by having them list costs by category. 

All team members must wear shoes, shirt and pants or skirt.  These items are exempt unless they are altered or replaced by a costume to enhance the solution.  Then the value of the enhancement or costume must be reported.  New supplies purchased for the solution should have accompanying receipts.  Report only the portion of supplies used for the solution.  Used or borrowed items must have a reasonable garage sale value assigned.  Caution your students in using "borrowed" materials.  A good condition wedding gown reported with a garage sale value of $1.00 might not fly with the appraisers!  Musical instruments and some basic furniture are exempt.  For a full listing of exempt materials and other Expense Report information see pages 22-24 of the Rules of the Road.