So, the kids made it through their Destination Imagination competition. They went to state and won. There were only ten teams at state but they definitely dominated the competition. I was really impressed with the way that they put everything together and how organized they were when it came time to compete. They now have the opportunity to go to the global competition in May. I think we will wait for a couple of years before we try that. We are just getting our feet wet and don't want to get in over our heads in the first year. We want the kids to take a good experience away from this and are afraid that they would be frustrated and disappointed if they went up against some of these teams that have been competing for years. I copied, and posted, the article that appeared in the paper.
Madison's age group didn't even have other teams to compete against so they couldn't compete; but we all agree that they took a first place as well.
A winning team for the Utah State Destination ImagiNation Challenge Saturday used duct tape to secure a prop and win its acting challenge. "Duct tape solved the problem for the main big challenge to get it to stand up, because it was a part of the background video for the acting challenge," said team member Myla Colletti, 11. "Screws weren't doing it, holding it up. It was wobbly."
Fifteen children from five Utah County cities took state at the finals for the Destination ImagiNation Challenge last weekend.
Sponsored by the Hutchings Museum and Lehi American Legion Post 19, the group consisted of three teams. Of those, one team will go on to the international competition.
"The Hutchings Museum is proud -- as I am sure the Lehi veterans are, as well -- to have provided a place for these kids to prepare for their teamwork and creativity challenges," said museum program director Valerie Meade. "I'm so excited that all their hard work paid off so well."
Destination ImagiNation is a little-known competition in Utah, but in other parts of the world it is popular with educators and children.
A community-based, nonprofit, volunteer educational organization founded in 1999, Destination ImagiNation teaches kindergarten through university-level participants about critical- and creative-thinking skills.
More than 250,000 children and young adults in all 50 states and more than 40 countries compete each season. Two- to seven-member teams focus on finding solutions to two separate types of Destination ImagiNation challenges: Team Challenges and Instant Challenges. Then they present their solutions to appraisers in tournament-style settings.
"In Oregon, Destination ImagiNation, it's huge," said team manager Melissa Price, who is from Oregon. "Usually [Oregon] has a regional competition at the beginning of March. Here there are not enough teams to have regional anywhere and they only had six teams at state."
Other states have 20-30 teams competing at regional events. In Utah, one of her teams didn't have any competition at the state level and the other teams had only one team they went up against.
"Hopefully, I can help get the word out for next year so we can get some more teams," she said. "I feel it's important for the teams to have more competition."
That's not to say preparation for the state competition wasn't tough. The children had been practicing since January, three to four hours each week.
"Every Friday afternoon and work, work, work," Price said then laughed.
There were two teams, the Huskies and the Atomic Air Force, whose members were kindergarten to fifth-grade level. The other team, The Sharp Shooters, is the one going to finals and has three members of junior-high-school age.
"Well, I think they start to learn to work as a team," Price said. "They also learn what to do when something goes wrong. They really learn to work with different personalities. It's fun to watch. By the time the process is through, they become great friends and they really learn to rely on one another."
She said the most difficult thing for parents to do is to not help or guide them.
Adults are not allowed to help in any way, the children have to solve all the problems and do all the skits by themselves. It's completely child-led.
"It's kind of hard for parents to watch while the kids come up with a solution," Price said.
Now the teams are faced with how to raise enough funds to pay for getting to the Global Finals in May at the University of Tennessee. There were 18,000 competitors, all kids, from all over the world at the finals in 2008.
She said they need $5,000 per team to get the props and team members there and to pay for lodging and food.
"We are certainly trying to earn the money to go," Price said. "At least one of our teams is going to go."
Sharp Shooters - (Back Row)
Myla Coletti, 11, Lehi
Erika Meade, 12, American Fork
Summer Price, 14, Provo
Robbie Robinson, 11, Orem
Atomic Airforce - (middle row)
Damon Schultz, 10, Eagle Mountain
Jason Spoons, 9, Provo
Jeffery Coletti, 8, Lehi
Hunter Thueson, 10, Eagle Mountain
Damon Schultz, 10, Eagle Mountain
Jason Spoons, 9, Provo
Jeffery Coletti, 8, Lehi
Hunter Thueson, 10, Eagle Mountain
Huskies - (front row)
Kelsey Nettles, 8, Lehi
Reilly Price, 9, Provo
Sadie Thueson, 8, Eagle Mountain
Jeniel Zimmerman, 7, Orem
