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2020-2021PROGRAMGUIDEbyDr.
C.
SamuelMicklus&CaroleMicklusThisguideisintendedforusebycoachesandteamsinOdysseyoftheMind.
Itcontainsthegeneralrulesforcompetitionandwillhelpthemunderstandtheprogram.
ThisGuideisupdatedeachyear,sopleasereaditcarefully,especiallytheGeneralRules.
Publishedby:CreativeCompetitions,Inc.
406GanttownRoadSewell,NJ08080www.
odysseyofthemind.
comRevisedAugust2020Copyright2020–CreativeCompetitions,Inc.
TableofContentsINTRODUCTION.
ivCHAPTERIWELCOMETOTHEODYSSEYOFTHEMIND.
5WhatisOdysseyoftheMind.
5GettingtheMostOutofYourOdysseyoftheMindExperience.
6COACHINGANODYSSEYOFTHEMINDTEAM.
6WhoCanCoach6RoleoftheCoach.
6GETTINGSTARTED.
8First,GenerateInterest.
8Second,FormaTeam8Third,MeettheParents.
9Fourth,MakeaSchedule.
10Fifth,TrainYourTeam.
10TRAININGYOURTEAM10TeachingTeamwork.
10TeachingCreativity11CHAPTERIIABOUTYOURMEMBERSHIP.
15SchoolMemberships15CommunityGroups.
15Home-SchooledStudents16AgeDivisions.
16TeamMemberParticipation.
17MembershipIdentification17TemporaryMembershipRules18CHAPTERIIIODYSSEYOFTHEMINDPROBLEMS20Long-TermCompetitiveProblems.
20Long-TermScoring.
21Long-TermStyle21ScoringStyle.
22DefiningStyleCategories.
22RequestingLong-TermProblemClarifications24ThePrimaryProblem25SPONTANEOUSPROBLEMS25ScoringSpontaneous26PracticingSpontaneous27CHAPTERIVGOINGTOCOMPETITION28OnCompetitionDay.
28ChecklistforCompetinginLong-Term29SpecialSituations.
29CompetitionScoring30GettingLong-TermScores.
30QuestionsAboutScoring30TheSpontaneousCompetition31VirtualCompetition32AWARDS32RanatraFuscaCreativityAward.
33OMER'sAward33OdysseyoftheMindCreativityAward.
34OdysseyoftheMindSpiritAward34CHAPTERVPROGRAMRULES.
35RulesthatApplytoAllProblems35PENALTYCATEGORIES47"SpiritoftheProblem"Violation.
47UnsportsmanlikeConduct47IncorrectorMissingMembershipSign.
47OutsideAssistance.
48OverTimeLimit.
49OverCostLimit50POTENTIALREASONSFORDISCIPLINE50PossibleDisciplinaryAction51CHAPTERVIGLOSSARY.
53RESOURCES56APPENDIXStyleFormCostFormOutsideAssistanceFormVerbalSpontaneousProblem:ReinventingtheWheelVerbalSpontaneousProblem:ToHaveFunorNottoHaveFunVerbal/Hands-OnSpontaneousProblem:CreationStationHands-OnSpontaneousProblem:TheLastStrawIntroductionOdysseyoftheMindwasfoundedbyDr.
C.
SamuelMicklus,knownasDr.
Sam,in1978.
Dr.
SamwasaprofessoratGlassboroStateCollege,nowRowanUniversity,andusedacreativeproblem-solvingactivitiestoteachhisIndustrialDesignstudentstothinkBeyondtheBox.
Thatis,takingyourknowledgeandmixingitwithyourimaginationtobuild,fix,andcreatewhatmighthavebeenunimaginable.
TeachingcreativityisDr.
Sam'spassionandtohelpsharehisloveofcreativity,hefoundedtheparentcompanyofOdysseyoftheMind,CreativeCompetitions,Inc.
(CCI).
