They're sixth in the world

By CONSTANCE SEE

Whitefish Pilot

The Whitefish Destination ImagiNation team of seven fourth- and fifth-grade girls took sixth place in their age category for the global competition held in Knoxville, Tenn., May 23-26.

The team competed against 10,000 teams from 10 countries.

Team Water Wonders of Whitefish consisted of fourth-graders Micah McFeely, Jessica Baldonado and Katherine Millette and fifth-graders Maya Gordon, Phoebe Guercio, Rebecca Holdhusen and Ella Kobelt.

Writing their own script, creating their own props, costumes and set, the girls were challenged to incorporate a fear that was overcome in their script and to include use of a mechanical device.

Set in Venice, Italy, their play followed a baker who always overcooked her foods until they were hard and a girl who was afraid of water.

At one point, a fisherman accidentally hooked the plug that kept all the water in the canals. The girls used a crank device to pull a blue cloth representing the water down a drain.

Eleven-year-old Kobelt, who played a narrator and composer Vivaldi in the play, said she was really nervous the night of the competition because they were experiencing problems with the mechanical crank. The cloth kept jamming and bumping into the canal.

"Maya Gordon came up with the idea of putting Styrofoam between the canals and attaching a paper towel roll, which kept the thing from jamming," Kobelt said. "In my opinion, she thinks like an engineer or architect. She really knows how things go together. If it wasn't fixed, we wouldn't have been able to perform. It would have been the end."

Kobelt said the whole experience was amazing but scary and probably the best thing she's done in her whole life.

Guercio agreed that the props and set were the most difficult part of the competition.

"Rebecca Holdhusen did a really good job," Guercio said. "She built a bicycle out of wood. She was the main character and did a lot of stuff."

Guercio said her favorite part of the three days was the closing ceremony which, coincidentally was held on Millette's birthday.

"Katherine turned 10 and said she wished to hear our team's name announced, and her wish came true," Guercio said.

She said the entire team cried with excitement when their name was called over the speaker.

"It was very stressful, making sure you don't forget anything," Guercio said. "At the very end, when we all found out the results, we went to the pool and totally relaxed, letting everything out."

Both Kobelt and Guercio agreed, if given the opportunity, they would love to enter the competition again next year.