DDR Free Play and Tournament 2015

Last Wednesday we had 5 teens participate in our Dance Dance Revolution tournament! We played Dance Dance Revolution II on the Wii in four-player mode for some warmup, then went down to 2-players for the actual tournament. In the end, Sarah got the first place prize, a $10 Gamestop gift card. Hurit came in second and Mary came in third, both winning candy prizes. We also had some music games to play just for fun, such as the strange Donkey Konga games on Gamecube, played with bongo controllers, and Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, which is exactly what it sounds like, DDR played with remixes of Mario music! There were also several games of Connect 4 played during downtime! Thanks to everyone that came out to play some DDR!

Random-A-Thon 2014!!

Last Saturday we had our annual Random-A-Thon fundraiser! 11 teens showed up for the event, which required a minimum donation of $10 to enter. Almost everyone stayed for the entire program, which ran from 10 to 3! We started things off with some Dance Dance Revolution by hooking up the Xbox 1 (like, an original Xbox, not the Xbox One!) to a projector. The tables were set up with duct tape crafts, with a few iPads set to YouTube pages of duct tape instructions to follow along with. Although it didn't take long for some of the iPads to be hijacked for playing some Spaceteam on them, which is a riot to watch four people play at the same time.

After DDR we used the projector for a trivia game where everyone had to test their knowledge on a variety of topics such as "name that cheese", "2013", "celebrity yearbook photos" and "candy". Afterwards we broke for lunch where you could make your own peanut butter and jelly (or marshmallow fluff) sandwiches or get a Cup Noodles. During lunch there was Rock Band playing in the other room, then we brought out the Connect 4 for a short tournament where Alex was undefeated. We ended things with some Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart.

I'm still waiting for some people to hand in their fundraising packets, so I'll update again when there's a final tally, but right now I think we're at around $350! The person who raises the most will get a prize as a way of saying thank you. Overall it was a great way to spend a Saturday at the library!

trivia time!

starting the day with DDR

Chess on one side of the table, Spaceteam on the other

Dance Dance Revolution

Yesterday, 11 teens showed up for our afternoon of DDR, snacks, and board games.  I think the promise of a $10 Wawa gift card for the tournament prize is what got everyone there on such a nice day!  We did a 12-person tournament--I took the extra spot and actually made it to the final round.  It was a three-way final--Amie came in first, with Laurel a close second.  I was a distant third.  Amie had an amazing 100 combo!  And she was happy to walk off with that gift card. 

If you like dancing games, be sure to join us on Wednesday, May 30, for Just Dance!

Fall DDR Day

Yesterday, 15 teens came after school to play Dance Dance Revolution.  We had free play for a while, then 14 people entered a tournament.  Everyone played cards and games between dancing, and, of course, there were snacks.  There were four really good players in the tournament, but Jennifer surpassed them all to win!  She earned two five-dollar gift cards, one to Burger King and one to Five Below.  (I usually do a $10 to one store, but I had to use up some leftover gift cards from summer reading.)  We'll do some more DDR over the winter, so look for it on the schedule!

Spring DDR Day

Yesterday, 11 people showed up after school to play Dance Dance Revolution.  I had out decks of cards and board games for when people weren't dancing, and (of course) there was food.  After some time for free play, I ran a little tournament.  Ross was victorious, and won a $5 Dunkin Donuts gift card!  We won't do DDR again until the fall (no room in the summer schedule), so look for it then. 

Today's DDR

Today, 15 people showed up after school to enjoy DDR, snacks, and board/card games.  We had an unplanned boys vs. girls tournament after I randomly assigned the brackets and they all ended up that way.  The entire second round and the final ended up as boys vs. girls, as well. Thirteen people entered the tournament, which was for a $13 gift card to Wawa...it's a good thing we're not superstitious!  Anyway, after some tough competition from Ross, Jennifer emerged victorious.  Congratulations, Jennifer!  We'll be doing more DDR in the future, as well as a Just Dance day, so look for them on the spring schedule.

Back-to-School DDR

Yesterday, 19 teens showed up for our first Dance Dance Revolution day of the school year!  I was really happy to see so many people, especially because I published the fall schedule a lot later than usual this time.   Ten people entered our tournament, and the final came down to Jamie vs. Ross.  It was VERY close, but Jamie edged out Ross and won a $10 gift card to GameStop.  Thanks to everyone who showed up!

Don't forget to pick up a copy of the fall schedule!  The final version is available now!!

Dancing Their Fines Away

Only seven teens dropped in today for Dance Away Your Fines, but the good thing was that they all got a lot of time on Dance Dance Revolution. I played two dancers at a time for the entire two hours and it tired me out! As everyone arrived, they filled out a card and got the desk staff to record their fines. Then they came up to play DDR. Every time someone beat me (or came close), I punched a hole in their card showing that $1 had been removed from the fine.

