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Delaware
Odyssey of the Mind
Coordinator’s Training 2017-2018
Agenda
Odyssey of the Mind and DELCAPS
What is Creativity?
Odyssey Membership / Competition Overview
Coordinator Responsibilities
Mentors and Resources
Seven Practices of Successful Coordinators
Schedule of Events
This Year’s Problems
Question & Answer Session
Learning Objectives
• Familiarization with 2017-2018 Odyssey of the
Mind program year.
• Sufficient information to initiate and coordinate a
successful program for your school/organization.
• Schedules and deadlines.
Odyssey of the Mind – some background
Originated in Industrial Design class at Glassboro State
College (now Rowan University) by Dr. Sam Micklus in 1978.
Evaluated not on the success of their solutions, but on the
ingenuity applied and the risk involved in trying something
new and different – significant focus on ‘creativity’ and ‘risk
taking’
Today, students of all ages from many parts of the world
participate in problem solving, improving collaborative skills,
creative thinking and boosting self confidence.
Delaware Creative Activities
& Problem Solving, Inc.
(DELCAPS)
Delaware affiliate of the international Odyssey of the Mind
program (Creative Competitions, Inc.)
An all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a
board of directors governing body (11 voting members)
Provides training for coordinators, coaches, and judges
Coordinates 2 regional qualifying tournaments and a State
Finals competition
Fosters partnerships with schools and organizations
throughout the state
What is Creativity?
The state or quality of being creative – the ability to transcend traditional ideas and to create meaningful new ideas “A process of having original ideas that have value” – Sir Ken Robinson “An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.” – Edwin Land
Solving Problems
Divergent Thinking – Many Different Ideas
Convergent Thinking – Only One Right Answer
Solving a Problem May Require Both Types of Thinking
Ted Talks Creativity takes courage – art in the classroom Julie Tamashiro
YouTube The Importance of Creativity (Children’s Creativity Museum)
A membership allows for 1 team per problem and
division based on grade levels in the member organization.
Exception is in Primary, where an unlimited number of teams is
allowed.
o Primary - students in kindergarten through 2nd grade.
o Division I - students in grades 3 - 5.
o Division II - students in grades 6 - 8.
o Division III - students in grades 9 - 12.
Division IV - college students and adults in continuing
education programs.
Students compete at highest grade level of any student on team.
An Odyssey of the Mind Membership
The Three Components of an
Odyssey of the Mind Competition
Long Term Problem - 200 points
Style - 50 points
Spontaneous Problem - 100 points
Establish a program within your school or sponsoring
organization.
Manage the membership with CCI and DELCAPS.
Recruit students, coaches and judges.
Provide assistance and moral support to the coaches.
Attend competitions and support the teams.
Coordinator’s
Responsibilities
Membership materials,
incl. Program Guide
Odyssey of the Mind
website
(www.odysseyofthemind.com)
DELCAPS website
(www.delcaps.org)
DELCAPS Mentors
Other coordinators
and coaches
Resources
HomeStay - Host an international team after World Finals
Scholarship - $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior who
participated on a Delaware Odyssey of the Mind team at least
one year during high school
Additional Opportunities
DELCAPS Contacts
Director – Jacquie Blevins
o Email: [email protected]
Tournament Director – Stephanie Wagner
o Email: [email protected]
Coaches Mentor Program
Pamela Denney-Griffiths
Lynn Flicker
Joseph Moore
Janet Stephens
Stephanie Wagner
7 Practices of Successful
Coordinators
1) Establishing Goals
2) Communication
3) Recruitment
4) Membership
5) Team Building
6) Training
7) Attending Competitions
Program Focus
Organizational Goals
Outside Assistance
Setting the Tone
Practice Number 1: Establishing Goals
Information conduit between DELCAPS/Odyssey of
the Mind and team coaches
OotM Cheerleader
Keeper of the Membership Packet
Program Guide
Websites and Facebook
Practice Number 2: Communication
Establish a schedule for recruiting, signing up and
forming teams (as early in the school year as possible).
Design a student form that includes contact information,
interests, skills, desired teammates, preferred problem,
availability to meet and parent volunteer interest.
Use flyers, school announcements, meetings, or a fun
Spontaneous activity to generate student interest.
Distribute the Odyssey problem synopses (available on-
line)
Practice Number 3:
Recruitment - Students
Hold a parent interest meeting.
A 10-minute informational video is available on-line at
www.odysseyofthemind.com.