CCIwritesthelong-termproblemsandworkswithdedicatedvolunteersfromeverycountrytohelpbringcreativeproblemsolvingtostudentsandinstitutionsallovertheworld.
ThemissionofCreativeCompetitions,Inc.
istoprovidecreativeproblem-solvingopportunitiesforeveryoneandtofosteroriginalanddivergentthinking.
ThroughtheOdysseyoftheMindprogram,wepromotecreativitybychallengingteamstosolvedivergentproblems,thatis,thosewithmorethanonesolution.
Byworkinginteams,participantslearnteamwork,theappreciationandunderstandingofothers,andthatagroupisamorepowerfulthinkingforcethananindividual.
Theydevelopasenseofself-respectandrespectforothersthroughpreparatoryactivitiessuchasbrainstormingandrole-playing.
Infact,themostsuccessfulteamsarethosewithparticipantswithawidedifferenceininterestssuchasdanceandsports,mathandpoetry,etc.
Whilethegoalformostteamsistopresenttheirproblemsolutionsinofficialcompetitions,thisisnotarequirementofparticipation.
Thepurposeoftheprogramistoprovidestudentswithanexcitinglearningexperiencethatpromisestobechallengingandfun.
ivPage|5ChapterIWelcometotheOdysseyoftheMindWelcometotheOdysseyoftheMindcreativeproblem-solvingprogram!
WhetherthisisyourfirstexperiencewithOMorifyou'reaseasonedOMer,it'simportantthatyoureadthisguidethoroughly.
Thisguideisupdatedannuallysopleasepaycloseattentiontoallsections,especiallytheGeneralRulessectionsincethoserulespertaintoeveryteam.
WhatisOdysseyoftheMindOdysseyoftheMindisacreativeproblem-solvingcompetitionforstudentsandcommunitygroupmembersofallages.
Forthe2020-21year,teamsofstudentsarenotrequiredtobefromthesameschoolorcommunitygroupiftheychoosetoparticipateinthevirtualplatformofOdysseyoftheMind.
Teamsofstudentsselectaproblem,createasolution,thenpresenttheirsolutioninacompetitionagainstotherteamsinthesameproblemanddivision.
Therearemanynuancesoftheprogramthatareexplainedfurtherinthisguide,butherearesomeofthebasicsofparticipation:1.
Studentsworkinteamsofuptosevenmembersundertheguidanceofanadultcoach.
2.
Teamsspendweeksormonths,attheirownpace,workingtogetherandcreatingsolutionstolong-termproblems.
Everyyear,therearesixlong-termproblemsdesignedforvehicle,technical,classicalartsandliterature,structure,performance,andprimarycategories.
3.
Teammemberscomeupwithalltheideasfortheirsolutionanddoalltheworkthemselves.
Coachesmayhelpteachskillsandeducatetheteamonwaysofapproachingtheproblemandofevaluatingtheirsolutionbutwillnotsolvetheproblemfortheteam.
4.
Tosolveaproblem,teamsmustfollowthegeneralrulesinthisguide,limitationsintheproblem,andclarificationsissuedduringtheyear.
5.
Teamsworkwithinthecostlimitstatedintheproblem.
Thiswillteachtheteamstoworkwithabudgetandfosteralife-skillthatisessentiallypriceless.
6.
Competitionisnotrequired;itisanoption.
TeamsaresolvingOMlong-termproblemsallovertheworldandweprovideaplatformforteamstocompeteoutsidetheirschoolororganization,ifdesired.
Ifateamwouldliketocompete,hereareafewthingstoknow:a.
Teamshave8minutestopresenttheirlong-termproblemsolutionincompetition.
b.
Ifateamparticipatesinacompetition,itwillbescoredforhowwellitmettherequirementsoftheproblemandforcreativityincategoriesspecifictothatproblem.
c.
TeamsareencouragedtodotheirbestandStylescoreisawardedforthequalityandimpactofportionsoftheteam'ssolution.
