WELCOME MONTANA TEAM MANAGERS!!!

We would like to take a moment to welcome all of our new, and returning Team Managers. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to this amazing program.

Hopefully this newsletter, and those to follow, will provide you with tips, tools, and resources to help make your DI season successful.

My name is Ursula Roberts. I will be serving as a support system for Team Managers.

I will work with the Board to provide timeline goals and resources pertaining to your teams progress in solving their challenge.

I’m a Montana girl that is extremely happy to be back in this wonderful state. I’ve lived in Texas for the past 10 years. I was introduced to Destination Imagination in 2009, when my oldest

daughter signed up for a team, and I was led to manage. I proceeded to manage all three of my

daughters’ teams through 2015. We competed at the Regional, State and Global level,

taking 10th place at Global Finals in 2014, and 3rd place in 2015.

I am excited to help in any way that you and your team need. You can find my contact information at the bottom of the page. I am available via phone, text and email. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Utilize these links and articles. THEY WILL HELP YOU! Especially the TIMELINE. One of the biggest challenges as a coach, is keeping your team on schedule. If you can master that, you ROCK!

HAPPY DI’ ING…

A WORD FROM THE BOARD… Hi! My name is Sierra Ashley and I’m your new Affiliate Director. As AD my goal is to support you and your team from the time you register to participate all the way to Global Finals. I’ll be working to create more interest in Destination Imagination and make the state-wide tournament engaging and high energy.

I’ve been involved with Destination Imagination for about 14 years. I participated all through late elementary up until my senior year of high school. Even after to completing my final year of participation I knew I would continue to volunteer with the organization. Since then I have been appraising and after moving to Montana over a year and a half ago, I joined the board of directors as President. I’m honored to be your Affiliate Director and I look forward to this DI season and many more to come!

NOVEMBER TIMELINE GOALS

  • COMPLETE ROSTER AND REGISTER YOUR TEAM
  • PICK PRACTICE DAY(S) AND LOCATION
  • HOLD STUDENT AND PARENT TEAM MEETING
  • PICK A TEAM NAME
  • START PRACTICING INSTANT CHALLENGES
  • LEAD TEAM TO CHOOSE THEIR TEAM CHALLENGE (CLICK BELOW FOR PREVIEWS)

2018 -2019 TEAM CHALLENGES

One of the most challenging tasks is guiding your team to choose a TEAM CHALLENGE. START NOW!

This link allows your team to watch a quick video, highlighting all of the challenges available this year and what they entail.

YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE WATCHING THESE…

10 Team Manager Duties

As a Destination Imagination Team Manager, you will have many jobs to perform and all will play a vital role in the success of your team. Speaking from experience, being a Team Manager will touch your heart in a way that few things will. As you spend time with your team, you begin to care for each team member as if they were your own. A knowledgeable Team Manager can help a team achieve great things, but you must know your role. Here are my top ten duties, in no particular order, for a Team Manager.

  1. Picking a Team
  2. Know the Challenge
  3. Get Support
  4. Find a Place
  5. Show Me the Money
  6. Inspire Them
  7. You Can Look, But Do Not Touch
  8. Transportation
  9. Run Instant Challenge
  10. Be a Gopher…

Click Here for the Full Article

Are you a new Team Manager?

WATCH THESE GREAT VIDEOS TO GET STARTED

What is Destination Imagination?

The Destination Imagination Guide for New Teams.

So You’re a Newbie Team Manager…

So you think you might sign up for this ‘Team Manager’ thing for the very first time? You and your team are in for an amazing journey of a lifetime. However, starting any new position can feel overwhelming. Here are eight tips to help you best manage your team this season:

  1. Find a Co-Team Manager. Grab a friend and ask them to be your partner in crime. Maybe one of you oversees the Team Challenge part of the meetings, and the other is the Instant Challenge guru.
  2. Find a mentor. Whether or not you have a co-manager, you’ll definitely want a mentor. Find someone else who is or has been a Team Manager, and put them on speed dial. You’ll have questions (Can I say this, or is it Interference?) or frustrations (One member is monopolizing the meetings! How do I handle it?).
  3. Train!. There are lots of training tools available online. YouTube videos, Links on this page. Other new and experienced Team Managers. Ask questions. Make friends.
  4. Read. Read the Rules of the Road. Read the Roadmap. Read the Team Challenge. The materials that Destination Imagination provides are invaluable. The Roadmap will take you through every meeting–and you can follow it precisely or improvise. The Rules of the Road will answer so many questions about what you and the team can and can’t do. And the Team Challenge? You and your team will have that nearly memorized by the time the season is over. This is a great teaching opportunity for the team—read the directions. (And this is where they will learn to embrace the beloved DI adage, If it doesn’t say you can’t, then you can!)
  5. Get volunteers. They may not have been able to be the Team Manager, but parents are grateful for what you’re doing and are great for more than just bringing snacks and carpooling. Ask them to bring Instant Challenge supplies or make a donation to your dollar store run. You’ll also be glad to have an extra set of eyes on the day that the tools come out. Nothing like handing a group of fourth graders a hacksaw and then standing back. (Safety first!)
  6. Learn how to ask questions and listen. It is hard not to tell the team how to do something, or give them suggestions, but you’ll be surprised at the ideas that they’ll come up with that, frankly, are better than yours. Remember, no Interference! But you can and should ask open-ended questions that will get them thinking.
  7. Laugh. Have fun with the team. Be goofy sometimes. They’ll appreciate it and so will you.
  8. Enjoy the process. Congratulations—you’ve just made a life-changing decision for them and for you. You’re going to see these team members become leaders, learn how to work together, persevere and cheer each other on. These kids won’t ever forget you or what they accomplished during the season. And some of them may never leave your ‘family.’

LINKS TO PLACES YOU NEED TO GO…

Clarifications 

Manager Tips

DI Resources

Blog