HOW TEAMS ARE FORMED
Troy Creative Minds is completely run by volunteers. Each year Troy Creative Minds holds an Information Night to share an overview of Destination Imagination. We recruit adults to become Team Managers and we recruit Troy School District students grades K - 12 to participate on teams.
During the Information Night meeting we help group students by school and age level to facilitate team formation. Students must have a Team Manager to form a team. Teams are formed based on age/grade levels.
- Rising Stars - Grades K -2
- Elementary level - Grades 3-5
- Middle level - Grades 6-8
- Secondary level - Grades 9-12
Generally groups of like-minded parents work together to form teams. Our experienced team managers and the TCM volunteer coordinators work with new team managers and their teams to answer questions and guide them throughout the entire season.
Once a team is formed the team manager will register their students to participate through the Troy Creative Minds coordinators.
Each student pays a fee to participate to Troy Creative Minds. This fee covers:
- cost of challenge materials and team registration through Destination Imagination
- team registration fee for regional tournament
- team registration fee for state tournament (if team advances from regional tournament)
- TCM t-shirt
- TCM Instant Challenge workshop
- access to coordinators and experienced team managers to guide you through your season
Becoming a Team Manager
Check out this great article with step by step instructions on how to become a team manager.
https://www.destinationimagination.org/blog/so-you-re-a-newbie-team-manager/
When you participate in DI by joining Troy Creative Minds we provide assistance every step of the way.
Once your team is formed
In early September, Destination Imagination releases the challenges for the upcoming season. Teams review the challenges offered and choose one to participate in for the year. Teams from around the world start preparing for tournaments.
In Michigan, our teams first compete in local "regional" tournaments. Troy Creative Minds is part of Region 3. This year the Region 3 Tournament will be held TBD.
Teams that place in the top 3 for their challenge at the regional tournaments are invited to participate in the Michigan DI State tournament. This year it will be held TBD.
Teams that place in the top 3 at the State tournament are invited to participate in the Destination Imagination Global Finals in Knoxville, TN during May 2019.
Along the way Michigan Creativity Association and Troy Creative Minds offer support and workshops to help teams and team managers gain the skills needed to compete.
WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW
Parents are a very important part of a Destination Imagination team. Often parents are team managers. Each team requires volunteers to help gather supplies to be used at team meetings, chaperoning field trips, hosting meetings and volunteering at the tournaments.
Each team is run by 1-2 team managers. Team managers will determine the time, frequency and location of planning meetings throughout the season.
Typically as teams start their season the fal, they will meet once a week for 1-2 hours. As tournament time approaches often the frequency and length of the meetings increase as teams finalize their solutions. Frequency and duration of meetings also depends on the age level and maturity of each team.
Generally DI is NOT "a register your child and drop them off type activity". Adults are a necessary part to a well functioning team.