Page|6d.
Teamsincompetitionarepresentedaspontaneousproblemtosolveonsite.
SpontaneousproblemsareunknowntotheteamsandcoachespriortocompetitionandareexplainedintheRulesportionoftheProgramGuide.
e.
Ateam'sstandingincompetitionisdeterminedbyitscombinedLong-Termscore,Stylescore,andSpontaneousscore.
7.
Therulesinthisguidepertaintoalltheproblems;anyconflictingproblemlimitationssupersedetheserules,andclarificationsissuedthroughoutthisprogramyearsupersedetherulesandtheproblemlimitations.
GettingtheMostOutofYourOdysseyoftheMindExperienceTheOdysseyoftheMindprogramisbasedonthepremisethatcreativitycanbetaught.
Canyouthinkofanyonewhofitsanyofthesedescriptions.
.
.
thetalentedstudentthatis"naturally"creative;thestudentwhosetalentsrequirenurturing;thestudentwhodoesnotthinkofthemselvesascreative,butfeelstheyare"different"thantheirpeers;orthestudentwithuntappedpotentialbutnooutletforittothriveOdysseyoftheMindprovidesthatoutletinanenvironmentwherealmosteverytypeofstudentwillthrive.
Infact,OdysseyoftheMindprovidesaneducationalbenefittoallstudentsatalllearninglevels.
CoachinganOdysseyoftheMindTeamInOMthecoachplaysalimited,butImportant,role.
EachOdysseyoftheMindteammusthaveatleastoneadult,18yearsofageorolder,registeredasitsheadcoach.
Havinganassistantcoachwilllessenthedemandsassumedbyoneperson.
OMdoesnotassigncoaches.
Thecoachofateamisdeterminedbythemembershiporganization.
WhoCanCoachCoachescomefromallprofessionsandfromallwalksoflife.
Althoughteamsmusthavethesupportofthememberschoolororganization,coachesdonothavetobeteachers.
Frequently,achild'sinvolvementintheprogramwillgeneratetheinterestoftheparents.
Oftentimes,parentswillstarttheOdysseyoftheMindprogramintheirchild'sschoolandassumeacoachingroletogetinvolvedintheirchild'seducation.
RoleoftheCoachCoachesmustrememberthattheOdysseyoftheMindisa"hands-on"activityforstudentsandasomewhat"hands-off"foradults.
It'simportantthatteamscreatetheirsolutionswithoutusingtheideasandassistanceofothers.
Thereisvalueinlettingteamssucceedandfailontheirownmerits,especiallywhenachievementisratedoneffort,asmuchasonresults.
ThecoachwillofferguidancePage|7andencouragement,andteachteammembershowtoexplorepossibilities,listentoothers,learnfromfailures,andevaluatesolutionseffectively.
Theycanteachtheteamskills,suchassewing,painting,drilling,etc.
,butnottodirectthelessontobeapartofthesolution.
However,noone,includingthecoach,maygivetheteamideasorassistanceindevelopingthesolutiontotheproblem.
Itisamazingtoseewhattheteamscandoontheirownand,intheend,thecoachwillbeproudoftheirteamfordoingitthemselves.
Andthestudentswillamazethemselvesandbuildself-esteemfromknowingtheydiditontheirown.
Thecoachorcoacheswillprovidesupervisionandhandlelogisticssuchasschedulingmeetings,makingsurepaperworkisdoneproperly,gettingtheteamtocompetition,teachingthemhowtosolvedifferences,andsoon.
Theymayberesponsibleforrecruitingandselectingteammembers.
Thecoachwillmakesuretheteamunderstandsthelimitationsofitslong-termproblemandoverseebrainstormingandspontaneouspracticesessions.
Whenteammembersgetanidea,thecoachorcoachescanmakesuretheyobtaintheskillsrequiredtocarryoutthatidea.
Thecoachwillprovidemoralsupport.
