TOYtimes: Issue 10, 2009
Are you getting excited?!!! WE ARE!
We can’t wait to see you at the Nationals! As well as an exciting day for all the teams, it is an exciting day for all of the Sally Ride Science staff, as we’ll finally get to meet you and see all the incredible designs we have heard so much about!
Checking In for TOYchallenge Nationals
When checking in, please have only your coach approach the check-in table. That way, we can sign in your entire party (coach, team members, accompanying adults and other family members) at one time, and allow you more time to set up. We’ll be checking in by Team ID number, so please have it ready to tell us!
When you check in, you’ll be given a schedule, name badges, a map showing you where your table should be set up, and anything else you need to know about the day!
Gracious Professionalism
For the past six months or more, your kids have been finding out what it means to be part of an engineering and design team: cooperation, compromise and consensus. At Nationals, a fourth "C" will be added to the list--competition. We have learned in past years that for some of kids, this is their first real experience being on a team and being in competition. The models they have may have come from television or sports. They may be unsure of how to behave in this setting--do they cheer loudly, jeer the other teams and throw Gatorade over the coach? Or do they sit as silent as university lab students do when awaiting their Chemistry final? How should they show team spirit appropriately?
There is a credo of "gracious professionalism" at TOYchallenge that applies to the way we would like to see teams presenting their toys and themselves at the Nationals. We hope that your kids are proud of their teams and are supportive of one another! And, we hope they have a whole lot of fun. At the same time, we'd like to see teams being respectful of other teams and their games or toys in much the same way as professional engineers behave when meeting colleagues. As a coach, it might be a good time to start talking to your kids (and parents/guests) about how they should represent themselves, their team, their families, their schools and their communities.
You might ask your team: How would you like to be treated? If you are with the judges, how would you want the team next to you to behave? How would you want people to speak to you or handle your invention? And, mostly, how would you like for people to remember you? There will be a lot of friends, family members, judges, media folks and people from the community at the Nationals. Make sure that your words and actions as you are meeting teams and checking out the inventions are things you would be proud to have anyone hear or see.
There is another reason for this – with all of the teams in one room, it can get loud! To allow you and other teams to be judged fairly without raising your voices too much, part of the respect is not to drown out other teams.
We are confident that your kids already know that they are winners - they now know the thrill of seeing their own vision become reality and they're going to have an amazing opportunity to show that on a National level. This is a fantastic opportunity for you and your kids to meet other kids and coaches from around the country who are interested in the exact same kinds of things that you are into! Be sure to spend some time preparing your kids to be gracious professionals as they present themselves and meet others at the Nationals. It will extend their learning experience and make the event that much more enjoyable for everyone!
Lunch
Lunch will be free for team members and coaches only – there will be a ticket in you badge to exchange for lunch. You will be told where to pick up your lunch the morning of the competition. There will be a Starbucks onsite with lunch, snacks, and drinks available for purchase by family, friends, and guests. Remind everyone to bring some extra money as outside food is not allowed to be brought into the venue.
TOYchallenge in the media...
We’ve been receiving many calls in the office from newspaper reporters following up on stories they are writing about teams in their reporting area. We’re so pleased that so many of you are taking this initiative, to raise awareness of your amazing efforts!
Last of the TOYchallenge T-shirts
We are down to our very last batch of TOYchallenge T-shirts. We are no longer shipping online orders. However, you may buy a shirt at the competition so you can take home a memento of this great event!
Southwest Airlines
This competition would not have been possible without the generous support from our sponsor and our partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). If you are flying on Southwest Airlines to Baltimore or Washington, D.C. you might want to tell their staff about the competition and thank them for their support! You may also see some representatives from the USPTO and Southwest Airlines at the Nationals; we’d encourage you to express your support of TOYchallenge to them too. We couldn’t do it without them. Thank you!
See you at the Nationals, and good luck!