Tips
For
Destination Imagination’s
2017 California
Global Finals
Team Managers
By Rosemary Bognar Pinney
Global Finals Guide for Team Managers
Contents
Introduction
3
Additional Resources
Guide to Global Finals 2017 & the Global Finals website
Global Finals Power Point
Global Finals websites (www.globalfinals.org and www.caldi.org
Experienced People & Who to Contact
CA Global Finals Team Managers’ Information Sharing Group
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Before Global Finals
Paperwork:
What Is All Thing Paperwork and things to do On-line?????
Immediate Paperwork
Additional Paperwork
Confirmations from Destination Imagination, Inc.
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People:
Attitudes (Teams/Coaches/Families/Public)
Teams From Your School - Not Going To World
Parents and Siblings of the World-Bound Team
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Costs:
Global Finals Cost Worksheet
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Fundraising:
Fund Raising
Publicity
Formal Pictures
Demonstrations for the Public
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General Info about Global Finals
Trading Pins
Room Assignments
Medical Releases
Team’s Membership Sign
Prop Shipment Options
Send-Off Crowd
Coordinator at Home
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At Global Finals
General Schedule
Team’s Schedule
Etiquette and Attitudes
Registration
Pre-Competition
Storage of Props and Rehearsal Space
Team Managers’ Tuesday Evening Meeting
The Day of Your Team’s Competition
Study Time
Recreation
Opening Ceremony
Graduation Ceremonies
Parents - How They Can Help
Transportation on Campus
Closing Ceremony
After Closing Ceremonies Parties
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After Global Finals
Ways to Recognize the Team after World
Thank You Notes
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Survival Tips for Team Managers
Parents of World DI Team Members (Handout)
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Note:
This document contains many “helpful hints” from experienced Global Finals Team Managers. The
Global Finals Guide gives you times and places. This document gives you suggestions on how to
prepare for Global Finals and how to enjoy it while you are there. It takes you from how to get
through an airport and not lose a child’s luggage to the many jobs a parent can do that will make your
life a lot easier. Enjoy! And enjoy Global Finals!!
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Global Finals Guide for Team Managers
By Rosemary Bognar Pinney
Introduction
Congratulations!!
Your team is among the final 1,200+ teams in the World!
What Do You Do First???
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Celebrate with your team!!
Get some sleep.
Use the resources listed below to make Global Finals a wonderful experience.
You and your team SHOULD BE ecstatic! You are going to participate in one of the most memorable
weeks of your lives. In the midst of all the preparations, fund raising, traveling, the logistics of the
week at Global Finals, the significance of Global Finals (GF) can get lost. Savor as many moments as
you can. In the months and years to come, you will repeatedly remember the thrill of Global Finals as
one of the highlights of your life!
And yes, you are right! - - Going to Global Finals is a lot of work, but it does have incredible rewards.
CONSIDER YOURSELF FINALLY GETTING TO SOLVE A DESTINATION IMAGINATION
PROBLEM (and you can even accept Interference). Tackle getting ready with an optimistic, open
mind and you will have a very rewarding experience.
Read the official Global Finals 2017 book (given to you at the meeting after State Finals Closing
Ceremony), this Tips booklet and the additional resources listed in the next section. It usually takes
several readings to make sure you didn’t miss something. There is a lot of help for you in all these
resources. The information will answer a lot of your questions and make the process a lot easier and
even enjoyable.
Additional Resources
The Destination Imagination Global Finals 2017 Official Guide Book will give you a
basic overview of Global Finals. Also, the Global Finals 2017 Power Point (available
on the CADI Global Finals website) will be invaluable!!
There will also be a lot more information on the Global Finals sections of both the CA Destination
Imagination website in the Global Finals section (www.caldi.org) and/or Destination Imagination,
Inc.’s Global Finals website (www.globalfinals.org) as the information becomes available. Check the
sites often as they have content added to them on a weekly, if not daily basis.
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Experienced People:
•
Experienced Global Finals Team Managers
Name _________________________________________ Phone No. _________________
Name _________________________________________ Phone No. _________________
Name _________________________________________ Phone No. _________________
•
Your Regional Director
Name _________________________________________ Phone No. _________________
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State Director:
Global Team Advisor:
Fundraising Advisor:
GF Pin Shipment:
GF T-shirt Shipment:
Donation Assistance:
Dick Pinney – [email protected] - 858-864-7172
Elizabeth Flores – [email protected] – 925-202-1463
Genee McMahon – [email protected] – 909-227-5478
Elizabeth Flores – [email protected] – 925-202-1463
Genee McMahon – [email protected] – 909-227-5478
Rosemary Bognar Pinney – [email protected] – 858-243-9340
These people will be of great help. They can talk to you about what hasn’t worked as well as the many
things that have worked. They can save you a lot of trial and error and time. They are MORE THAN
GLAD TO HELP!
NOTE: Do not wait to accumulate a list of questions. Call as you have questions. Do not consider
any question too small. If you get answers to your questions as you go along, you will be able to move
forward much more quickly in getting ready for Global Finals.
A California Global Finals Team Managers Information Sharing Group
You will be sent an “Invitation to Join a Yahoo Group” on your email a few days after State Finals.
Please follow the directions and “Accept” the invitation. That will put you into a group of Global
Finals-bound Team Managers that can “talk via email” back and forth – asking questions, getting help,
etc.
All the GF-Bound Team Managers received an Invitation to join a few “Go-To-Meetings” on your
computer. There will be a combination of questions and answer (help) sessions and specific sessions
on things like:
Getting Signed up for Global Finals
Fundraising – How to do it
What do they mean by Publicity – I’ve never written a press release or article in my life!!
Transportation – What it takes to get a team to Global Finals and how to do it.
Please make sure to join the Yahoo Group when your invitation comes via email. Simply “Accept” the
invitation and you will become a member. The other participants, particularly the ones who have done
this for years, can be of great help to you.
