A common question this time of the year is: How to I start a team? Many people are unsure of how they go about getting started so I have broken it down here to hopefully provide some insight and make the process a whole lot simpler!
Starting a Destination ImagiNation Team- How do I Start a Team?
Starting a team is EASY and requires only 3 simple steps to ensure your team can participate in a DI tournament and has all the information they need to be successful!
1. Purchase a Team Pak/Team Number from Destination ImagiNation
In order to participate in Destination ImagiNation you need to purchase what is called a Team Pak which gives you access to the full challenges and online resource area, assigns you a Team Number, and allows you to solve one of the 7 Destination ImagiNation Team Challenges and bring it to tournament. One Team Pak/Team Number is needed for each team so make sure that your team has its own unique number assigned to it!
If you are through a school or organization with an established DI program, your School Coordinator is likely the one who will purchase your team Pak. Contact your school to find out if you have a Destination ImagiNation program already started and to get more information about getting your Team Number or help to purchase one for your team.
However, if you are not affiliated with a school or organization and you want to start a DI team (ANYONE can start a team!) you will need to purchase your Team Pak independently from the Shop DI Website: www.shopDI.org
Step By Step Instructions on how to purchase a Team Number are located on our Wisconsin DI Website here: Start a Team!
2. Register your Team with Wisconsin Destination ImagiNation
Once you have your team number and have paid your fees on the ShopDI website, we want to know who you are! We need to know which Region you are in, what age the kids are that are participating, and which of the Team Challenges you have decided to compete in so we can plan for tournaments! Registration occurs on the Wisconsin DI website: www.wisconsindi.org and will open soon! To Register on the WIDI site you will need to know:
- Your Region (click here for a Regional Map )
- Names of your Team Members and their ages/ grade levels
- Your Team Challenge
- Name of an Appraiser/Volunteer (if you do not have this, there is an option to provide a name later- please register anyways as SOON as you know your team members and Team Challenge)
Registration deadlines are in January, but the earlier you register, the easier it is for our Regional Directors to plan their tournaments! Check out the WIDI website for step by step information on what you need to register: http://www.wisconsindi.org/regTeam.cfm
Many tournaments require that you provide an appraiser and/or volunteer for the day of the tournament and now is a great time to start thinking about who that person(s) might be. An Appraiser must be at least 18 years old and available for the entire tournament day. This person should not be a parent or team manager as this person will be unable to watch the teams performance as they will be placed in a challenge separate from the one the team is competing in. Past DI participants, teachers, or co-workers are excellent options, or your local community center may have folks who are looking for ways to volunteer. Volunteer roles are typically 2-4 hour shifts scheduled around a team's performance so parents are a great option here.
3. Keep in touch with your Regional Director!
Our Wisconsin Regional Directors are excellent resources dedicated to helping plan and prepare the local tournaments and are there to help ensure that you as Team Managers are well informed of information about trainings and workshops in your area and the tournament itself. Many times your school coordinator will be the one to receive information and updates from the regional directors, so reach out to your coordinator for updates, or feel free to reach out to the Regional Directors directly if you are not receiving the . Contact information for your local RD is located on the Wisconsin DI website here: http://www.wisconsindi.org/contact.cfm
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Hopefully this helps provide some insight into how to Start a Team with Destination ImagiNation! Next week's topic will provide some insight into the question: When should I start?
Remember to check out the Wisconsin Destination ImagiNation page for lots of information: www.wisconsindi.org and please email me your questions at: ask.crissybuhr@gmail.com. I will be answering new questions on this blog weekly! :)
Good Luck and I encourage you all to START A TEAM! today! :)
~Crissy