Present the benefits of an Odyssey of the Mind
experience.
Make parents aware of the commitment expected.
Describe the roles of the volunteer coaches and judges.
Practice Number 3:
Recruitment - Coaches
Forming teams will vary from organization to
organization.
The DELCAPS philosophy is that all students can
benefit from an Odyssey of the Mind Experience.
High school teams may be self-coached but an official
coach is required for the team to compete in a
tournament.
Practice Number 3:
Recruitment – Form Teams
An Odyssey team usually consists
of 5-7 students.
No more than 7 team members may help solve a problem.
If a team of 7 loses a member and a replacement is added,
an outside assistance penalty may be assessed.
Teams with fewer than 5 members will be allowed to
compete, but the team may be disadvantaged in the
Spontaneous competition.
Primary teams may be allowed more than 7 team
members; requests must be submitted and approved by
DELCAPS.
What Does a Team Look Like?
Each team is required to provide at least one judge.
Judges must attend a training session and must be
available all day on the day of competition.
Judges who are volunteer parents may not be able to see
their student’s team perform.
Teams advancing from regionals to State Finals must
provide a volunteer judge for State Finals; the volunteer
must have judged at this year’s regional level.
Practice Number 3:
Recruit Volunteer Judges
Judges and volunteers are the backbone of Odyssey of
the Mind in Delaware
We have regional tournaments in Northern and Southern
Delaware on back to back weekends in March. Judges
and volunteers need to be evenly distributed.
A short timeframe between team registration and judges
training means we need judges and volunteers to self
identify as early as possible. We will give your teams
credit for a judge that is already identified!
Practice Number 3:
Recruit Volunteer Judges
Training for judges has changed this year!
The non-problem specific portion of the training will be
available on-line.
If a judge completes the on-line portion of the training
they will only need to attend a half day on-site training for
problem specific information. They may choose from four
sessions; morning or afternoon on two dates.
Our goal is to have exceptional judges who have been
thoroughly trained!
Practice Number 3:
Recruit Volunteer Judges
Purchase a membership from Creative Competitions, Inc.
on-line, by mail, email or phone
CCI accepts purchase orders, personal checks and credit
cards (on-line only).
After registration is complete, a membership number is
assigned and DELCAPS receives the membership info.
Membership materials including detailed problems,
program guide, and resource materials are sent to each
membership coordinator.
Practice Number 4:
Odyssey Membership
Teams must be individually registered on-line at
www.odysseyofthemind.com for competition
The membership number and ZIP code of the organization
is required to access team registration on-line
Registration includes the names and grades of team
members and any special considerations for scheduling
Once a team is registered on-line, changes must be
submitted to DELCAPS
Practice Number 4:
Odyssey Membership
Team Registration
Coordinators work within their organization to ensure timely
payment of all program fees.
Need an invoice? Submit request to [email protected];
invoices will usually be provided within 48 hours.
Teams must be registered by Jan. 12, 2018.
Tournament registration fees are due by Feb. 9. 2018.
$25 late fees will be assessed per team; DELCAPS will
exercise discretion in the total late fee amount.
Teams may not be allowed to compete if fees are not paid.
Practice Number 4: Odyssey Membership
Payment of Tournament Fees
Opportunity to build organization spirit
Spontaneous events for all teams
Dress Rehearsals – just be careful about suggestions
from one team to another
Watch each other the day of the tournament if possible
Encourage people to come and watch the teams
Practice Number 5:
Team Building Activities
The Creativity Kick-off and Spontaneous Workshops will be
held for coaches of all experience levels. Encourage your
coaches to attend and facilitate registration.
o Session 1 – November 4, 2017
o Lake Forest Central Elem. School, Felton
o Session 2 - November 18, 2017
o Brandywine High School, Wilmington
o Session 3 – January 6, 2018
o Milford Middle/Senior High School, Milford
Practice Number 6:
Training
Attend the pre-tournament coaches/coordinators meeting.
Ocean Region - February 10, 2018 Laurel Middle/High
School
River Region - February 17, 2018 Kirk Middle School
State Finals – March 13, 2018 William Henry Middle
School
Practice Number 6
Pre-tournament Meetings
Stay connected with your teams, check on their progress.
Provide reminders of upcoming dates and deadlines.
Keep the organization updated and invite administrators
to attend the competition and support the teams.
Support your teams the day of the competition.
… and enjoy watching the problem solutions!
