Destination Imagination and a Proud Papa

My son Jake has participated in Destination Imagination (DI) for the last eight years. DI is a team-oriented creative problem-solving competition. Each year in October, teams (comprised of five to seven kids) must choose one out of five long-term challenges -- each with a different focus (Technical/Mechanical, Theater Arts/Science, Theater Arts/Fine Arts, Theater Arts/Improvisation, Structural & Architectural Design). Each Team Challenge is designed to be open-ended and solvable in many ways and on many levels. In competition the long-term challenge counts for 75% of the score.

The Instant Challenge portion of a DI Tournament accounts for 25% of the score. During Instant Challenge, teams are given a challenge on the spot and asked to solve it in about five to eight minutes. No one knows ahead of time what the Challenge will be. Kids really have to be good at thinking on their feet.

The coolest part about DI is that adult intervention is strictly prohibited. Kids must create, build, and present their solutions without any adult direction and assistance (other than chauffeuring and paying the bills). In the early days, it was difficult to bite my parental tongue but I have come to really enjoy this aspect. First off, it is quite liberating. Secondly, I realized that if adults were involved, the solutions would not have been anywhere near as imaginative.

I am convinced these DI kids will make ideal business partners because they are extraordinarily creative and they understand the power of teamwork. They definitely have learned how to think innovatively to solve problems cheaply, efficiently, and elegantly.

Here's how the competition works. First place winners on the state level qualify to compete at the Global Finals. And let me tell you, Global Finals is a spectacle to behold when a cross-section of the most creative kids in the world come together. Competition is extremely stiff.

My son has won first place in Iowa and gone to the Global Finals four times. In seventh grade, his team came in 6th globally and, in eighth grade, 5th. (4th, 5th and 6th place are like honorable mention; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd bring home flashy hardware -- medals and trophies.)

When in tenth grade, Jake's team won 2nd place and I thought I had reached Parent Nirvana but this year, Jake's 12th grade team finished first in the world and they also won the prestigious Renaissance Award for outstanding design, engineering, execution, and performance. The centerpiece of their solution was a homemade computer with its electromagnetic switches constructed out of nails and copper wire. The damn thing could add. The judges were absolutely blown away.

As you can imagine, I am still kvelling. Here's a picture of the world champs. Jake is front row, second from left. As proud as he is of his accomplishment, I am more so.

Even though I am a little sad to see the end of this exciting chapter in our lives, I am relieved our home will no longer be the "mess house" where solutions are designed and built. That means I won't have to peel scrapes of duct tape off my socks any more.

www.lazyway.net
 

Comments

[Chris]

Hi "Jake's Dad"

I've seen these kids and they ARE great!

But please dont say the "chapter is over"... remember there's still UNIVERSITY DI! It takes DI to a completely new place for most teams :-)

So, I hope the kids dont stop. Be sure and give them my contact info in case they do want to try again when they reach college. It's been a joy to watch them compete over the years...think of the fans they've made-other than their loving families- who'll miss them if they dont come back!

Loved your web page.

Chris Groberg
University Coordinator

[Mayo]

Congratulations to Jake, Jake's team, you and your wife!

It seems that apple does not fall far away from the tree... ;)

[Rachel E. Stoltenberg]

I follow this page closely. I'm a big fan of the book. Another splendid post!

[Alex Smith]

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[katie leaf]

jake dad i love di i cmpeted and came in first globally for my age rock onn

[Alyssa]

Hello! A friend shared your blog with me because he knows I'm a DI fan. I just want to say congratulations to such a great team! What an impressive record! I'm going on my 17th year in this program, started as a participant myself. I have a brand new baby and hope he'll have his own DI team some day. Do you have any tips for team managers about making a good DI team great?

[Eric Wordelman]

Great post. It sounds like tons of fun. Where can I sign up?

www.ericwordelman.com

[Make children Successful]

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[zia]

Very very nice photo.

[Travel World Network]

Hay.... A friend shared your article with me because he knows I'm also DI fan. I want to say congratulations to such a great team! What an aggressive record! I'm going on my 12th year in this program, started as a participant myself. Do you have any tips for team managers about making a good DI team great?
=========================
Travel World Network

[Mp3hounddog]

My congratulations. You will never work if your work is what you like most of all in your life.

[Florida certified publics accountants]

I appreciate this kind of sport and definitely they have to work hard for reach the goal...You guys keep motivated you are doing a great job..

[Jack's Muscle Building Diets]

you must be a good father to be able to have been blessed with such a son. thanks for sharing your story. It truly is inspiring :)

- Jack Leak

[xlpharmacy]

really nice photo, you look like a successful team, thank you for sharing this story..

[Kris KUmar]

I know you posted this several years ago. I completely sympathize with the duct tape part. My house is a complete mess 9 months of the year. Did DI help Jake in getting admitted to a good University?

[Fred Gratzon]

Jake’s DI experience has been invaluable. He probably would have been accepted to the University of Iowa anyway (the only school he applied to) but he definitely approaches “real life” with a DI mentality—no boundaries, pedal-to-the-metal creativity.

For example, he’s currently doing a six-month internship with IBM in Rochester MN. My parting words to him were: “Jake, now remember, you’re only the intern, not the president.” Of course those words had zero impact. After attending IBM’s weeks-long orientation/training seminars for new hires, Jake made an appointment with the head of human resources. When they met, he told her why their training program was terrible and how it could be improved. Instead of throwing him out on his ear, she teamed him up with a senior employee to overhaul the entire training program.

He’s already shown his boss how a simple computer program could make his current job completely unnecessary. That’s how he thinks. I credit his approach and his confidence to DI.