What is Interference?

The Rules of the Road state that only team members may contribute ideas and create the Team Challenge and Team Choice Elements. Help from non-team members, including team managers and parents, is called Interference.

Interference is:

• Fixing a broken prop (even if you accidently broke it)
• Helping your child with hair, make-up, or costumes
• Cutting the wood for a prop or structure
• Sewing a zipper
• Anything that solves the problem for the team

Your child and his or her team have worked very hard on their solution. Let the team have the pride of doing it on their own.

However, there are many things you can do to help your child and the team:

• Move props and materials from the house, to the car, and into the tournament venue and prep area
• Help the team move their materials from the prep area to the launch area
• If you break something, make sure the team knows it was broken

Cheer them on!

I hope everyone had fun and learned a lot at the workshop. If you have questions, please email them to me. Everyone probably has the same questions and I'll post the answers on the blog. I had a comment that it's hard to find instant challenges like the logic challenge at the workshop. These are new and not as available online as the other types. Check the Instant Challenges and Tips blog for a couple of logic-based instant challenges. If it's hard to get your team to focus, see the warm-ups at the beginning of the Instant Challenges and Tips Blog. Try a couple of warm-ups before your first Instant Challenge at the meeting.

Clarifications answer questions teams have about their challenge. If you have a question, first ask your regional challenge master. I can give you their phone number or email. If you still have a question, you can ask for a clarification. Click here. Check the clarifications often. Teams are responsible for knowing about any changes to their challenge caused by clarifications.

There are a lot of new webinars sponsored by state DI. Visit the Important dates and Times part of this website for the details

State DI is offering webinars for team managers. These webinars are all from 7pm to 9pm on the dates below. Click on the Challenge for the link to the registration page.
12/13/2011 - Technical Challenge
12/15/2011 - Fine Arts Challenge
1/11/2012 - Improvisational Challenge

Team Manager Training - Dec 5th in Dolores

There will be a team manager training on Monday, December 5th at the school in Dolores from 5pm to 7pm. Everyone is welcome to attend. Here are the directions:

We'll meet in the commons.  To get there, drive almost all the way through town (Dolores) on the way towards Telluride.  After you pass the library on the right, you take the first street to the left.  That is 11th street.    Proceed to the stop sign.  Take a right at the stop sign and you will see the school on the left.  Part in front of the building closest to the street.  That is the commons.  

_ Structure Challenge - Using the structure tester at the Durango Rec Center

Here are the protocols for using the DI structure tester, gram scale and golf balls that are located at the Durango Recreation Center:

 

Please call Ann Camp at 375-7313 to schedule a time.  If she is not there then Kelly Wilcox at 375-7305 is an alternate contact.  There is no entrance fee to use the tester at DRC, but the DI structure team needs to be scheduled in advance so that the front desk personnel know what is going on with who.

The available time slots to use the DI structure testing equipment during DRC hours of operation are:

• Weekdays - 9:00AM-11:00AM and 1:00PM-4:30PM.
• Saturday - Any time after 10AM
• Sunday - Any time

DRC would like to stagger times for different team for logistical reasons.  We also do not want Team A seeing Team B's solution to the structural challenge. This should not be a major problem and it will ultimately be up to the TMs to enforce this. 

 

Please keep 3 of the 4 plexiglass side shields on the tester when breaking in order to contain any balsa chips and stray golf balls.  Contain all potential stray golf balls on the 4th (open) side with gym mats that are located near the stretching area.  Please sweep up any balsa debris.  Multiple golf balls rolling around a weight room present a genuine hazard to the other DRC patrons and will not be tolerated.

The gram scale is not calibrated and is not "official".  Teams are thus encouraged to use judgment regarding any potential scale inaccuracy, if they are near the prescribed structure weight limit. 

An adult TM must be present at all times.  The TM is fully responsible for supervising the safety of the weight placement, maintaining good behavior/courtesy from the kids and ensuring that no DI or DRC equipment is damaged.

The DRC is being very generous to let DI use their facility pro bono like this.  Please make it a point to thank them.

Have FUN and be SAFE. 

Team Manager training:
The next team manager training, in Durango, will be Thursday, January 12th. We're working on one for Mancos/Dolores/Cortez. Let me know if you want information about it.

Eric Stevens, the challenge master for the structural challenge, is setting up a tester, triple beam scale and golf balls at the Durango Recreation Center for teams to use. If you have questions, contact Eric at Eric.Stevens@conocophillips.com.