Colorado Odyssey of the Mind

What is Odyssey of the Mind?
Odyssey is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Kids apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program.

What makes Odyssey different?
Odyssey of the Mind is a competitive program that encourages kids to be the best that they can be, but it's a friendly competition. Kids learn from and even cheer on their competitors. Odyssey of the Mind is not a competition about knowledge, it's all about creativity. Kids are rewarded for how they apply their knowledge, skills and talents, and not for coming up with the right answer. In fact, in Odyssey of the Mind problems, there isn't one right answer – ever.

How do students benefit from participation?
In Odyssey of the Mind, students learn skills that will last a lifetime. They work in teams so they learn cooperation and respect for the ideas of others. They evaluate ideas and make decisions on their own, gaining greater self-confidence and increased self-esteem along the way. They work within a budget, so they learn to manage their money. They see that there is often more than one way to solve a problem, and that sometimes the process is more important than the end result.

How does it work?
Your School has purchased a membership and will now form teams of up to seven students. Each team chooses one of five competitive problems to solve. The problems appeal to a wide range of interests; some are technical in nature, while others are artistic or performance-oriented. Under the guidance of an adult coach, teams work on their solutions throughout the school year and present them at either Regional Competition on February 24th or March 3rd.

What are the competition levels?
In Colorado the first level of competition is Regionals (February 24th and March 3rd, 2007 at 2 different TBD sites). Teams who place are invited to compete at the state level on March 24th in Arvada, CO. These championship teams are then invited to participate in the annual Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, in Lansing, Michigan at MSU on May 23-26th where they compete with teams from countries around the world.

How are teams judged in competition?
Thousands of volunteers from around the world judge the competitions and serve in various positions to help make the tournaments a success. Teams are scored for their long-term problem solution, how well they solve a "spontaneous" problem on the spot, and "style" -- the elaboration of their long-term problem solution.

What grades are allowed in Odyssey of the Mind divisions?
“Primary” teams are non-competitive and are intended for OMers in K-2. Competitive teams are broken up into three divisions.

The team must compete in the lowest division for which it qualifies. For example, if every member of a team qualifies for Division II it cannot compete in Division III. The team member in the highest grade (U.S.) determines the team’s division as follows:

Division I – Grades K-5
Division II – Grades 6-8
Division III – Grades 9-12

Who do I contact to get started?
Your School Sponsor (also known as a building coordinator) acts as the liaison between the students, coaches, principals and parents at your individual school. This is the person you should contact first with your questions and request. They are responsible for helping you get organized and are your support link throughout the year to your school. If you cannot get what you need from your school sponsor then please contact your school district coordinator for Odyssey of the Mind. If you don't know who your school sponsor is, please contact your school for that information, or see the contact list for the name of your school district coordinator.

What can I do as an Adult in Odyssey of the Mind?
Here are some of the areas of primary interest that we need volunteers for other than coaching:

Coaching Mentor: The purpose of the Coaching Mentor is to provide ideas and resources to coaches across the state. As a coaching mentor you have the opportunity to provide support that can save coaches many hours. This state support function is especially valuable to first time coaches.

Odyssey of the Mind Promotion: There are many opportunities to promote and market Odyssey across the state. We are looking for committee members that can help in the effort to let kids, parents and teachers across the state know that Odyssey of the Mind is alive and growing.

Assistant Tournament Directors: Tournament directors have one of the most time consuming tasks of anyone supporting Odyssey of the mind. Many activities must be delegated in order to prepare and run a successful tournament! If coordination of groups is your strength, then you may be the one or two assistant tournament directors we need to insure that our regional and state tournaments run smoothly and safely for all our OMers.

Regional Problem Captains: If you have coached and judged in past years, you may be qualified to step up as a regional problem captain. As a regional problem captain, you would help coaches understand long term problem details and be responsible for coordinating judges at a regional tournament.Volunteer: Each team is required to have one volunteer at each tournament. Duties are endless.Judge: Each team is required to furnish one Judge per competition. You would be trained at one of the Judges Training in either spontaneous or Long Term. You would then serve as a judge during the competition.

For more information visit Colorado Odyssey