
DI is a group of kids that are handed a problem that has to be solved with creativity and teamwork. You are scored on these things and the top team will go on to State and then to Globals. My school won global once, and this year, I'd like to lead my team to another one.
The DI tryouts were held on a Saturday. Although, the teachers were expecting 100 or more kids to tryout, less than 25 showed up! I think just having the tryouts on a weekend was a good choice because it meant only the serious kids would show up. One of the rules for DI is this, if you drop out or get kicked off the team, they can't replace you, so the team would suffer by being a person short.
DI has another rule too. The team cannot receive any help from a teacher or parent or anyone not part of the team. It's about pure teamwork. Teachers are there only to supervise. Sometimes, they will work around the rule, and get ideas to you craftily. Though most kids don't like this rule, I like it because it can test how creative the teams are coming up with their own ideas.
With two years of experience, I know what can happen in DI. Two years ago my team placed second in a local tournament. We had lost by six points out of 340. But by pure luck, a raffle was held for an alternate team and my team was picked! We went to state and sadly placed 3rd out of 12 in the rankings. I believe we can blame our lack of teamwork that day. This showed us how things could go from good to bad. This year I'm hoping we show great teamwork and go on to win.
If your school has a DI or Rising Stars group, don't be afraid to join. Never stop the creativity! Bye!