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Before Global Finals
Paperwork
What Is All This Paperwork and things to do On-Line??????????
You received a packet from your State Director after your State Finals Awards Ceremony. It looks
intimidating and at the first reading - - it is! It contains:
•
•
Letters of congratulations
The Official Global Finals Information Booklet
• Registration Information
o Global Finals Team Registration Information
o Room and Board Registration Information
• Required information forms – General Consent, On-Site Event Contact, Photo
Release, Parental Consent, and the Tennessee Law Form
• Transportation Information
• General Maps
• Touring Information
• Global Finals Events Information
• Lots of General Information
Immediate Things to do
•
Go into the CA Registration system and MAKE SURE all of your team’s information is
correct. MAKE SURE you have all of our Team Managers and their contact information
listed. This is the information used by California to communicate schedule information,
etc. If the Team Managers contact information is incorrect, you will miss receiving a lot
of valuable information.
•
Read the Global Finals Guide (and then reread it 2-3 times)
•
NOTE: DEADLINE to register for GF online and to pay your $1,500 deposit: 2 weeks
after you receive your official Certified Email – APRIL 15, 2017
NOTE: If your team has more than one Team Manager, include all the names in the Team
Manager Information section.
NOTE: This is your first decision point – Are you going to stay on campus?
If you plan to stay in the dorms, you do not pay a Registration Fee as it is included in your Room and
Board rates.
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If you are going to stay off campus, you MUST pay the Registration Fee to keep the team on the
schedule. The Registration Fee is to defray a team’s portion of the facility rental, etc.
NOTE: If your team or a team member has ANY type of special need, YOU ABSOLUTELY
need to let the Destination Imagination Global Finals personnel know. That includes any
physical or dietary needs. It also includes if a team member is on more than one team. If there
is no special need, mark the space with “None.” This is done on your Team’s registration
section of the DII website.
Room and Board Reservation Form (online)
This form should be filled out on line as soon as you decide where you want to stay.
If you wish to stay in a hotel you can ask for that on your online Registration Form.
If you wish to stay in the dorm, you are to indicate that on the online Registration Form.
If you do not start getting receipts from Destination Imagination, Inc. (DII) showing you have paid the
registration fee, CALL THEM. Have them check that your information is in your file. They are glad
to help you out. However, please be aware you will probably not get a human when you call as they
have hundreds of calls a day. However, they are very good at getting back to you.
PAYMENT AND/OR PURCHASE ORDERS CAN FOLLOW. HOWEVER, PLEASE NOTE THE
DEADLINE ON THE FORM.
NOTE:
Yes - Parents and siblings, and all supporters can stay in the dorm with the team.
Yes - They can arrive on different days than the team.
Destination Imagination allocates space in the dorms based upon how many people (team members,
Team Managers, coordinators, parents, siblings, and supporters) are coming in total from each state
and wish to be housed in the dorm. Usually, an entire state is housed together first. Then, based on the
number of rooms in each building, it is then determined how many states can be accommodated in
each building.
What does “Staying in the Dorm” mean to you, the team, parents, and siblings?
It means:
• Two to four people to a typical dorm room or suite (provided with basic linens, blankets, and
towels).
• The possibility of a bathroom “down the hall.”
• Already prepared food – lots of it (No need to continually find restaurants).
• An opportunity for your team to experience dorm life.
• An opportunity for your team to be with hundreds of other Destination Imagination kids in the
cafeteria, etc. (trading pins and getting to know each other).
• An opportunity to meet and talk with people from across the U.S. and the World!
Example of a team experience: A first-year, mid-western fifth-grade team was housed in the
same dorm with the teams from its State PLUS teams from Georgia, Maine, Minnesota, and
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•
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Arizona. What an experience for the kids (and the adults too). Talk about just the difference in
accents! Those fifth-graders were absolutely amazed that all those kids came from the same
United States.
An opportunity to fully participate in the atmosphere of Global Finals.
This is a VERY important point! There is an aura about the campus all week. It will give you
goose bumps. All over campus will be groups of teams, Team Managers, supporters in colorful
Global Finals shirts, going here and there, trading pins, saying “Hi,” and feeling a part of the
whole. It is worth it!!!
An adventure. Everyone just laughs and puts up with everything.
NOTE: Again – if you and/or your team have a special physical or dietary need, please let them
know.
Additional Paperwork
Each year the paperwork in the Global Packets varies slightly. However, there a usually the following
forms:
• Parental Consent Form: 1 for each participant.
• Photo Release Form: 1 for each participant and spectator.
• On-Site Event Contact Form: 1 per team
• General Consent Form: 1 for each person 18 and over
• Tennessee Law on Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse; 1 for each person 18 and over
Other Information:
Team Manager and Official’s Competition (TBD)
If you – the Team Manager(s) – would like to compete in the Team Managers’ and Officials’
Competition, you should fill out this form. This is a hilarious event where Team Managers and
Officials FINALLY get to solve a Challenge and “show it off” at their own competition. Many times,
various Team Managers from the same State “team up” together and build something to solve the
Challenge. It is a great way to get to know your “fellow” Team Managers within your State.
Graduation Registration Form
If you have any graduating High School Seniors on your team who will be missing their Graduation,
they can participate in the Destination Imagination Graduation Ceremony by filling out this form. The
Seniors should bring their caps and gowns. This is a very dignified Graduation Ceremony with
appropriate pomp and circumstance.
Your State T-Shirt and Pin Order Forms (on line – on the caldi.org website)
Each State has its own official Global Finals T-Shirt and its own official Global Finals Pins for trading.
California’s information and electronic order forms will be available a few days after State Finals.
They will be on the California website where you will be ordering both your shirts and trading pins.
