Rules of Interference for Team Challenges

Your Team Challenge solution is owned and operated by your team! Only team members may contribute ideas and create the Team Challenge and Side Trip solutions. Help from non-team members, including your Team Managers, is called Interference.

1. A total of seven team members may contribute ideas, work on the solution, and participate in your team’s Presentation at the Tournament. Every idea for every part of your unique solution must come from your team members and team members ONLY. If an idea is offered by someone not on the team, your team may not use that idea, even if you might have thought of it yourselves later on.

2. If someone not on your team, including your Team Manager, builds or creates an item using your team’s idea, you may not use that item. Your team must start over and build it yourselves in your own way.

3. If your team does not know the skills that are needed to build your idea, you must learn the skills or find another way to do the project. For example, a professional welder or shop teacher may teach you how to weld, but that person may not show you how to weld any part of your team’s actual solution. If you

are not able to weld it yourselves, you must find another way to solve that part of the Challenge.

4. Your Team Manager’s job is to smooth the progress of the team by promoting discussion and helping your team gather information and resources. Your Team Manager may facilitate the educational process by helping your team understand what is available and how to get it. Team Managers may not take the lead and make decisions for your team. For example, your Team Manager MAY help your team figure out what you need to learn in order to solve parts of your Challenge, and he/she can even help gather the resources you would like to use. However, your Team Manager may NOT direct or lead your team towards a certain kind of information or solution. Your team must always be involved in the process of getting information and resources.

5. Only members of your team may assemble, prepare, or repair props and other aspects of your Challenge solution. If anyone else helps, it is Interference. Remind your parents and team supporters that you need to work on your props, costumes, etc. yourselves!

6. The reuse of items from prior years’ Team Challenge solutions is permitted but they may not be claimed as original creations made by your team for this specific Team Challenge solution. See “Determining the Value of your Solution” for more information.

7. Team Managers, parents, teachers, and others may help move or store team items. However, Team Managers, parents, teachers, and others are not responsible for the care of team props, scenery or costumes either before or on the day of the Tournament. Any team item that is accidentally damaged or lost by a team member or non-team member must be repaired or replaced by your team.

8. Anyone MAY help unload, uncrate and move scenery and props to and from the Tournament site(s) and to the Launch area, depending on the site. Non-team members are also allowed to move any scenery or props that have been left in a high traffic area or are a safety hazard.

9. At the Tournament Appraisers and other Tournament Officials will deduct points for Interference. This rule is enforced to keep a level playing field for all participants—in other words, to make sure every team receives every point they have earned – no more, no less. Deductions will be given whether the Interference was intentional or not. Deductions are not given for unintentional Interference by an Appraiser.

10. At the Tournament your team MAY NOT involve the audience or the Appraisal team in your performance in any Team Challenge, including the improvisational Challenge (UpBeat Improv). If you use members of the audience or the Appraisal team in your performance, it is like having extra team members because they will add something to your Challenge solution. In addition, audience members may not communicate with your team in any way. This includes Team Managers and all nonperforming team members. Please see “Rules of Interference at the Tournament,” #3.

11. At the Tournament playbills, programs, and flyers advertising or telling about the team’s Presentation may be handed out to Appraisers ONLY during the team’s 8-minute Presentation. These materials MAY be handed out to the general public at any time prior to or during the Presentation.

12. During your performance, no one in the audience may signal or communicate with your team. For example, your Team Manager and/or non-performing team members may not signal how much time has elapsed or use hand signals to indicate that you should speak louder.

13. Regarding the use of audio and video technology in a live performance, it is the intent of all Team Challenges that solutions be presented ‘live’ at the Tournament. Video and audio recordings may be used for portions of the Presentation but they are not meant to replace a live performance. If the Appraisal Team thinks that too much of your Presentation has been prerecorded, your team’s scores may reflect this.

@ Destination ImagiNation, Inc. 2003

Rules of the Road 2003-04

www.destinationimagination.org