3/12/20
Affiliate Tournament Canceled
due to COVID-19

Team Managers, Parents and Supporters,

As many of you have likely seen today, the State of California issued new guidance regarding larger group gatherings as well as considerations for individuals travelling from county to county.  We have continued our discussions with health officials at all levels, and despite the modifications we made to our tournament, we can no longer meet the increased requirements for a safe event in this current environment.  It is with great disappointment that we are officially cancelling the 2020 California Affiliate Tournament.  
 
There are likely many questions you still have.  How teams will qualify for the Global Tournament?  Will there be a Global Tournament? How will I get my registration fees be refunded?  ( Yes, refunds will be issued )  We will be issuing guidance and information on these topics in the next day or two, so please bear with us as we work through this unchartered territory.
 
Despite the cancellation of CALDI’s amazing year-end celebration and tournament, we truly appreciate all of the amazing support, suggestions and engagement from the entire CALDI family.  We approached this like a true DI challenge and gave it everything we had to make this tournament come together, but the safety of all us will always come first.  If you have any questions, please contact us at dpinney@californiacreativity.org and gmcmahon@californiacreativity.org or call 858-864-7172.  More information on our follow-up topics will be forthcoming, so please check the website at https://www.caldi.org/state-tournament/ . 
 
Thank you again for making this program so great, and we look forward to seeing you next year!
 
Yours in Creativity,
 
Dick Pinney Exec. Dir. & Genee McMahon Assoc. Exec. Dir
California Destination Imagination
 

3/11/2020

As you know, COVID-19 is causing havoc around the world. The virus is making it difficult to provide a traditional State Tournament.  As a collective group, CALDI’s Staff has spent the last few weeks monitoring the situation.  We are staying  in constant contact with Destination Imagination Inc. Headquarters in New Jersery, the Riverside Convention Center, the Medical Health Department Operations Center (MHDOC), and the CDC, as well as many other outlets.  Our main goal is to ensure the safety of our teams and their supporters, but also to try and find a way forward that balances these safety concerns with the desire to give teams a venue to showcase their achievements and compete together.

We have made the decision to hold a modified tournament in Riverside on Saturday, April 4th.  The initial details are provided below. More information will be provided as it becomes available.  The tournament will be run in a way that minimizes the risk of COVID-19 exposure risk for all participants, staff, appraisers, and supporters.  

Tournament details:

  1. Access to the convention center will be extremely limited. 
  2. Only team members, team managers, and a limited number of supporters per team will be allowed into the convention center.
  3. In addition to limiting the numbers of individuals into the building, your team will also be kept in limited areas ( determined by your team’s challenge ), which will help to maintain proper open space and will also minimize contact with other teams within the building
  4. Performing Teams will be allowed into the convention center 1 hour before their performances through their designated entry/exit point and will leave the convention center immediately after their performance through that same entry/exit point. 
  5. Engineering will be allowed into the building 1 ½ hours before their performance to facilitate structure check-in.  More details to follow.
  6. Instant Challenge will be held in the same area as your Central Challenge immediately after the Central Challenge is performed.  Exact procedure will be announced soon.
  7. There will be no Awards Ceremony. 
    • Team raw scores will be distributed electronically to the Team Managers.
    • Any issues with the scoring will be handled via email and teleconferencing.
    • Final Tournament scores with placements will be posted on CALDI.org and distributed via email to all Team Managers no later than 5:00 pm on Sunday, April 5th.  It is hoped that scores will be available earlier, but this will be the deadline.
    • Awards, medals, and trophies will be mailed to Team Managers.
    • Hard copies of the team’s scoring sheets along with the original sticky notes will be mailed to Team Managers as well.
  8. Teams are being asked to follow the guidelines for social distancing, hand washing and sanitizing, etc.  
  9. Additional sanitation measures are also being taken by the Riverside Convention Center to reduce exposure risk within the building, which we will share in the days to come prior to the tournament.

If anyone on your team or within your supporters is in a high risk group for complications with the COVID-19, they should not attend.  We will be flexible with the trained and experienced appraiser requirement in these cases. If you find yourself in this situation, please contact us at dpinney@californiacreativity.org and gmcmahon@californiacreativity.org or call 858-864-7172

We realize that this current situation is requiring an unprecedented solution, so we appreciate your patience, your partnership and your continued enthusiasm for our 2020 Affiliate Tournament.  More information will be forthcoming, so please check the website at https://www.caldi.org/state-tournament/ .

Thank you again, and we look forward to seeing you in Riverside next month!