Dick Pinney will notify you when the forms go live. Please note that there are some very tight
deadlines for ordering from their suppliers. Therefore, the cutoff for orders is a HARD CUTOFF –
APRIL 19th for pins and APRIL 24TH for GF T-Shirts.
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Confirmations from Destination Imagination, Inc.
Team Registration Confirmation
When Destination Imagination receives your official on-line Team Registration information, you will
start to receive various communications from them. The first mailing will include your official
notification of registration. If you DO NOT receive this official notification back within a couple of
weeks, PLEASE call them immediately.
Room Confirmation
If you choose to stay on campus, after registering your lodging preferences, you will receive a Room
and Board Confirmation from Destination Imagination. If you do not receive one within two weeks of
Global Finals – CALL THEM.
People
Attitudes
It is VERY IMPORTANT to recognize that it is a privilege to be one of the teams advancing to Global
Finals. With the many teams competing, it could just as easily have been another team. There are
many other teams out there that would have loved to be in your place. Good sportsmanship is the mark
of a quality team!
If your team is from a strong Region and/or State, you have probably left behind some good teams
from other schools or even from your own school back at the Regional level. It is equally important to
exercise good sportsmanship around them.
Remind everyone that it is VERY HARD to get to Global Finals. It is even harder to go back a second
time. Going to Global Finals is an honor and a privilege. Those who have tried, gone, and did not
return will tell you this. Cherish this time with somewhat of a humble attitude and you will be in good
stead.
Teams from Your School – Not Going to Global Finals
Advise your team and their parents to PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE! Other teams from your school
would have loved to go on to the State Finals and/or Global Finals. They were and are just as proud of
their solution(s) as your team is of its solution.
If there is any way you and/or or your team can think of to include them in your pre-Global activities,
many of them would be delighted. They are part of the whole (your total Destination Imagination
program in your school). If you exclude them or not give them proper recognition, it could hurt your
team and/or your school’s Destination Imagination program.
Many teams are willing to help your team with a car wash, a garage sale, hiring out, etc. High School
teams are willing to help Elementary or Middle School teams with a car wash. Talk to your
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coordinator and/or your fellow school’s Team Managers (They are more rested than you are. Do NOT
do this alone!!!!).
Parents and Siblings of the Global Finals Team
Parents They will start asking what they can do to help. Let them!!
Put them in charge of ordering shirts or pins or candy.
Put them in charge of the garage sale.
Put one in charge of taking pictures.
Reminder - You have a team to manage and get ready.
You need some sleep too.
Delegate and let them do the legwork.
They are glad to have a way to help out.
There is a handout for Parents at the end of this Guide.
Siblings -
Try very hard to find something special for them to do.
They are going to live in the shadow of this GF Team for several more weeks.
The family may be taking its vacation to go to Global Finals and will be spending
money to do so. Siblings get VERY tired of hearing about Globals (day and night).
See if you can give them an Assistant-something job. Some teams have let the
siblings become honorary tripod carriers, video camera case carriers, banner makers,
etc.
One elementary sibling was made the “Official Assistant” of a Global-bound team.
His job was to carry the lucky stuffed mascot for the team and to be with the team
whenever it performed. He was also presented with an official State Team T-shirt
by the team (with great ceremony). He loved it! It made a world of difference to one
little eight-year-old boy.
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GLOBAL FINALS COST WORKSHEET
Total Cost
Transportation (Options):
Air Fare
Charter Bus
Tip for Bus Driver
Van/Car
If driving:
Motel Costs
Food Costs
Gasoline Costs
$________ (per person) x _____ (# of people)
$________ (amount/bus x _____ (# of busses)
$________ (cost per vehicle) x ______ (# of vehicles)
$ _______ (cost per room) x ______ (# of rooms)
$ _______ (avg cost per day) x _____ (# of people) x
_____ (# of days)
$ _______ (est. cost of gas/day) x _____ (# of days)
= $_________
= $_________
= $_________
= $_________
= $_________
= $_________
= $_________
Room & Board (at Global Finals)
On Campus – Tues/Sun
$_______ (Room & Board pkg) x _____ (# of people) = $_________
On Campus – Wed/Sun
$_______ (Room & Board pkg) x _____ (# of people) = $_________
Extra Charge for either Arriving Early on Monday and/or Departing Late on Monday
$_______ (Room & Board pkg) x _____ (# of people) = $_________
Transportation (at Global Finals)
Van/Car Rental
$________ (cost per vehicle) x ______ (# of vehicles) = $_________
IF YOU AR GOING TO RENT A VAN(s) THERE – DO IT NOW!!
Costs from State
Global Finals T-Shirts
Trading Pins
Trading Pins
$________ (cost per shirt) x _____ (# of people)
$________ (# pins/team member) x _____ (# on team)
$________ (# pins/other people) x (# of people)
Team Managers/Siblings/Parents/Supporters
= $_________
= $_________
= $_________
Prop Shipment
Large Bicycle Boxes
$________ (cost/box) x _____ (# of boxes)
(for taking the props on the plane)
Federal Express/etc.
$________ (cost/box) x _____ (# of boxes)
Prop Van
$ ________ (costs/day) x _____ (# of days)
= $_________
= $_________
= $_________
Other Potential Team Expenses
Donation request letters and postage
Thank you letters and postage
Pictures (taken right after State Finals & just before Global Finals
(See Formal Pictures Section under Fundraising)
Transportation/Room & Board expenses of a Prop Van Driver
Total Estimated Costs - - - -
$_________
$_________
$_________
$_________
$_________
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Fundraising
There are many places and many ways to obtain funding for the trip to Global Finals. Here are a few:
Board of Education and/or Principal’s Discretionary Funds
Schools have Discretionary Funds to pay for the cost of an athletic team, the band, etc. going on to the
next level of competition. If you approach your School Board (sometimes directly and sometimes
through your Principal, depending on your school district), you can get thousands of dollars. School
systems are VERY PROUD of academic type teams going on to a “Global Finals” versus just sports
teams.
