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GTA Team Manager Newsletter # 5 - February 3, 2017
Hello again to all of our Amazing DI Team Managers!
Wow. We can’t believe it is February already! There are just a few weeks left until our GTA Regional
Tournament on Saturday February 25th, 2017 at St. Basil-the-Great College School in North York. We
understand how busy you must be at the moment with all of your team’s preparations, but we ask that you
take a few minutes to read over this newsletter, as it contains a lot of important, time-sensitive information.
Our focus in this newsletter is to make sure that all teams have completed their registration for our upcoming
tournament. Although over 50 teams in the GTA have registered on the main Destination Imagination
website, at the present time we only have documentation for 8 teams that have registered from the GTA on
our DI Ontario website (see # 2 under the “TO DO” Section below).
Toronto Independent
86470
Hillfield Strathallan College
38442
Hillfield Strathallan College
87263
Hillfield Strathallan College
9364
Hillfield Strathallan College
95128
Hillfield Strathallan College
20661
Toronto Independent 2
Holy Name of Mary College School
7553
55825
We are concerned to see so few teams registered & are hoping that there are no issues with the registration
process on our DI Ontario website. If you have already registered at DI Ontario & are NOT on the list above,
please contact us ASAP & we will make sure that your registration gets logged in. If you have not yet
registered at DI Ontario, please do so ASAP! The earlier the teams are registered, the earlier the tournament
committee can begin creating the tournament schedule for the day!
***Special Note for High School Teams:
This year we are allowing High School teams to be exempt from performing at our GTA tournament & offering
High School teams a “by” to allow them to go directly to the Provincial Tournament on Apr. 2nd. Regardless of
this, WE REQUIRE ALL TEAMS IN THE GTA TO REGISTER AT DI ONTARIO by the FRI. FEB. 10TH
DEADLINE!!! If a High School team would like to perform at our GTA tournament in order to get extra
experience & practice, could you please email us at either [email protected] OR [email protected] so that
we can fit your team into the schedule for the day. You may also write this directly under “Special
Considerations” when you are registering your team.
TO DO
There are 3 types of Registration that you need to be aware of:
1. TEAM REGISTRATION on DI Website to obtain your Team Number:
Most teams should have already registered & received their Team Number & access to the online DI
resources. http://resources.destinationimagination.org/ . (See previous newsletters for more info)
Destination Imagination® Ontario | www.diontario.org | [email protected]
www.diontario.org
[email protected]
@diontario
@diontario
facebook.com/DIOntario
2. TEAM REGIONAL TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION on DI Ontario Website:
ALL teams participating in the GTA MUST register at the link below in order to compete at the
tournament.
Here's the link:
http://www.diontario.org/ondi-season/regional-tournament-registration/
The link to this page is also on the DI Ontario homepage, in the sidebar, and in the dropdown for
"tournaments" in the main menu. This link is also found on the "regions" page of DI Ontario.
Please make sure to have the following information available when you register: Team Number, Team
Name, Challenge, Challenge Level, Team Members’ Names, Dates of Birth, & School Names. You
will also need to have the Name & Contact information of a Volunteer that you are providing to assist
Tournament officials on Tournament Day (see Appraiser/Volunteer Registration on next page).
GTA REGIONAL TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION DEADLINE
*** Friday, February 10th, 2017 ***
We are need ALL teams to register ASAP so that we can weigh which challenges and age groups
have the highest enrolment and allocate resources and volunteers accordingly. Also, the earlier the
teams are registered, the earlier the tournament committee can begin creating the tournament
schedule for the day!
Information regarding Tournament Fees & Payment is also found at the link above. Deadline to send
payment is usually "by tournament" and this year we also have the option of e-transfers if required.
Please contact us if you require more details about payments.
3. APPRAISER/VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION on DI Ontario Website:
Each team MUST PROVIDE THE NAME AND EMAIL OF AT LEAST ONE VOLUNTEER that can
devote a minimum of 2 hours on tournament day.
You must nominate a DIFFERENT INDIVIDUAL for each team you register.
All Volunteers & Appraisers MUST register at the link below, where they will be allowed to choose
exactly in which capacity or which area they would like to volunteer at. Student volunteers are also
asked to register at the link below as well.
http://www.diontario.org/volunteers-appraisers/appraiser-registration-form/
Please email [email protected] or write to [email protected] if you have any questions.
If you know of anyone else who would like to volunteer in either an appraiser or non-appraiser role, we
do ask that you forward this email to them and invite them to sign up as well!
Destination Imagination® Ontario | www.diontario.org | [email protected]
www.diontario.org
[email protected]
@diontario
@diontario
facebook.com/DIOntario
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION & PREPARATION
Media Release Forms: Please have each team member, manager and other team volunteers sign this form,
(which has been sent as an attachment with today’s newsletter). A SIGNED MEDIA RELEASE IS
REQUIRED FOR EACH TEAM MEMBER AND TEAM MANAGER. THESE MUST BE HANDED IN AT
REGISTRATION.
A GTA Tournament Newsletter will be sent out in the week before the tournament with detailed information
focused entirely on tournament-specific information.
