Buy Team Numbers Here!The 2018 NYDI Eastern Regional Tournament will take place on Saturday, March 10, 2018, at Somers Middle School.
General Information
Team Managers should review ALL of the following documents in preparation for the tournament:
- Our 7 Secrets to a Successful Tournament presentation.
- Travel Guide for Teams – very important information about procedures on the day of the tournament (to be published in early 2018)
- Check-in and Prop Handling Procedures
- Team Manager Tournament Tips
- A Typical Tournament Day
- Picking up and Understanding Your Scores
It's also a good time to review your Challenge, the Rules of the Road, and any Published Clarifications. You should start completing your Tournament Data Forms now.
Arrival at the Tournament
Teams and spectators are advised to carpool if possible – the amount of parking close to the school building is limited. We will have auxilliary parking a bit farther away, but please plan ahead and share transportation if at all possible.
There will be separate check-in locations depending upon your challenge. Please see the table in the tournament schedule and the campus map for details.
It is not necessary for the entire team to go to Check-In. Younger teams should come with a Team Manager and one Team Member. Older teams can just send one Team Member.
Each Challenge has its own requirements concerning when teams must report to the Prep Area. Consult the Travel Guide for Teams and Check-in and Prop Handling Procedures for details.
Stucture teams must bring their structure to Structure Check-In no later than 1 hour before their Team Challenge performance time.
Respect for our Host Venue
In order to ensure that we care appropriately for our host venue, Somers Middle School, we have instituted the following site-specific rules:
- Teams must take precautions to protect the facility, including (but not limited to) the floor surface and walls. Damage to the facility could result in points deducted and/or a monetary charge for repairs.
- Teams must remove ALL debris from the the Challenge Venue immediately after their performance, must clean their area in the Prop Zone within 2 hours, and be signed out by the Prop Zone Monitor. Teams which leave debris behind may have points deducted or may be charged a fee for cleaning.
We have developed a procedure to support adherence to these rules. See the Check-in and Prop Handling Procedures for details.
Team Challenges
Teams, supporters and spectators are all encouraged to see as many Team Challenge performances as possible. Come early, stay late, and support as many teams as you can.
Team that have props should store them in their assigned Prop Zone when they arrrive at the Tournament. You will receive a Prop Zone sign / ticket which you must post near your props. Due to limited available space, we request that teams avoid loading their props into the Prop Zone earlier than two hours before their performance time, unless they have large props which require significant assembly.
Please note that for most challenges the Prop Zone, Prep Area and Launch Area / Performance Area will be in different rooms, separated by standard classroom doorways. Teams are reminded that they will have very limited time in the Launch Area to do any adjustments (usually no more than 3 minutes) before their presentation time begins. Teams should consider how they will move their props and equipment quickly and reliably from Prop Zone, to Prep Area, to Launch Area and onto the Performance Area.
Instant Challenge
Instant Challenge check-in will be on the 3rd floor. Teams should report to check-in no later than 20 minutes before their scheduled Instant Challenge performance time.
Please note that Instant Challenge is not open to spectators. Only the Team and a single Team Manager may enter the Instant Challenge area. Teams may not bring any electronic equipment, cameras, or timing devices of any sort into the Instant Challenge room. Teams are not allowed to discuss their experience in Instant Challenge with anyone outside the team until after Global Finals.
Afternoon Activities
After the last challenge finishes (around 4pm) we have a lot of work to do tabulating scores, ranking the teams, deciding on which teams will receive Special Awards, handing any team queries about their raw scores, and getting ready for the awards ceremony. It's all critical stuff which must be done before we announce results. But don't worry - there is a lot you can do during that down time:
- Visit the Cafeteria for a snack
- Shop for mementos in the NYDI Store
- Be an audience judge in our Appraiser Hat Contest
- Participate in the DI Shirt and Pin Auction
- Head off campus for late lunch, early dinner, or some shopping
Awards Ceremony
The Awards Ceremony will take place at approximately 5pm (location TBD). Please note that there is some uncertainty in the starting time of the ceremony, as we cannot begin until all of the teams' scores have been tabulated.
Advancement Policy
Teams which achieve 1st or 2nd place [and 3rd place for Top Secret (Scientific) Elementary Level / Vanished! (Fine Arts) Elementary Level] will advance to the NYDI Affiliate Tournament in Binghamton in early April, 2017. In the case of a tie, the tied teams will advance according to their rank, and will not affect the advancement of teams at a lower rank.
Additionally, any team whose total score is within 10 points of an advancing team and has won (1st place) in any competition portion (Central Challenge, Team Choice Elements or Instant Challenge) will be given the opportunity to be evaluated by a second set of Appraisers, and therefore advanced.
Appraisers & Volunteers
IMPORTANT
As part of a volunteer organization, each team has a responsibility to facilitate the Regional Tournament.
- Appraiser
- All teams attending the Regional Tournament are expected to nominate an individual to be an Appraiser at the tournament. The nominee must attend the full day of the Tournament, must not be the Team Manager, must be able to attend the Appraiser Training session, and should be over 18 years old. It is our policy that any Appraiser who is nominated by a Team cannot be assigned to the Challenge which that Team is solving – even if that Appraiser is not a relative of a Team Member or the Team Manager. Not all nominated appraisers are selected for service on the day of the tournament; we will inform your appraiser if they have been selected, and if so, where & when they should report for duty. Please be aware that we CANNOT guarantee that your Appraiser will be able to see your team perform.
- Volunteer
- Each team must also send a Volunteer (in addition to the Team Manager and the Appraiser) to facilitate the operation of the tournament. Most volunteer assignments are 40-90 minutes - but we do also have roles avaliable for individuals who can make a longer committment. See the Index of Volunteer Roles for more details. If your Appraiser has not been selected for service, they may take the role of Volunteer on the day of the Tournament. Volunteer assignments and times are listed at the far right of the Tournament Schedule. Volunteers are ALWAYS scheduled so that they can see your team perform.
Tournament Schedule
IMPORTANT
- Please force refresh / bypass your browser cache to ensure that you are seeing the latest version of the schedule!
- Tournament schedules are typically posted approximately two weeks before the tournament.
- Emails from NYDI always take precedence over this web page!
- All teams should re-verify their performance times when they register on the day of the tournament.
- Volunteer assignments including times are listed to the right of the table (you may need to scroll right to see them).
- See Index of Volunteer Roles to learn what your volunteer assignment entails.