However, ASK NOW – IMMEDIATELY – NOW!!! If the monies are to come through the Board of
Education, the Board must approve the expenditure at a public Board Meeting. You don’t want to
miss that date! Sometimes a Superintendent has a separate Discretionary Fund, just for circumstances
like this, which does not need prior Board approval to have funds allocated from it. These
Discretionary Funds have $$$$$ in them. ASK FOR THEM. IF YOU DON’T ASK, THEY JUST
MIGHT NOT BE VOLUNTEERED! As a norm, schools can only pay for students and employees. If
the Team Manager(s) are not school employees, separate funding much be obtained through other
sources, such as those listed below.
PTA Groups, Service Organizations, Local Businesses
PTA’s will usually donate $200 to $1,000.
Service Organizations (e.g. Kiwanis, Rotary, etc.) will usually donate $100 to $500.
NOTE – ASK NOW – IMMEDIATELY – NOW!!!
PTA’s and Service Organizations dispense their funds in the spring as they approach the end of
their fiscal year when they are required to reduce their available funds. If you wait, you may
not get a donation because they gave their donations to groups that have already asked.
Therefore, ASK NOW!
Local Businesses
Businesses where the parents, grandparents, friends of family, etc. work will frequently give $50 $500.
Other Options
Sell candy bars
Sell team member’s time
Concession Stand at an event
Garage Sale
Car Wash
Fish Fry
Spaghetti Dinner
Bike-A-Thon
Swim-A-Thon
Run-A-Thon
Pancake Dinner
Call Genee McMahon – CA’s Fundraising Advisor. She can be of a lot of help to you.
IMPORTANT – IMPORTANT – IMPORTANT
Thank a donor with a Thank You Letter and then Thank them publicly as much as possible (via
newsprint, sign in a public place, etc.) THANK YOU’S ARE IMPORTANT!!!
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PUBLICITY
PUBLICITY IS IMPORTANT
Without publicity, the community will not know of the team’s win and, therefore, will not contribute.
Let them know about your Team (promptly). Let the Community develop a sense of pride in
“hometown kids made good.” If the general community knows about the team, they will be more
willing to contribute.
YOU, THE PUBLICITY PERSON FROM YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, OR ONE OF YOUR
PUBLICITY-MINDED PARENTS – SHOULD CONTACT YOUR NEWSPAPERS/TV
STATIONS RIGHT AWAY!!
Get publicity out ASAP. Newspapers and TV Stations DO NOT like to report on week-old news! If it
is more than one to two days old, they are reluctant to report it.
Write the article for them. Newspaper reporters and TV news people are very busy people. They will
tend to use (sometimes edit) pre-written material. They will tend to not do an article or read an
announcement on the news if they have to write it themselves. If you have a hard time explaining
Destination Imagination in 25 words or less, just think what it is like for them.
Say in your news release that the team needs contributions and let them know to whom and where they
can send money. Let them know who the check should be payable to. If your team is going to have a
garage sale, car wash or sell their time to raise monies, say so in the article (with a person and a phone
number to call).
NOTE: Newspapers and TV Stations WILL NOT release news without it both looking like a proper
News Release and having a Contact Person listed at the bottom.
Sample:
PRESS RELEASE
Title: ___________________________ Wins State Tournament
Global Finals at ______________ University
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________.
Contact Person:
Joe or Jane Doe
Address: ______________________________
Phone No.: Day ________________________
Evening _____________________
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Formal Pictures
Take pictures of your team (including Team Managers) immediately after winning the State Finals for
fund raising and publicity purposes. Newspapers and TV Stations like pictures.
Have a photography-interested person (e.g. a parent) take the pictures if a newspaper cannot send a
photographer.
Have the pictures taken with the team in their State Finals T-shirts, if possible. Otherwise, have the
team wear their Regional T-Shirts. If possible, have them all wear the same color of pants/shorts. It is
important that they look like “a team.” People like to contribute to “success stories.” If the team looks
sloppy, you may have just lost some donation money.
Have sufficient copies made of the picture so that your publicity person “back home” (while you are at
Global Finals) will have pictures for the Press. If you have been talking to the Press, send them a copy
of the team’s formal picture BEFORE you leave. Get a phone number you (or your “at home”
publicity person) can call Saturday night of Global Finals or Sunday morning and the Press will use the
picture.
Demonstrations for the Public
Team Demonstrations (“Dog and Pony” Shows) are one of the BEST ways to get exposure for fund
raising. It is also one of the best ways for a team to obtain presentation skills and polish.
An Effective 30-40 Minute Presentation Format:
• Pre-pass out flyers to the audience.
(Flyers should contain a brief Synopsis of the Challenge, Team Members & Team Manager(s)
name(s), Scoring Criteria, and who and where to send the money)
• Team Manager should give a BRIEF overview of what Destination Imagination is.
• Team Manager should give a BRIEF overview of the Team’s specific Challenge.
• Let the Team talk a little about how they came up with their solution.
• Have the Team perform.
• Let the audience ask the Team questions.
• Thank the audience and let them know you need money.
An Effective 20-25 Minute Presentation Format:
• Pre-pass out flyers to the audience.
(Flyers should contain brief a Synopsis of the Challenge, Team Members & Team Manager(s)
name(s), Scoring Criteria, and who and where to send the money)
• Team Manager should give a BRIEF overview of what Destination Imagination is.
• Team Manager should give a BRIEF overview of the Team’s specific Challenge.
• Have the Team perform.
• Thank the audience and let them know you need money.
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General Information About Global Finals
Trading Pins
YES – YES – YES – YES – YOU NEED THEM!!
Trading Pins are absolutely the #1 Activity of every kid on
campus that week, aside from the Tournament!
