Six DI teams from Meeker headed to state

MEEKER I Meeker was well represented with 10 teams at the 2014 Western Slope Regional Destination Imagination Tournament in Rifle during the past weekend. Six of those teams will be going to the state competition in April.
In the introductory level, there were two Rising Stars teams, the Silly Superstars (Tyler Sanders, Will Schwartz, Landin Lopez, Natalie Knight, Austin Aven, Taylor Garcia, Harrison Foreback, Josh Harman, TM Leslie Harman, TM Janae Sanders) and the Meeker Minions (Reese Clatterbaugh, Valentina Sevillano Gutierrez, Rhiwan Williams, Montey Franklin, Clay Stewart Randall, Cade Blunt, Alan Rivera, TM Natosha Clatterbaugh and TM Dilly Gutierrez). Both teams had performances about a circus, geometric shapes and balances.
In Dig In, the technical challenge, teams had to develop equipment to detect and remove hidden items. The Pug Warriors (Oliver Holmes, Opal Munger, Eva Scritchfield, Abbi Schwartz, Alison Kobald, Elliot Steinacher, Gabe Smithers, TM Lisa Belmonte, TM Heather Sauls) and The Black and Blue Atomic Smurf-A-Sheeps (Ridge Williams, Sierra Williams, Zach Harman, Derek Neilsen, Brandon Lozano, Kolbi Franklin, Jake Shelton, TM Briana Williams) were both successful with this challenge.
Both teams placed first in their age divisions and qualified for state.
The Seven Mischief Minions of the Mind (Rainier Foreback, Shane Kobald, Regan Mobley, Savannah Mendenhall, Gabriel Richardson, Hailey Knowles, Kate Lockwood, TM Stephanie Kobald, TM Nikki Foreback) and the Super Silly Jelly Beans (Brealyn Garcia, Elijah LeBlanc, Ruby Holliday, Melaynie Wangnild, Kaden Franklin, TM Amber Garcia, TM Kelly LeBlanc) took on the scientific challenge, Going to the Extremes.
In this challenge, teams have to explore an extreme environment and develop extreme gear to survive. Both teams did a great job in this challenge, and the Seven Mischief Minions placed second, earning them a trip to the state tournament.
One team, the Shooting Stars (Brendan Clatterbaugh, Allie Sanders, Adrianna Price, Noah LeBlanc, Micah Crowe, Ethan Quinn, Isabella Blazon, TM Natosha Clatterbaugh, TM Janae Sanders), participated in the theatrical Laugh Art Loud, “wowing” the judges with their presentation of a comic strip depicting a work of art from another country.
The Hepta-tectives (Porter Hossack, Colton Nielsen, Aspen Merrifield, Tatumn Kennedy, Hadley Franklin, Connor Blunt, Kelton Turner, TM Kellie Turner, TM Hallie Blunt) and Delta Iota (Gracie Bradfield, Charlie Day, Kenzie Turner, Makenna Burke, Kale Burke, TM Marnell Bradfield, TM Travis Day) were successful in the structural challenge, The Tension Builds, where they build structures that held weight and stood on a pyramid. Both teams placed first in their age divisions and will be going to state.
Meeker’s final team, the Snack Attacks (Mason Holliday, Braydon Garcia, Sophia Goedert, Ryan Phelan, Brynlee Williams, Lane Anderson, Colby Clatterbaugh, TM Shana Holliday) placed first in Pitch and Play, the service-learning challenge. They will be taking their presentation about their reading program to state.
In addition, Meeker had two teams, The Seven Mischief Minions of the Mind and Snack Attacks, receive Da Vinci awards, given to those teams who have a unique approach to a solution. The Hepta-tectives team received the Renaissance Award, which is given for outstanding skill in the areas of design, engineering or performance. The six teams will head to the state tournament in April.