Practice Number 7:
Attending Competitions
Odyssey of the Mind – 2017-2018
Training Sessions Nov. 4 – Coaches Workshops at Lake Forest Central Elem
Nov. 18 – Coaches Workshop at Brandywine High School
Jan. 6 – Coaches Workshop at Milford High School
9 – 12 Coaches Training 1 – 4 Spontaneous Training
Judges Training
Feb. 10 – Judges Training On-site at Milford High School
Feb. 17 – Judges Training On-site at Brandywine High
8:00 – 12:00 or 1:00 - 5:00
Odyssey of the Mind Competitions Ocean Region – March 3 – Laurel Middle/High
River Region – March 10 – Kirk Middle School
State Finals - March 24 – William Henry Middle School
World Finals – May 23-26 – Iowa State University
Registration Deadlines Oct. 26 – Coaches Workshops (November sessions)
Dec. 23 – Coaches Workshop (January 2018 session)
Jan. 12 – Tournament registrations / Judges nominations
Jan. 22 – Judges Training registrations
Feb 9 – Tournament Fees Due
Coaches Meetings Feb. 10 – Ocean Region at Laurel
Middle/High (9a-12:00)
Feb. 17 – River Region at Kirk Middle
School (9a-12:00)
2018 Problems
Problem 1 (Vehicle)
Triathlon Travels
On your mark…get set...go! In this problem teams will ride on
and drive original vehicles in an Odyssey-style triathlon. They
will try to score in “curling”, hit the right targets when “jousting”
and “run track” by navigating a course in two directions. Between
these events, the team will entertain the audience and the vehicle
will change appearance. All of the action will take place in a
team-created performance that features the vehicles’ triathlon
travels, a commentator and a coach.
Cost limit: $145 USD.
2018 Problems
Problem 2 (Technical)
Emoji, Speak for Yourself
Three-dimensional emojis will be used to communicate the life
story of a once famous, but now forgotten, emoji. Teams will
create a performance where the emojis demonstrate special
functions like growing, turning into a team member and changing
into a different emoji. Performances will also include a
choreographed dance, a technical presentation of texting, and
sounds to enhance the performance. The twist? No spoken
language is allowed.
Cost limit: $145 USD.
2018 Problems
Problem 3 (Classics)
Mockumentary! Seriously?
There are often two sides to the same story. In this problem,
characters don’t always agree as they recount the classic story
where they appeared. The team will select a classic from a list
and present different characters in a humorous documentary style
performance where details are added, denied, exaggerated, and
disputed. There will be interviews, behind-the-scenes “clips”, and
voice-overs that take the audience through the story and help
present the events as they “really” took place. Whose side will
you be on?
Cost limit: $125 USD.
2018 Problems
Problem 4 (Balsa Wood)
Animal House
Over the years, Odyssey of the Mind teams have designed
structures that changed into many unbelievable shapes and sizes
that balanced and held as much weight as possible. This year,
teams will turn their balsa wood structures into animals! Since
animals need to eat, they must be fed. The structure will have its
appearance transformed and explained during an original
performance. During the performance, the structure must hold the
team-created food while it supports the weights.
Cost limit: $145 USD.
2018 Problems
Problem 5 (Performance)
A Stellar Hangout
In the outreaches of the universe, there is an Intergalactic
Hangout where all sorts of creatures from different worlds stop,
eat, refuel, and relax. Teams will create a humorous performance
centered on this science fiction hangout that includes original
creatures, foods, and a search for space treasure. There will also
be a worker character, entertainment, and a futuristic map at the
hangout.
Cost limit: $125 USD.
Creativity heats up as teams created their own cooking show
where a chef gives an original cooking lesson to a special guest.
The show takes place from a creative kitchen where balsa wood
is used to support a cookbook, a bowl and an object of the
team’s choosing. A special guest will visit and learn to cook from
the chef by using team-created representations of food.
Performances will also include a name for the show, theme
music, and a story about the meal they are cooking.
Cost limit: $125 USD.
2017 Problems
Primary (K-2, non-
competitive)
We’re Cooking Now
For the last few years our primary teams have competed and left
unless they have an older sibling on a competitive team. This
year we have planned some surprises for the primary teams in
the hope that they will spend time at the tournament watching
the older kids and having a good time. Stay tuned for an exciting
announcement about special primary team activities on the day
of the tournament!
2017 Problems
Primary (K-2, non-
competitive)
We’re Cooking Now
Delaware Odyssey of
the Mind
Coordinators Training 2017-2018
Question & Answer Session
