When should we show up at the State Tournament?
Plan to arrive at least two hours prior to your performance time if your central challenge is first (unless your team is doing Challenge D, The Improv Games, which doesn’t need as much prep time). Of course, if the team performs at 8:00 a.m., you don’t need to be two hours early. But later in the day the campus gets very busy and you will need time to scout the site, unload the team’s things, park the car, and get situated. Elevators and loading zones will be quite full and moving slowly.
Some of you may decide to travel on Friday and stay in a nearby hotel since some of the times are rather early. Though Maryland DI does not recommend any particular hotel, we suggest using hotels in the BWI airport area, which is less than 5 miles away. We advise against the hotels on Route 40, just north of the UMBC Beltway exit.
What paperwork will I need for the State Tournament?
Your team’s paperwork from Regionals does not follow the team to States, except for the Media Releases and Volunteer Code of Conduct. See the Paperwork file that is posted in the State Tournament section of our Maryland website for details on exactly what paperwork is required for your challenge. Many teams find that they need to make changes to their paperwork due to changes made to their solution between Regionals and States.
Is there anywhere to get food at the State Tournament?
Food will be available from 7 a.m. until late night at various spots around campus. The main concentration of food venues is in The Commons. There will be coffee, pastries, pizza, southwest cuisine, mesquite grill, sandwiches, wraps, Chick-fi-A and Starbucks. There’s not much in the way of food near the campus, so stay and enjoy the great food at UMBC. A list of food options will be posted on our State Tournament page for all the options, hours and locations.
Where can I find when my team is scheduled to present their challenge?
The competition schedule is now posted on the State Tournament page of our website www.marylanddi.org/state-tournament/ . Please be sure to check the schedule and let your team families know your team’s performance times.