Let the Games Begin

Here we go! The last teams have finished their briefing and are busy getting set up in their team rooms. We have staff members from our IT department greeting all the teams to get them hooked into our wireless network, set up with printers, etc. Those IT staff members are sooooo hepful! All morning, the committee has been fielding questions about late-night food deliveries, local convenience stores, and the availability of various types of caffeine. Eventually, we sent them all an email with incidental information: everything from local coffee shops to ATMs and cab numbers. The teams seem to be energized and excited about getting down to work, and so far things seem to be going very smoothly.

I'm happy to report that all of the teams eventually received their luggage, and were able to arrive here with everything they needed to work through the next 24 hours. Some of the teams were particularly creative in their preparations for today. One team brought their own easel-pads with them on the plane. Another came in their suits this morning just in case any of the judges were at the briefing, then changed into their jeans :-). Everyone has their computers, of course, and various notes/resources they brought with them just in case (though one person did need to be set up with a mouse to use).

Now the question is: Will the committee be able to convince them to take a break for lunch anytime soon?