So... how'd we do?

Now that the CanDI Bashers and their mums are back from their trip of a lifetime to the global finals of Destination Imagination at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, one of the most common questions is: "How did your girls do?"

If you're asking if they won a medal, placed in the top 10, or even the top 50 percent, we have to answer "no."

If you're asking if they rose to the challenge of travelling a long way from home, having a ton of new experiences, performing on several occasions in front of crowds of strangers, marching in a giant opening parade, working as a team to solve problems (both in formal competitions and ones that popped up every day), meeting new people, and functioning as a cohesive group 24 hours a day, we can emphatically answer "yes."

If you're a sponsor wondering if your investment in these girls was worth it, the smiles on the girls' faces, the many adventures they can describe, the people they met from all over the world, and the personal growth experiences they had will tell you that it was.

Some things that capture the spirit of the experience for us:

• Teenage boys breaking into sea chantys during bus rides
• The "challenge master" dancing with Cheryl during the girls' pre-performance warm up
• Pin trading, pin trading, and more pin trading!
• Squeezing ourselves into less-than-optimal accommodation and remaining friends
• Five mums and five girls running several blocks when we realized we were at the wrong bus stop for Dollywood
• Spontaneous public dancing
• Four flavours of brewed iced tea (including unsweetened -- hooray) on tap
• Being called "honey", "baby", "darlin'", and "y'all" by the locals
• Cheering B.C.! D.I.! B.C.! Canada as we marched to the opening ceremonies
• Getting called the Providence of Ontario at those same ceremonies
• The spirit of adventure that all the girls rose to during the whole week.

Thanks to everyone who supported us as we undertook this journey.


Emma, Carlee, Danielle, Lauren, and Susan (and their mums!).