Fifty-plus trading pins per team member is the norm. If they only have ten or twenty each, they are out
of pins by the end of the first day and they will then not have a way to participate in one of the most
enjoyable events at Global Finals.
NOTE – When you are fundraising, make sure to ask for money for transportation, room and board
AND FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS MATERIALS. This will help defray the expense of the trading
pins.
NOTE – Please have each team member have some of his/her pins readily available in their checked
luggage. They will need them AVAILABLE when they arrive at the airport. Additionally, they will
need them AVAILABLE when they first arrive at Global Finals (while you are registering the team).
They will make some of their best trades at those two locations.
Talk to your team about pin trading. Let them know that they should generally trade one pin for one
pin. AND – Read DII’s Pin Trading Guide on the Trading Pin section of their Global Finals website.
AGAIN – YES!!! THEY ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NEED TRADING
PINS!!!
Room Assignments
Room Assignments should be the Team Manager’s Responsibility
Confer quietly with a parent(s), if you wish, but YOU should have the final say about who rooms with
whom. Remind the team that they are at Global Finals at great expense and sacrifice. Remind them
they are there representing their school, their Region, and their State. There is plenty of time for fun.
They are in their rooms to sleep and change clothes. They rest of the time they are usually gone. You
and the parents are better judges of who should room with whom. Exercise that right!
NOTE – Please be prepared. No matter how much you plan as to who is going to stay in which room,
it can all be instantly changed as the room configurations your team is given might have four in a room
instead of two, etc. Please be prepared to be flexible when you get your room assignment. Just
imagine the task the Global Finals people have of assigning 8,000 to 10,000 people to rooms. Also, if
you do not like the rooms you are given – on the basis of sex, parent/child rooming together/etc. consider going back to the Registration Officials and asking if there is any other room combination you
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might have. The Registration Officials are incredibly wonderful, kind, considerate people. Most of
them have taken teams to Globals also and they understand.
NOTE – If parents are staying with the team, most adults view this as an adventure and “join the
party,” so to speak. However, there is an occasional concerned adult. And that’s fine. You would
rather know. They might be concerned about shared bathrooms, etc. If so, please assure them that – if
they get up just a little earlier than the rest of the people, there will probably not be anyone in the
bathroom/showers at that time. And, that is usually the case. It has been found over the years that
once a concerned adult actually gets into the situation of living in a dorm, his/her concerns usually go
away. They just have to get there first.
NOTE – Many dorms now have a bathroom for each room and the privacy issue becomes a nonconcern. Additionally, most teams are assigned to dorms but some are housed in surrounding hotels.
If the team gets a hotel, then the dorm bathrooms will not be a concern either.
NOTE – Some parents of team members have adequate funds for their family to accompany the team
to Global Finals, and some do not. If parents become a little sensitive the first week or so after State
Finals, money for the entire family and/or even just one parent to go to Global Finals is many times a
factor. Lack of funds for more than the team members to go to GF is a factor for many families! Give
them time or at least as much time as you can, within the registration time constraints. Each family
will come to its own decision. After a family has made its decision and has given you a check or credit
card to cover its housing, or has decided not to go, things get much better. Be patient with them.
Medical Releases
You are provided a blank Medical Release Form on the DII Global Finals website. You should
photocopy the Form and have one available for EVERY person going to Global Finals with you. Have
the parents fill them out and give you back THREE COPIES of each person’s Medical Release Form.
Distribute them accordingly:
• 1 to the Destination Imagination Registration Desk the day you arrive.
• 1 for yourself.
• 1 for another responsible adult. A team frequently wants to do more than one activity in the
same time period and the group becomes split on a temporary basis.
You never know. The health centers have seen just about everything from pink eye (a Team
Manager), a bruised arm, a broken tooth, a case of mono, a very bad sore throat, a badly scraped knee,
etc.
The medical facilities at the University are excellent! You are used to caring for DI kids and family
members. They understand! You just want to have proper medical releases if you need their services.
It is also a wise idea (if a family has a non-routine medical insurance company) to ask the parents to
have a signed medical insurance form attached to the Medical Release Form. A copy of the front and
back of their medical insurance card is a good idea also.
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Prop Shipment
Prop Shipment
See the Prop Shipment section in the Guide to Global Finals and on the Global Finals website. Make
sure to follow their instructions EXACTLY!
The University of Tennessee Receiving Department people are WONDERFUL! They understand
about the hours and hours the Team has spent on their props. UT people do get the teams’ props to the
correct prop room. They do take care of them. The props will be there waiting for the Team to arrive.
Tool Box
Whatever method you use to ship props, it is highly recommended that the team assembles and takes
with them a tool box. Props are starting to get extensively worn and they may need some help. Take a
look at the props in general at Global Finals. They are all starting to look a little frayed.
Send-Off Crowd
If there can be a small send-off crowd when the team departs for Global Finals, with Good Luck signs,
banners, etc, it is a nice way to start your “adventure.” This is something “teams not going on to
Global Finals” can do. (See “Coordinator at Home” in the next section.)
Coordinator at Home
This person is invaluable!!
It is one person to call long-distance, versus many calls. It is a person who knows what you are talking
about and is prepared to call other people back home with whatever news/information you would like
to have known. This person should be given a telephone “call list” a few days before you leave.
Publicity
This is the person that should have the formal team pictures. This is the person who is in contact with
the press and has the appropriate reporter phone numbers to call. This is the person with the partially
written press release and is capable of writing the rest quickly.
Welcome Home Event
The “Coordinator at Home” or another person(s) can be in charge of a Welcome Home event. This can
range from a simple family gathering when the plane arrives to a full-blown reception. Other Teams
left at home can get together to make Welcome Home signs.