Altogether, the teens paid off $35 in library fines! I wish more people had taken advantage of this, but it was great for the teens who were there. Jared paid off the most, taking care of a $12 debt with some sweat equity! Also, thanks to Kaitlyn and Nitha for teaching Nehimya how to play DDR and helping him do well enough to pay down his fines.

We'll do another fun fine reduction day sometime in the future, so let me know if you have any great ideas.

DDR Day

On Wednesday, 19 people showed up for our end-of-school Dance Dance Revolution day. There was dancing, of course, but also board games, card games, and Mad-Libs. We did our usual mini-tournament, in which Owen edged out Ross for the closest final round ever! Both guys got candy, but only Owen got the glory and a $5 gift card to Wawa.

There is no DDR day on the program for summer, but I am doing Dance Away Your Fines on July 30 from 3:00 to 5:00. Every time you beat me at a song (and I will be playing on light), you will have $1 subtracted from your library fine!

DDR

Yesterday, 12 teens showed up to play DDR after school. It was nice to see some new faces, talk with some old friends, and hang out with the library regulars! Everyone participated in the tournament, and Jamie actually had some competition. The final match ended up being among Ross, Jamie, and Laurel. Jamie won, but the other two were close behind him! Jamie received a $10 gift card to GameStop, while Laurel and Ross got candy for their efforts. We'll be playing DDR again soon, so look for it on the spring schedule.

Dance Dance Report

Yesterday, 15 teens came out to our after-school DDR program. We did free play and a tournament, and I also got out the cards and board games. We always have people who come but don't dance, so they enjoyed playing Taboo and just watching DDR. As for the dancers, 11 people played in the tournament, and it came down to Owen, Laurel, and Jamie in the final three. Jamie was the ultimate winner (no surprise there) and got a $10 gift card to Wawa for his efforts. We won't have a DDR program again until after the new year, but there are plenty of other gaming opportunites on the fall schedule.

DDR

Last Wednesday, 29 teens showed up to play Dance Dance Revolution. I finally managed to get a copy of DDR Ultramix 3 for our Xbox, so it was nice to have some new music! David brought a second Xbox and game, so we hooked that up to the TV and let people play it with hand controllers. We also put out the board games and cards for people to play during the event. As the afternoon progressed, we dedicated two of the dance pads to our tournament. Twenty-three people entered, and the final came down to Sarah E., Judy, and Jamie. They all got candy, but Jamie was the ultimate winner of a $10 gift card to GameStop. I didn't get to dance at all, so you know we have to do this again soon! Look for it on the fall schedule.

DDR

Last Wednesday, 16 teens came out to enjoy friendly DDR competition. We did free play for a while, then had a mini-tournament. Jamie beat David in the final round to win the usual $10 gift card to GameStop. Thanks to Jamie for bringing the game and to David for bringing an additional mat. DDR is always fun, and we will definitely do it a few times over the summer!

And the Gold Goes to...

...David for his performance in yesterday's Dance Dance Revolution Tournament! The silver medal went to Genni, while Imade and Katie tied for bronze. A total of 18 teens competed yesterday for fame, fortune, and love of the game -- ok, so the fame only goes as far as this blog and the fortune is more like a Gamestop gift certificate, but really, we play for the love. Besides, who needs the Olympics when there's a dance-off at your local library? We had a great time with our three tournaments, though I got knocked out during the first round of each one! Maybe I should have stuck to Monopoly or cards, which our non-competing teens enjoyed on the side...

DDR

On Wednesday afternoon, 9 people showed up to play DDR after school. That isn't as many as usual, but I forgot to make reminder calls, so that probably had something to do with it! Anyway, 6 people entered our tournament, and Sarah was the winner of a $10 gift card to GameStop. Jamie would have won, but we handicapped him heavily by making him play on Heavy. Maybe next time, we'll just go for Standard and see what happens! Look for another DDR event this summer.

Dance Dance Revolution

Yesterday, 17 dancers came to our afternoon DDR event. We have not done this in a while, so it was good to get moving. Especially after eating all that turkey and stuff on Thursday! There were a lot of people who were just learning to play, so no one felt too unskilled. Everyone was brave though--14 people entered our tournament! Chris was the winner (no surprise there), and walked away with a $10 gift card to GameStop. We will definitely do this again soon.

DDR

Yesterday afternoon, 15 teens came out for DDR at the library. Not everyone was brave enough to dance, but it seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves! We had a tournament, which Jamie won easily (again). Somebody has to stop him! We'll definitely have another DDR event before summer, so look for it on the schedule.