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Beloit students qualify for global competition
By Ashley Rhodebeck
Daily News staff writer
Over a several month span, seven Beloit Memorial High School students did anything but shy away from obstacles - they purposely created them.
Apparently, they were good at it.
The teens - Patrick Gathof, Jessica Gile, Melissa Gile, Joshua Handrich, Andrew Linson, Katrina Tijerina and Chris Witting - took second place at the state level Destination ImagiNation competition and are headed for the global contest in Knoxville, Tenn., later this month.
“This will be my second time going, and from previous experience I know this will be a great trip,” Linson said in an e-mail. “The mere fact of going to globals is almost overwhelming, knowing that we will be competing with kids all over the world.”
Destination ImagiNation is the world's largest creativity and problem-solving organization that pits school-age teams against each other during yearly regional, state and global competitions.
Last year a team from Morgan Elementary School placed 10th at the global contest.
For their challenge, the teens split into two groups. One built a remote-controlled vehicle and an obstacle course the device would navigate while another prepared a dance that depicted a story involving obstacles.
In the project's beginning, Linson and the rest of the mechanical team worked to understand the challenge and to build prototypes to fulfill the criteria. Knowledge in engineering, trigonometry and geometry was important to the task, he said. The vehicle was intricately built and needed several modifications to complete the obstacle course, which needed just as much work.
“Without using mechanics and engineering skills on the course, the vehicle would not be able to overcome some obstacles,” Linson said. “Different gadgets are used to raise, push and funnel the car. I've spent more time with the obstacle course than the vehicle because I believe it's just as important, if not more.”
Meanwhile, the Gile twins have worked on an interpretative dance that tells the story of a poacher hunting jungle animals who is faced with obstacles and eventually lets the animals go.
“I think the hardest part was trying to pick music that would express the story,” Melissa Gile said.
She and her sister play instruments during the skit, an aspect Jessica Gile said probably impressed the judges at state because it showed the teens have talents in more than one area.
In addition to presenting the challenges they've worked on for months, the teens must complete an instant challenge at the global competition - an element they can't practice for.
“We always try to do our best on teamwork,” Jessica Gile said.
Although most of the team has participated in Destination ImagiNation for years - some since elementary school - this will be the first time many will compete at the global competition. Tijerina hopes to rank in the top 10 and said the team is working to improve their presentations in the days leading to the May 21-24 event because history has shown other teams will get better, too.
“The girls that beat us (at state) we actually beat out at regionals,” Tijerina said.
Winning isn't what motivates the teens to participate in Destination ImagiNation year after year, though.
“It's really fun to create new things and have new problems,” Tijerina said.
“It helps me expand my mind,” Linson said. “I also get to build many mechanical gadgets which I enjoy. DI has helped me consider majoring in engineering and mathematics.”
Daily News staff writer
Over a several month span, seven Beloit Memorial High School students did anything but shy away from obstacles - they purposely created them.
Apparently, they were good at it.
The teens - Patrick Gathof, Jessica Gile, Melissa Gile, Joshua Handrich, Andrew Linson, Katrina Tijerina and Chris Witting - took second place at the state level Destination ImagiNation competition and are headed for the global contest in Knoxville, Tenn., later this month.
“This will be my second time going, and from previous experience I know this will be a great trip,” Linson said in an e-mail. “The mere fact of going to globals is almost overwhelming, knowing that we will be competing with kids all over the world.”
Destination ImagiNation is the world's largest creativity and problem-solving organization that pits school-age teams against each other during yearly regional, state and global competitions.
Last year a team from Morgan Elementary School placed 10th at the global contest.
For their challenge, the teens split into two groups. One built a remote-controlled vehicle and an obstacle course the device would navigate while another prepared a dance that depicted a story involving obstacles.
In the project's beginning, Linson and the rest of the mechanical team worked to understand the challenge and to build prototypes to fulfill the criteria. Knowledge in engineering, trigonometry and geometry was important to the task, he said. The vehicle was intricately built and needed several modifications to complete the obstacle course, which needed just as much work.
“Without using mechanics and engineering skills on the course, the vehicle would not be able to overcome some obstacles,” Linson said. “Different gadgets are used to raise, push and funnel the car. I've spent more time with the obstacle course than the vehicle because I believe it's just as important, if not more.”
Meanwhile, the Gile twins have worked on an interpretative dance that tells the story of a poacher hunting jungle animals who is faced with obstacles and eventually lets the animals go.
“I think the hardest part was trying to pick music that would express the story,” Melissa Gile said.
She and her sister play instruments during the skit, an aspect Jessica Gile said probably impressed the judges at state because it showed the teens have talents in more than one area.
In addition to presenting the challenges they've worked on for months, the teens must complete an instant challenge at the global competition - an element they can't practice for.
“We always try to do our best on teamwork,” Jessica Gile said.
Although most of the team has participated in Destination ImagiNation for years - some since elementary school - this will be the first time many will compete at the global competition. Tijerina hopes to rank in the top 10 and said the team is working to improve their presentations in the days leading to the May 21-24 event because history has shown other teams will get better, too.
“The girls that beat us (at state) we actually beat out at regionals,” Tijerina said.
Winning isn't what motivates the teens to participate in Destination ImagiNation year after year, though.
“It's really fun to create new things and have new problems,” Tijerina said.
“It helps me expand my mind,” Linson said. “I also get to build many mechanical gadgets which I enjoy. DI has helped me consider majoring in engineering and mathematics.”
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