But no matter how trends, styles, people, population and environment change, all teams experience relatively the same things, right? Controversy about team names, lack of communication, leadership disputes, different answers, organizing meetings... this really is a learning experience. And I don't just mean book smarts. You can't talk to these people in real life, so a lot of the team's success is based on how much you contribute to the team yourself independently. It's easier to ignore a y-mail than it is to ignore someone who is talking to you to your face. But if everybody contributes, then the team has a better chance of winning. Kiki even told us that the right answer isn't as important as doing the work, making the predictions, and keeping up with the stops.

The Solstice Safari was a bit different for first timers, Liss22 and Piker. We joined Shelly1's team -- this was before they made a recovery and pulled up into the top 10. At the time, nobody but us had any of the levels completed and Shelly1 hadn't been on Whyville in over a week. Things didn't look too promising, and our attempts to get the team in gear failed. =(

We should have known Shelly1 would have pulled her team together! But instead, we left their team (kicks self***!) and decided that strategically it would be smarter to choose a team with the fewest number of people. It would be easier to get them together -- and I'm sure some people can tell you from experience that it's easier to get 3 people to do work, compared to 13. Things are not always what they appear to be, though. And if we wanted in on the top 10, we probably should have stuck it out with a bigger group and hoped for the best.

Instead, we took matters into our own hands. We joined a team of 3, anticipating a quick start and cooperation. So, now to get started, right? None of the three had any levels finished -- so we created a condensed version of easy-to-understand directions, came up with a team name and leader, posted notices on the BBS and tried our best to put ourselves up in a top 10 position (hint, hint, good strategies to use next time). Perhaps we weren't destined to be a top ten contender! But my mommy says I'm still special! 0=) LoL.

Soon our group grew to about 10 people. Kiki did a cut, and brought it back down to 5. But no one was responding! Grrr! How come other teams put in a unit effort? How come our team didn't WANT to win? I mean, getting your salary raised 10 clams! Don't know about you, but we'd be half rich! And it wasn't like the Safari is hard -- all you have to do is read the instructions.

Things are different now -- our team deserves a thank you! And an apology from Liss22 if I was a bit mean...

An important lesson we've learned is you have to take reasons for why people haven't done the work seriously. You can't treat them in an "oh sure, excuses, excuses" kind of way. It's true, it IS hard to get into Whyville, and the instructions CAN be confusing. And yes, sometimes when you click on a level it says, "this page cannot be displayed". If you trust your team members and don't scorn their alibis, they will trust you and actually want to work with you to win.

Although we aren't in the top 10, we've worked together and all of us are standing at the level before Mars. Maybe if we had more people in our group, we could be up in the Top 10, but really I think we ought to be proud of ourselves. And the funny thing is, despite our rough start, we've all stayed together and roughed it out. None of us has abandoned each other for another, higher-ranking team. I guess it's like we owe it to each other -- we know where our loyalties lie.

So as the Solstice nears an end, congratulations to all teams -- not just those in the top 10. See you all same time next year!