SOMERS, N.Y. - When the Brilliant Bros headed to Kansas City to compete in Destination Imagination’s Global Finals tournament, they were quickly confronted with the unexpected. A huge thunderstorm delayed and canceled flights, sending families scrambling to reach their destination. But a few raindrops and lightning bolts were not the biggest surprise.
“The entire Kansas City Convention Center was filled with 10,000 people,” said team leader Kerry Kelly. “The scale was unimaginable.”
But any nervousness didn’t derail the team, and the Bros finished 10th in the competition.
The atmosphere played a big part as well.
“The opening ceremony really underscored the magnitude of their accomplishment and what it meant to compete on a global stage. With all that energy and excitement in the air, the boys were mostly thrilled and ready to go,” said Kelly.
The kids also had to overcome another hurdle in the lead-up to the event. Three team members couldn’t make the trip, so two replacements stepped in and made a big difference.
“They learned the eight-minute script, the blocking, the prop choreography and the Instant Challenge drills in about six weeks. They reshaped the parts as they took them on. Dakarai Lacey and Joey McKenna helped sharpen the script, layered in more lighting effects and props to make the memory and reveal scenes pop,” wrote Dr. Kaoutar El Maghraoui on her blog. “They blended into the existing chemistry as if they had been on the team since September.”
That success was built on groundwork laid by Adam Cherif, Eddie Herald, Jakob Kelly, Brendan Mallamud and James Oldis.
“New people spark ideas for us,” said Kelly.
The final version of the presentation did have the kids a little worried, though. The foursome felt they had missed a few lines and could have done better. A mediocre preliminary score was also concerning, but those mixed emotions were accompanied by a strong feeling of accomplishment.
“They were excited that they did it — such a big feat for them,” Kelly said.
Their Instant Challenge, on the other hand, left little doubt. Faced with a task involving dragging a truck and its tower over different terrains, the team had two minutes to devise a solution and two minutes to execute it.
“They had us come back to recreate it and film it, so they had a little cameo on the big screen,” said Kelly.
Even so, the families still had a day to fill before the final results were announced on Sunday.
“We toured Kansas City and got some barbecue,” said Kelly.
Then came the closing ceremonies. Awards were presented one by one for each age group and category. Finally, the moment arrived. Up on the big board, the Brilliant Bros’ 10th-place finish was announced.
“We were ecstatic. They were over the moon — screaming, cheering and jumping,” Kelly recalled.
Now back to being normal kids, there is still one more accolade to celebrate.
“We want to have a pizza and pool party to celebrate everything they accomplished,” said Kelly.
As for next year, she said, the decision to continue will be up to them.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here