Author: Alison Weaverdyck

I am the Creative Director and Webmaster for US Academic Triathlon. I write the curriculum for Meets, as well as the enrichment activities and articles for this site. Peggy Sheldon, the Founder of USAT, is my mother so I have been living and breathing the program since it was founded over 30 years ago.
For Coaches and Teachers, For Parents

Meet our Team: Sarah Kirchner Sheldon

Alison Weaverdyck
Sarah at the 2015 State Tournament
Sarah at the 2015 State Tournament
  1. What gets you the most excited about starting a new US Academic Triathlon season?

While I’m sad to see Peggy go, I am excited to help the organization grow and expand following such a strong leadership over the past 30 years. USAT’s staff has exciting ideas for the coming years, and we can’t wait to share them with you!

  1. What creative things do you do in your spare time?

I like to keep busy and stay creative. I write, practice calligraphy, color, scrapbook, crochet, and serve as a photographer’s assistant for my husband’s company.

  1. What is your favorite USAT event and why?

I love writing and watching Mind Sprints. Personally I enjoy puzzles and challenges, and it’s fun to watch teams work through the problem to get to an answer – plus there’s never a wrong answer or a wrong way to get the answer. It’s exciting to watch teams work through a problem in a way that wasn’t anticipated when the Mind Sprint was written. You get to watch students’ minds working through a problem, work together in teams, and see creativity in action!

  1. What is your role in the program?

I am the Executive Director. In this role, I am responsible for scheduling, team/coach organization and communication, marketing/communication/fundraising, and am the primary contact for coaches, parents, and teams. Together with my partners (Creative Director Alison Weaverdyck and Production Manager Daniel Sheldon), we work on strategic planning and overall organizational direction.

  1. Who was your hero when you were in middle school?

My mom – she always told me I could do and be whatever I wanted to do or be. I will never forget that and think every child needs to hear that.

Announcements

Welcome to the 2015-16 season of US Academic Triathlon

Alison Weaverdyck

We are very excited about the upcoming season and the future of USAT! Please spend some time on this website where you will find a lot of great coaching and competition resources, this season’s schedule, and registration materials.

Peggy giving out trophies to the 2015 State Competition winners
Peggy giving out trophies to the 2015 State Competition winners

This year brings major changes to the organization’s leadership. It is with great sadness that we bid adieu to our wonderful founder, Peggy Sheldon, as she embarks on the great journey that is retirement. Peggy created USAT and led the organization for nearly 30 years, often doing most of the work herself. For decades Peggy brainstormed and wrote Meet content, packaged Meet materials, and produced the State competition event single-handedly. Please join us as we wish Peggy the best of luck in retirement!

Over the past few years you may have noticed some new, but familiar, names on the website and in our correspondence. Alison (Sheldon) Weaverdyck, Peggy’s daughter; Daniel Sheldon, Peggy’s younger of two sons, and Sarah Kirchner Sheldon, Peggy’s daughter-in-law, formally joined the staff of USAT five years ago as the organization continued to grow. This year’s leadership change will now put those names in the forefront, but will continue under Peggy’s great example (and occasional guidance). The structure of the program and its goals have not changed, and we look forward to working with you again this year to offer a rewarding and fun opportunity for your students.

Sarah Kirchner Sheldon, former Minnesota State Coordinator, will now serve as Executive Director and continue to be the main contact for all coaches, coordinators, parents, and teams. You can reach her directly at sarah@usacademictriathlon.com.

Alison Weaverdyck is the Creative Director and in charge of curriculum and maintaining a high level of excellence as USAT continues to challenge and inspire participating students. Don’t miss her weekly articles about methods for boosting creativity and helping your team play to its strengths! You can find them on this website, get them sent directly to your email by subscribing to this blog (see sign up box at right), and through our Facebook page. You can reach her directly at alison@usacademictriathlon.com.

Daniel Sheldon is now the Production Director and is in charge of creating and shipping high quality Meet materials. You can reach him directly at dan@usacademictriathlon.com.

With this change in leadership, we have moved the USAT headquarters back to the Twin Cities (specifically St. Paul) to be more centrally located. Please take note of our new mailing address:

US Academic Triathlon
2355 Fairview Ave #335
Roseville, MN 55113

Did you know US Academic Triathlon is a registered 501c3 tax-exempt organization? Keep your eye out this season for our involvement in local giving events such as Give to the Max Day and #GivingTuesday.

We appreciate your continued support and look forward to challenging your students during another great seasons of US Academic Triathlon!

Announcements, For Hosts and Facilitators

2015-2016 Season Dates

Alison Weaverdyck

Mark your calendars!

Round Robin Competitions:

December 11, January 8, February 19

Schedules will be posted after Registration has closed.

Snow/Make up date: February 26

Regional Competition: March 18

State Competition: April 16

Announcements

Congratulations to the 2015 MN State Winners

Alison Weaverdyck
We had a great State competition last weekend thanks to our fabulous volunteers and student competitors. Everyone did an awesome job, but we wanted to give special recognition to this season’s champions.
Green Meet (Challenger)
1st: North Junior High, St. Cloud C088
2nd: Math/Science Academy C006
3rd: Woodbury MS C085

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Violet Meet (Challenger)
1st: Woodbury Middle School C084
2nd: Byron Middle School C041
3rd: Lake Middle School C066

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Cream Meet (Cross Trainer)
1st: Edina Valley View Middle School X001
2nd: Triton/Dodge Center X052
3rd: North Junior High, St. Cloud X021

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We’ll have another gallery of “candid” photos by our roving photographer coming soon, and if you’d have any you’d like to share, feel free to email them to info@usacademictriathlon.com.

For Coaches and Teachers, For Kids, P.A.R.T.Y. in a Box, Resources

P.A.R.T.Y. in a Box Time: Close Reading

Alison Weaverdyck
From Stainedglassbypj.com
From Stainedglassbypj.wordpress.com

Winning isn’t everything, but it is a shame when a team misses an opportunity to get points because of an oversight.Here are a few ways to help your students excel during the P.A.R.T.Y. in a Box round.

1. Read the Prompt thoroughly. The P.A.R.T.Y. challenges are never longer than one page. Even though 45 minutes isn’t a long time to do everything needed to develop a skit, it is worth a team’s time to read the prompt more than once.

2. Look at the scoring rubric. It is not a mystery how the performances are going to be scored, the scoring rubric is included on the team copy. Unless penalties are assessed, each performance scores a minimum of 30 points, because we don’t believe in zeroes, and a maximum of 117 points. Some categories stay the same, and others change depending on the story being told. Each section of the “Team’s Use of Materials” category is always worth a maximum of 10 points, for instance, and is about the appearance of costumes and sets. The section with the largest potential for earning points always centers on the plot, and the team’s ability to address the central problem. On its own, this part is worth up to 25 points. Some prompts also require teams to do something specific, like recite a poem or add music, and if gets left out it can mean a loss of 10 points.

3. Take notes. Every Meet there are teams who have to prepare their performance during the first Tri, which means it can be hours between seeing the prompt and when the performance finally takes place. Even though teams can’t take the prompt with them in order to ensure that no other team gets an unfair advantage, there is no reason they can’t take notes about what they are going to do in their skits. In the excitement of performing, kids can sometimes forget their lines and leave out something key to their story. These notes can be kept “back stage” and referred to during the performance to make sure that nothing important gets forgotten. Another place where these notes can come into play is if the team uses a narrator, who can hold onto them during the performance and refer to them throughout.

Check out the other PARTY posts for more tips!
Make it Memorable
Costumes Make the Characters
Backdrops Set the Scene
Props Add Pop