And…ifsomethinggoeswrong,theteammightneedtorelyonthecoach'sguidancetohelpthemmakethingsrightwithoutactuallyfixingtheproblemforthem.
Thecoachwillmakesuretoreadandre-readtheproblemandclarifications.
Theteammembersshouldbegivenacopyofthematerialstoensuretheyunderstandtheproblemandhowitwillbescored.
BeingaCoachYou,asthecoach,canprovidetheexperiencesforyourteamtoreapthefullbenefitsofparticipationinOM.
Youwillfindmanyexercisesinthefollowingchaptersthatwillhelpyoutoteachcriticalthinkingandcreativeproblem-solvingskills,buttheprogramcanprovidemuchmorethanteachingstudentshowtothink:itaugmentsthelessonstaughtintheclassroomandallowsstudentstoapplywhatthey'velearnedtodifferentsituations.
Inthistimeofbudgetarycutbacksintheartsandotherimportantareas,studentscancontinuetolearnart,music,creativewriting,acting,andjustaboutwhateverelsethey'reinterestedinthroughincorporatingthosesubjectsintotheirlong-termproblemsolution.
Itisimportantthatcoachesrecognizethewealthofopportunitythatcomeswithcoachingateam.
Yourtimespentwiththestudentswillmakeadifferenceintheirlives.
TheteamwilllearnmorefromtheirtimeinOMthantheyimagined–andtheywillrememberthegoodtimestheyhadintheprocess.
Andyou,thecoach,aretheonetomakethathappen.
Goodluck,andcongratulationsonbecomingacoach!
Page|8GettingStartedSometimes,studentswillorganizeateamandthenfindanadulttocoach.
However,ifyou'reacoach,aparent,orsomeonewhobelievesthatstudentsorclubmemberscouldbenefitfromparticipationinOM,thereareafewstepstotakewhenintroducingOMtothepupilsinaschooloranorganization.
First,GenerateInterestMakesureyouarefamiliarwiththecurrentyear'slong-termproblemssoyoucanpresenttheideastothestudents.
DuplicateandhandoutthesynopsesfoundinthemembershipmaterialsfoundonlineintheMembersArealocatedonwww.
odysseyofthemind.
com.
OdysseyoftheMindshouldbeavailabletoallstudents.
Askteachers,schooladministrators,and/orparentgroupstohelpidentifystudentswhoarecreativethinkers,whomightbenefitfrombeingonateam,orwhomightappreciateahands-onapproachtolearning.
YoumayalsochoosetopresentanOdysseyoftheMindawarenesssessiontotheentirestudentbodyinanassembly,orclubfairs,andaskthoseinterestedtosignuptoparticipate.
AnotherwaytostimulateinterestintheprogramistoaskteacherstoconductclassroomlessonsusingOdysseyoftheMindmaterials.
Thiswillintroducealargenumberofstudentstothecreativeproblem-solvingprocessandbringnewmethodsoflearningintotheclassroom.
OnetypeofactivitytoshareareourpastSpontaneousproblemswhichcanbefoundonlineandcanbedownloadedbyanyonefromwww.
odysseyofthemind.
com.
Second,FormaTeamUltimately,eachmembershipiscontrolledbytheschool'sororganization'sadministration,butthecoachisresponsibleforselectingthebeststudentsfortheteamundertheguidelinessetbytheadministration.
It'simportanttorecognizethatallstudentscanbenefitfromparticipationinOdysseyoftheMind,andthatperformanceintheclassroomdoesnotdirectlycorrelatewithsuccessintheprogram.
Manystudentshavehighlydevelopedcreativeproblem-solvingabilitiesbutdonothavetheopportunitytoapplythemintheclassroom.
ParticipationinOdysseyoftheMindremovestheapprehensionandself-consciousnessthatmayinhibitstudentsfrombecomingmoreinvolvedintheireducation.
