pins galore!

Pins! Color! Moving Parts! Multiple Parts! Blinkies! Sparkles! Big! Little!

There is simply no end to the variety of pins to be found at Global Finals! Some are small, cute, modest. Some are bigger than DI participants! At the beginning of the week, you can see a little one with an empty towel and a small bag looking expectantly for someone to trade with. The towels will fill. More towels will be pressed into pin service. Some will be savvy traders looking for value and volume; others will trade “because it’s pretty.”

Pin Exchange is a tradition at DI that cannot be broken	At the Convention Center in Knoxville, members of the Maryland team start their day with the famous pins
The Maryland and the Massachusetts teams exchange beautiful colorful pins	From Indiana: Leigh Ann, Alex, Ben, Kristin, Courtney and Andrea
Inside the Convention Center, the exchange continues with members of the Indiana	Let's take a look at a close-up of some pins. The missing ones have been exchanged!
Thomas from California makes sure that his team's pins are well displayed before they start the exchange	Matthew and Anthony at the exchange
Missouri says "Present" in the exchange!	Most DI participants were very excited to pose with their famous pins
The US map where members placed their pins was a regular item to be seen throughout the Globals in Knoxville	Members of Pueblo, Colorado are anxious to see the different kinds of pins that are arriving at the Convention Center in Knoxville
Pin Trading in the Convention Center	Ken (Guatemala) will have plenty of room for all those pins!

There are wonderful adults who look out for the little one who has few and simply give away pins in exchange for smiles. Stroll through the campus and the performance sites and look at the collections. Years of DI participation are stored on page after page of albums of varied style and size.

As the week progresses, the pace picks up as traders frantically search, barter, dicker for that special, that elusive, that “must have” PIN!!! And watch to see if YOUR pin makes the list of “most desired pins: 2004!” There is always the clever one that you know will make the list, but watch out for the dark horse, the one that rises to sought-after status because the kids love it and want it! The variety of color, size, shape is a marvel, and simply watching the kids in action provides hours of entertainment for all!