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At Global Finals
General Schedule
Monday/Tuesday
Arrive and Register
Trade Pins (Tues – 8:30 am – 5:30 pm) Various locations
Put props back together
Check out team’s tournament site
Get some rest!!!
(Tour the area)
Practice Team Challenge and Instant Challenges
Tuesday - Attend the Picnic in the Park – 5-8 pm
Tuesday - Team Manager’s Meeting w/ Challenge Masters – 7-9 pm
VERY IMPORTANT TO BE THERE
Wednesday
Competition begins
If you are not competing, go cheer for your State’s Teams
Trade Pins (8:30 am – 5:30 pm) Various locations
Participate in the many activities throughout campus
Go to the Expo in the Convention Center – 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Go to the Order Up presented by Oracle Academy – 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Visit the DI Store in the Convention Center – 8:30 am – 5:30 pm
Attend a Skills Workshop (TBD)
Tour the Area
Practice your Team Challenge and IC’s
Opening Ceremonies 7:30 pm - VERY, VERY, VERY IMPRESSIVE
Thursday
Competition continues
If you are not competing, go cheer for your State’s Teams
Trade Pins (8:30 am – 5:30 pm) Various locations
Participate in the many activities throughout campus
Go to the Expo in the Convention Center – 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Go to the Order Up presented by Oracle Academy – 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Visit the DI Store in the Convention Center – 8:30 am – 5:30 pm
Attend a Skills Workshop (TBD)
Tour the Area
Practice your Team Challenge and IC’s
High School/University Graduation Ceremony – 8:30-10:00 pm
Evening Party Under the Stars – 8:30-10:30 pm
Friday
Competition continues
If you are not competing, go cheer for your State’s Teams
Trade Pins (8:30 am – 5:30 pm) Various locations
Participate in the many activities throughout campus
Go to the Expo in the Convention Center – 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Go to the Order Up presented by Oracle Academy – 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
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Visit the DI Store in the Convention Center – 8:30 am to 3 pm
Attend a Skills Workshop (TBD)
Tour the Area
Practice your Team Challenge and IC’s
International Block Party – 7:00 - 9:30 pm
Costume Ball – 7:30 – 9:30 pm
Saturday
Competition continues
If you are not competing, go cheer for your State’s Teams
Trade Pins – (8:30 am -1:00 pm) Various locations
Participate in the many events throughout campus
Participate in the Expo Encore: STEAM Showcase – 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
Go to the Expo in the Convention Center – 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Visit the DI Store in the Convention Center – 8:30 am to 1:00 pm
Attend a Skills Workshop (TBD)
Tour the Area
Closing Celebration & Awards – 4:00-6:00 pm - SPECTACULAR!
Celebration Parties – Pre-Teen Party & Teen Party – 6:30 pm
Sunday
Return Home
Rest and Reflect
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Team’s Schedule
The Team’s daily schedule during the four/five days at Global Finals SHOULD BE SET BY THE
TEAM MANAGER(S).
The Team Manager(s) should determine when the team eats, sleeps, puts props back together,
rehearses, practices Team and Instant Challenges, trades pins, goes swimming, etc.
One SOLID LEADER makes for a cohesive team and group of parents and siblings. You will be
doing everyone a favor IF YOU let the parents know when and where you would like their
children.
Etiquette and Attitudes
Nothing should need to be said in this section. It is a PRIVILEGE to be at Global Finals. There will
be many countries present. There will be approximately 1,200 teams from 20+ countries. The entire
aura of the competition sets the tone. Please have your teams behave with the respect and dignity the
situation requires. Respect for the university’s property and good sportsmanship are expected.
Registration
The Team Manager(s) are the only people allowed in the Registration area at Global Finals (directions
to the Registration location – TRES Building - will be posted on the Global Finals website). The
team, parents, supporters, and siblings ALL stay outside. The team won’t mind at all!! It is a
wonderful time to trade pins. There are many fun things for them to do. In fact, they will NOT want
to leave when you come out. The parents, supporters, and siblings might just as well sit down and rest
or join in the pin-trading fun.
Meanwhile, you are inside at Registration. Destination Imagination is very good at Registration. You
will be directed to a waiting area (chairs, water, etc. provided for you). When it is your turn to register
the team, you will be directed to go several specialized table areas (general registration, identification
credentials, housing, parking, etc.) until registration is complete.
You will leave with: A housing assignment
Keys or with instructions on where to get them
Parking information
Cafeteria location
Meal bracelets (Required by everyone – even Appraisers)
Identification Credentials to get you, the team, supporters, etc. into all events
Maps on where to find everything
Tickets for the Team Manager(s) Recovery Party
If you do not get something you think you should have – ASK!
The people at Registration have been to Global Finals many times.
THEY ARE THERE TO HELP.
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Pre-Competition (Tuesday)
The sooner your team gets their props back together again and gets into a settled routine, the better off
everyone will be. Nerves calm down extensively once they are “back together again” and everyone
can enjoy themselves.
Many teams arrive at Global Finals on Monday versus Tuesday. That extra day of “settling in” is
very beneficial. If you arrive on Monday, register, find your housing, and then go to supper, confirm
prop arrival, if you shipped them, and their location, trade pins and get a good night’s sleep, you are in
great shape for putting props back together on Tuesday, checking out the site, trading pins, go to the
Team Manager’s Meeting on Tuesday evening, and then go to the Opening Ceremonies in the evening,
rested and refreshed.
Contrast the above with flying Tuesday or Wednesday, registering, finding your housing, not knowing
where your props are for sure, missing the Tuesday evening Team Manager’s Meeting, trying to eat
before Opening Ceremonies, going to Opening Ceremonies, and then putting your VERY TIRED
Team to bed. If you can at all afford to arrive Monday, or Tuesday at the latest, please do.
Make SURE to take the team to see their tournament site. Configurations can be different than they
have experienced in previous tournaments. Seeing their site early will give the team time to adjust.
