The National Competition

Hey there sports fans, it’s been awhile. Despite what I said in my last post about school ending and my amount of work dropping, that hasn’t really rang true. I’ve been surprisingly busy these past few, and haven’t quite had the time to sit down and write. That’s why all of these posts are coming to you at one time. So sit down and get comfortable.

This year the National Competition was big success in my eyes. To be honest, I was disappointed with how last years turned out. To give a little background on how the competition is evaluated, teams earn points based on their business plans, creativity of the product, presentation, finance, and marketing plan. And this year even included a one minute “pitch”, where one or two members of the group would stand up in front of everybody, and sell their idea to the crowd. It was supremely entertaining, and the most of the kids killed it, combining humor with their power of persuasion. But I digress. The two categories that are worth the most are business plan and creativity. From day one, we – the volunteers – emphasize how important creativity is, and it is sort of the guiding theme behind the whole course. So when last year when a flower pot (that looked like a tree trunk) won third, and a coffee flavored smoothie won first, I was super disappointed. Two pretty plain and simple projects managed to take top prizes. I mean, these two products beat out innovative ideas like a new eco-friendly roofing material, a car battery re-charger, and pre-made, processed soy. I had planned on outlawing drinks and smoothies in the following year, but how could I do that if a drink won first place in the nation? Naturally I was a little skeptical going into this year’s competition, and didn’t want to get my hopes up that this year would be any different.

But I think every volunteer was a little embarrassed of last year’s competition, and as a result, helped to filter out un-creative products. Although we, volunteers, may not be judges in our own competitions, we most definitely have a say in the evaluation process. If there’s anything we have learned down here, its how to steer a conversation towards a certain goal.  In addition, although the Congress leading up to the Competition didn’t help with creativity of products, it did help with the presentations, and improvement of business plans. As a result, the competition, in my eyes, was ten times better than last year, and unlike last year the teams that deserved to win did.

First Place went to MoskyTramp (above), who hailed from El Sauce. There product was a mosquito trap. I know it doesn’t sound terribly creative, but that sort of thing doesn’t really exist here. More often than not, restaurants will hang clear bags, filled with water from the ceiling at around eye level, which supposedly drives flies away. So in Nicaragua terms, it was creative. Also these guys seemed to have it all: the product was made from recycled coffee bottles, they used a local resource to create the powder that attracts and kills the flies, and had some serious charisma. They also had the best business plan.

Second Place was awarded to Agua, Tiempo, Dinero (ATD), which means Water, Time, Money. This team hails from the Boaco Department, which has a water problem. By that I mean, most people only have access to water two or three days a week. To have water for the entire week, these folks fill up humongous vats and tubs of water. More often than not, they leave the water running to fill up the vats, and forget about it. An hour later, the vats are full, yet water is still flowing out of the tap. Waste of water and money. So these two kids invented a device that turns off the tap when the vat is full of water. The idea came to the student after his mother made him try to fix their broken toilet! Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo on hand of the product or group.

Third Place was a disappointment now that I think about it. A team from Esteli took the third spot with another coffee based drink. What interesting is that the team that won first place last year with a coffee based drink also was from Esteli, and the ingredients were almost exactly the same. But hey congratulations to Nicafesino, who also had the best pitch of the Competition.

Another worthy mention is the team from San Rafael del Norte, EcoBlock, that won best presentation. This group of jovenes created a new type of construction material to build houses. At it’s base is cement, but the rest is a secret “earth mix” that helps cut back on costs, and makes the material more eco friendly.

So all in all, this years Comp turned out pretty….pretttttttty good, in the words of Larry David. It’ strange to think though, that it was my last one ever that I will personally be involved with and participate in. It makes it feel like my service is that much closer to being over.