Performance times will not be released until approx. Wednesday before the Saturday tournament. The full
schedule will be posted on the DI Ontario website at http://www.diontario.org ***Please note, this year there
will be no printed programs/schedule available at the tournament. The parents will be able to download the
schedule from the website & print it themselves. There will also be schedules posted throughout the building.
In preparation for the tournament, teams should read and re-read the Rules of the Road, as well as their
specific Challenge instructions, particularly the section titled “Reward Points”, so they are sure that they are
meeting all of the requirements of both.
Another valuable reference is the TRAVEL GUIDE FOR TEAMS, which provides useful information in
preparing for the tournament. The Travel Guide for Teams tells you what to expect at your tournament. Inside
this Guide, you will find information that includes what will happen at your Presentation Site and tips from
teams and Team Managers on how to have a great tournament experience.
https://www.destinationimagination.org/wp-content/uploads/16-17TravelGuideForTeams.pdf
TIPS FOR TEAM DEVELOPMENT
In our past experience it is around now that teams start to see the end goal and either relax or panic. It is
your role as Team Manager to help your team focus on the tasks at hand. Make sure that YOU as the team
manager understand the Challenge so that you can ensure that YOUR TEAM understands the basics of the
Challenge. Take some time to go over the challenge bit by bit with the team focusing on the page titled
Reward Points to ensure that they understand what they need. Appraisers find it heart-breaking to give a
team a low score just because a team doesn’t understand what is required for that Challenge.
A Destination Imagination tournament is the ultimate celebration of creativity and innovation, and is an
opportunity for kids to connect with and support other creative thinkers who participate in the program.
Invite you teachers, principals, friends & family, etc. to our tournament! What better way for your teams to
share their journey with others & to let other people see what DI is all about!
Above all, remember that DI is about the journey! Always find ways to have fun along the way!
Destination Imagination® Ontario | www.diontario.org | [email protected]
www.diontario.org
[email protected]
@diontario
@diontario
facebook.com/DIOntario
RESOURCES
Here are a few articles from the DI BLOG if you are looking for a little guidance.
https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/tm-tips-using-your-project-schedule-to-create-a-sense-ofurgency/
https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/team-tips-becoming-the-critical-thinker/
https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/team-tips-pushing-past-your-limits/
https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/8-strategies-for-rising-stars-team-managers/
CLARIFICATIONS
Every team is expected to know the Published Clarifications for their Challenge. Click on the Challenge logos
on that webpage to read the Published Clarifications. Also if your team is not sure that something they are
planning will meet the criteria of the challenge, they can submit a team clarification through the DI website
(under Published Clarifications under Challenge Program). You will need your team number in order to submit
a clarification. The Deadline to submit a Clarification is February 15, 2017.
https://www.destinationimagination.org/challenge-program/clarifications/
DISC SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
To All High School Students - Want to use your creativity to earn a scholarship? Thanks to the Destination
Imagination (DI) community’s amazing support this past season, the Destination Imagination Scholarship
Committee (DISC) will offer up to $30,000 in creativity and volunteerism scholarships to deserving candidates.
The deadline to submit your DISC scholarship application is March 1, 2017.
http://didisc.org/scholarshipshome
FUTURE TOURNAMENT DATES
The top 3 DI teams in each Challenge Level & Category from the GTA Tournament, along with some
“wildcard” teams, will be invited to advance to our Provincial Tournament.
Sunday April 2nd, 2017 – Ontario Provincial Creativity Festival & Tournament to be held at the University of
Toronto, Scarborough Campus.
DI teams that advance past the Provincial Tournaments are invited to participate in Global Finals—the world’s
largest celebration of student creativity. Each May, more than 1,400 of the top-scoring DI teams from around
the world gather in Knoxville, Tennessee to showcase their innovative Challenge solutions. More than 17,000
people attend the event each year.
May 24-27, 2017 - DI GLOBAL FINALS - Knoxville, Tennessee
http://www.globalfinals.org/why-attend/
http://www.globalfinals.org/pricing/
Destination Imagination® Ontario | www.diontario.org | [email protected]
www.diontario.org
[email protected]
@diontario
@diontario
facebook.com/DIOntario
You can find all previous GTA Newsletters on our website at: http://www.diontario.org/regions/gta/
Finally, you have taken on an amazing role that is more rewarding than we can put into words. Anything that
you may need that we can guide you through, please just send us an email. Remember, if you have any
questions at all, or would just like a little moral support during these final weeks before our first tournament,
please contact us. We are here to support you!
Creatively Yours,
Kim Brown & Jana Zavitz, Co-Regional Directors, GTA & Surrounding Area, DI Ontario
Contact Us
For questions regarding Tournaments, Training & other activities in the GTA & Surrounding Area:
Email (DI Ontario-GTA Region):
[email protected]
If you would prefer, you may also call Kim Brown at 905-767-5643 (Evenings & Weekends)
For all other questions:
Email (DI Ontario):
[email protected]
Destination Imagination® Ontario | www.diontario.org | [email protected]