However, most times, the team’s tournament site is usually a very excellent one. However, one
caution when you go to see your site. You are welcome to see the site. However, you ARE NOT
welcome to practice on it. If you do, your team will receive a deduction.
Storage of Props and Rehearsal Space
Global Finals also provides wonderful Prop Storage rooms in the same building as your Team
Challenge will be done. They are very safe and very fun! The team is welcome to put their props back
together right in the Prop Storage rooms. Bring water! Enjoy the day talking with kids from all over
the nation and the world!
If the team does not want to store their props in a “general storage” area, they will need to store the
props either in their cars or vans, in their rooms or in an area near their rooms. There have been many
inventive ways and they have generally all worked.
Dorm rooms have very large closets. Props can easily slide inside. Some dorms have study rooms or
socializing rooms at the end of each floor and the team sometimes store their props there. Decide
where to store your props AFTER you see the rooms and the dorm floor.
Another common concern of Team Managers is a rehearsal area. That too has taken many forms.
Teams have rehearsed in their dorm rooms, in hallways, at ends of hallways, in socialization rooms,
etc. Practice as needed, but also have fun with the team.
At one Global Finals, several teams from a State (living on the same floor) performed for each one
evening in a dorm lounge. It was wonderful. The teams loved it. And, the teams got to know each
other better. And, as much as possible, each of those teams tried to see each other when they actually
competed. It was great!
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Team Managers’ Tuesday evening Meeting
It cannot be emphasized enough the importance of going to this meeting! Additional rules,
refinements, special considerations because it is Global Finals, are frequently added to your
Challenge. This is done to accommodate the conditions at Global Finals or to address concerns that
showed up at various State Tournaments. If you cannot go to the meeting, you will not know any of
this information and your team could be at a disadvantage. If you cannot go, send someone else,
knowledgeable in the Challenge. Or, call one of the other Team Managers from your State (before you
leave for Global Finals) and make arrangements to get the information on your Challenge from
him/her.
The Day of Your Team’s Competition
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Set your team’s Competition Day schedule the day before and let all the parents, team
members, etc, know so there will be no confusion. THIS IS IMPORTANT! A missing team
member, for whatever reason, can create a very stressful situation that can easily be avoided if
everyone knows the day’s schedule in advance.
Keep the team to yourself that day until they are finished competing.
Have parents watch the team’s competition, take siblings swimming or pin trading.
Allow a lot of time to get the props out of the dorm.
Allow a lot of time to get the team to the competition site..
Allow a lot of time for the team to get ready at the competition site or at the dorm.
Remind the team that it is a privilege to be there and how PROUD you are of them.
Create an environment where the team can do its best.
Be proud of them as they perform.
Warm up for Instant Challenge (without parents).
Go to Instant Challenge with the team only.
Tell them again how proud you are of them.
Let them and yourself unwind after the team’s competition is over.
Study Time
It is a fact of life that the team members are still students and are probably still in school. If you are
the Team Manager of a Middle School or High School team, they may very well have finals the week
they return. Some Team Managers set up study time (1-2 hour a day). The best times are usually right
after breakfast or right after lunch. See what you can do, depending upon your circumstances. You
could assign the list of required school work to a parent and that person could “check off” the finished
work.
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Recreation
First on the list
Second
Third
Fourth
Fifth
Sixth
Seventh
Eighth
Trading Pins
Trading Pins
Trading Pins
Going to the Expo
Swimming
Swimming
Shopping at the University Book Store
Sight Seeing
Unless you have a High School Team!
Then the Order goes like this:
First
Girls/Boys and trading pins
Second
Girls/Boys and trading pins
Repeat, repeat, repeat
(A lot of High School team members come away from Global Finals with several email pals)
Opening Ceremony
Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday evening is a MUST! It is IMPRESSIVE. It is WONDERFUL. It
sets the tone for the week. Have everyone wear their State Global Finals T-shirts.
About 2-3 weeks before Global Finals, your State Director will be sending out an email to all the Team
Managers. It will ask a team to determine if they would like to march in the Opening Ceremony
parade, behind the California flag. If they team decides they would like to do so, they will be asked to
pick a number between 0 and 100. A number will be randomly picked and the teams that will be
marching will be notified.
Allow an hour after the Opening Ceremony for trading of pins. All the foreign teams are usually
present and it is one of the best times to get a foreign trading pin.
Graduation Ceremonies
The High School/University Graduation Ceremony is with formal cap and gowns. It has appropriate
music, words, and ceremony. It is followed by a formal reception. It is very impressive and the
Seniors love it. This year’s Graduation Ceremony will be on Thursday from 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm. It
is usually held at the World Fair Park’s Amphitheater. Check the Global Finals website for
information.
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Parents – How They Can Help!
First of all – YOU WANT THEM THERE! Having already read most of this Guide, you can start to
appreciate the need for another set of hands and/or several more sets of legs.
Put yourself in a parent’s place, standing around waiting and watching for three or four days, trying to
not get in the team’s way and wishing to be helpful. Give them something to do, such as:
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Watching the team’s competition
Taking siblings about campus and pin trading
Taking team members pin trading, swimming, shopping, etc.
Taking team members to the Expo
Helping transport the team
Picking up Global Finals T-shirts
Washing State T-shirts for the 3rd time
Taking the kids to meals
Filming the team
Taking pictures/videos for a Memento Album after Global Finals
Riding the Shuttle and finding out where it stops
Going for this and for that
Going AGAIN for this and for that
Going AGAIN – AND AGAIN – for this and for that
Seeing that the team gets to bed on time
Seeing that the team does its homework
Taking care of the team while you are at the Wednesday afternoon Team Manager Meeting
Taking the team to the Saturday Night Team Member’s Parties
At the end of this Guide is a Parents Do’s and Don’ts Section. Copy it for each of the parents.
