The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Hayden — With just a nail and some copper wiring, Ian Cadenhead can explain the secrets of the mysterious Bermuda Triangle.

On a sunny afternoon outside Hayden Middle School, Ian, a sixth-grader, talked excitedly about how after wrapping the wire around the nail 50 times, running a battery-powered charge through the wire causes electrons to move so fast that they create a magnetic field in the nail. The magnetic field, Ian said, could be creatively seen as a mico-version of forces in the Bermuda Triangle, a region of the Atlantic Ocean between the coasts of Florida and Puerto Rico that — according to legend — has dragged countless boats and ships into the deep.

“It’s pretty cool,” Ian modestly said of his demonstration.

The idea was the cornerstone for Hayden High School’s Destination Imagination team, which competed in the “Hit or Myth” event at the state Destination Imagination competition, April 26 in Denver. The state competition engaged teams from across Colorado in a day of inventive skits and implausible solutions to mind-bending, far-flung challenges. Four teams, including Hayden, competed in the “Hit or Myth” event, which asked teams to invent a story explaining a popular myth or legend.

Ian and sixth-grader Garrett O’Hanlon are the youngest members of Hayden’s team, which also includes Hayden High School junior Noah Murray and sophomore Ashleigh Muhme. For the “Hit or Myth” challenge, the group decided to become imaginary explorers of the Bermuda Triangle, which they determined had a magnetic field on its ocean floor.

The group designed costumes and even character names for their skit, which included raising and lowering Ian on a table rigged with a pulley system that simulated a sinking ship.

Constructing the pulley system was one of the hardest parts about their skit, the team members agreed.

“When we finally got it (working), it was like a miracle,” Noah said.

Hayden’s team, coached by Patti Muhme and Julie Smith, finished fourth in its event, but it was a close contest.

“There were only 10 points between fourth and first,” Ashleigh said.

All the team members praised Destination Imagination’s ability to take them to new places and new situations.

“You get to meet people you wouldn’t normally meet,” Ashleigh said.

To reach Mike Lawrence, call 871-4233 or e-mail mlawrence@steamboatpilot.com