Transportation on Campus
Rental van(s) or car(s)
Your own van(s) or car(s)
Shuttle Buses
Parents of GF DI Team Members (Handout)
Walk (Many props are moved that way if the site isn’t too far away)
NOTE: At least one vehicle is helpful for the many things a team seems to need form a drug store or a
grocery store, etc.
NOTE: The UT shuttle buses are great. It is hard to find a parking spot for your car at the various
venues. Besides, nowhere else will you have such a great opportunity to talk with people from all over
this country and the world! AND – this is the place to make some of the best pin trades.
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Closing Ceremony
It will be one of the most memorable experiences of your life!!
Arrive EARLY and wear your State T-shirts. Before you leave the dorm for the Closing Ceremony,
spend a little time alone with your team. Tell them again – how very proud you are of them. Remind
them that there are 1,200+ teams at Global Finals and only a few first-place winners. Talk about the
benefits they received by participating in Destination Imagination.
NOTE – Lower-level tickets are for the Teams and Team Managers only. Supporters are to sit on the
next level up. Why only a certain number of tickets per team on the lower levels? 1,200 teams x 9 or
10 people per team = 10,800 to 12,000 seats needed plus administration and officials seats. If
everyone was allowed down with the teams, there would be many teams in the upper levels trying to
get down to the floor for their awards. For safety reasons and time constraints, only teams and team
managers are allowed on the lower level. Credentials WILL BE checked.
After Closing Ceremonies Parties
There will be both a Pre-Teen Party and a Teen Party for the Teams and Team Managers. Take your
kids and/or have some of your parents do it. They can be a lot of fun and a nice ending to the week.
AFTER GLOBAL FINALS
Ways to Recognize the Team after Global Finals
Newspaper Publicity
School Reception
School Board Acknowledgement
A private dinner with you and the team
School Announcements
Parade
Town Council Acknowledgement
A private dinner including the parents
Thank You Notes
To all donors
To the extra helpful parent
And on and on
To all the people who helped with anything
To the kid who made all the signs
Thank you notes can be as simple as the standard hand-written note. Or, it can be as
complex as a formal picture of the team (mounted on a card) with a poem below the
picture and then signed by all the team members.
The most important thing is to thank everyone – PROMPTLY.
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Survival Tips for Team Managers
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Get enough sleep.
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Ask for help. Do NOT do it all yourself.
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Keep a sense of humor.
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Take a few minutes (several times each day) to savor the week at Global Finals.
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Enjoy yourself.
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Keep your papers organized by making a 3-ring Team Manager’s Notebook. If you get a set of
dividers, you can sub-divide all your papers, e.g. medical releases, confirmations, etc.
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Have your team bring swim suits and swim towels. If the team members use their room towels
for the swimming pool, they won’t be available for routine use.
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If you like coffee first thing in the morning, before the team can get to breakfast, take a little
water heater or a coffee pot with you for coffee/tea in your room. (Don’t forget the coffee,
filters, cups, sugar, stirrers, etc.) (If you forget filters, paper towels work.)
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Your team will need laundry soap for washing their T-shirts and pants. Take some laundry
soap divided up into little sealable bags (double bagged!). Also take a roll of quarters for the
washers and dryers in the basement of each dorm.
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Take an iron to un-wrinkle the costumes.
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Have each team member bring some money for sightseeing and souvenirs.
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Health and Safety- Both UT and DI take health and safety very seriously! Technically, Global
Finals is a “closed event.” Everyone MUST have a wristband to enter a building. There are
uniformed and non-uniformed officials throughout all the buildings on campus. The food
safety standards are extremely high. If you have any concerns, please contact either someone
from the UT staff and/or the DII staff as they are there to help, serve and make this a
memorable week for both you and your team.
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How to do luggage the easy way at the airport – Have an adult traveling with the team (You
have enough to do) make neon-colored tag board tags (with rubber hands for attaching) or just
colored yarn to place on each piece of team, coach, supporter, and parent luggage. Have that
person make three per person and then a few more. When the families start arriving at the
airport, have them line up all luggage (to be checked through). Put the neon tags /yarn on each
piece to be checked. When everyone is present and accounted for, COUNT ALL THE
TAGGED BAGGAGE and then RECOUNT THEM. When you reach your destination, and
the luggage comes onto the turnaround, simply pull off the luggage and line it all up.
RECOUNT it and you should have all the luggage. Have them keep the tags on their luggage
for the return trip home.
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Hand-out for
PARENTS OF GLOBAL FINALS TEAM MEMBERS
Things you can do to help your team before Global Finals:
Help order shirts or pins or whatever else they need
Help with fundraising
Help with taking team pictures
Fix your child’s Team Manager’s supper one evening
Hug your child’s Team Manager
Help get boxes for packing props
Have your child to practice on time
Get all forms back to the Team Manager in a timely manner
Things you can do to help your team at Global Finals:
Be a Driver, a Cheerer, and a Hugger
Be a Go-for-this and a Go-for-that person
Be a Door holder
Be a Prop carrier and/or a prop watcher
Take siblings about the campus and pin trading
Wash the never-ending dirty team T-shirts
Take the kids to meals
Take pictures/videos for a Memento Album after Global Finals
Ride the Shuttle and find out where it stops
See that the team gets to bed on time
Pick up Global Finals team T-shirts
Take the team/siblings to the book store
Take the team to the Team Parties after Awards
Let the Team Manager(s) and Team be by themselves the day of Competition
Help keep track of your child’s pin collection
Enjoy a WONDERFUL experience
Things you should NOT do at Global Finals:
Do not fix or change the props in any way
Do not help with makeup or costumes
Do not talk to any Appraiser regarding your team. That is the Team Manager’s job.
LET THE KIDS TAKE CARE OF THEIR CHALLENGE SOLUTION.
MANY THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!
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