Studentswhoarenothighachieversoftendiscover,throughsolvingOdysseyoftheMindproblems,thattheknowledgeattainedinschoolcanbeappliedtomanyreal-lifesituations,andtheybecomemoreinvolvedintheclassroomasaresult.
Inotherwords,theytaketheknowledgethatisintheBoxandtakeit"BeyondtheBox"!
Page|9It'sagoodideatoinvolvestudentswithdifferentskillsandabilities,sotheteamhasawidetalentbasetodrawupon.
Thishelpstobuildteamwork,becausethememberswilllearntorecognizeandappreciatetheabilitiesofothers.
Whetheryou'retryingtogenerateinterestintheprogramorchoosingfromawellofeagerstudents,hereareafewsuggestionsonmakingthatfinaldecisionofwhoshouldbeonyourteam:Recruitasmanystudentsaspossibleandallowthemtoformtheirownteams.
Whentournamenttimecomesaround,haveteamscompeteagainsteachothertodeterminewhowillrepresenttheschool.
Ofcourse,youcanalwayspurchaseadditionalmembershipsandsendallyourteamstoyourtournament.
Intournaments,eachmembershipcansupportoneteam,perproblem,perdivision.
Holdacreativity"playoff,"wherecandidatesarepresentedwithproblemsthatrequirecreativethinking.
Thosewhoenjoytheactivitywillenjoybeingonateam.
"Compose"eachteamwithaselectionofstudentswithvaryingskills—forexample,anartist,musician,computerexpert,writer—dependingonthenatureoftheproblem.
Third,MeettheParentsIt'salwaysagoodideatoholdaninitialmeetingofteammembersandtheirparents.
Mostlikely,theparentswillsupporttheirchild'sinvolvementintheprogramandwillwanttohelp.
Itisveryimportant,however,thatyouletthemknowtheirlimitations.
Makecleartherulesforoutsideassistance.
Stressthattheirchildrenwillreapthefullbenefitsofcreativeproblem-solvingiftheycreatetheirsolutionthemselves.
Parentsneedtounderstandwhatwillbeexpectedofthemregardingmoney,time,transportation,andsoon.
Findoutwhatdaysandtimesareconvenientfromafamilyperspectiveanddevelopapracticescheduleaccordingly.
Makesureyouinformtheparentsofthecompetitiondateswellaheadoftimesotheydon'tscheduleactivitiesthatconflictwiththosedates.
Gettingtoknowtheparentsisawaytolearnabouttheresources,skillsandfacilitiesthattheyhavetooffer.
Parentsmaybewillingtoteachskillsthatteammembersneedtoexecutetheirsolution—carpentry,sewing,dancing,etc.
Parentscanalsosupplygeneralinformationonsubjectssuchasengineeringandscientificprinciples,andtheyareagoodresourcetoserveasjudges,scorekeepers,ortournamentassistants.
Youmightwanttohaveparentssolveahands-onspontaneousproblemduringthemeetingto"breaktheice"witheachotherandtodemonstratewhattheirkidswillbedoing.
Page|10Fourth,MakeaScheduleAfteryou'vemetwiththeparentsanddiscussedtimeconstraintsandwhatthey'rewillingtocontribute,setascheduleofteammeetingsthatyou'llsticktoasbestasyoucanuntilthecompetitiondateapproaches.
YoumightwanttomeetonedayduringtheweekandonSaturdaymorningsforacoupleofhours.
Ascompetitionseasondrawsnear,you'llprobablywanttoincreasethefrequencyofyourpracticesessions.
Trynottohaveyourmeetingsconflictwithanyoftheteammembers'curricularactivities.
Ifyoucanmeetasateamonlyonceaweek,makethisaplanningsessionwhereallteammembersgiveinputintothesolution,thenassigndifferenttaskstospecificteammembersthattheycanworkonathome.
Makesureeachteammemberhasequalresponsibilities.
Forexample,onecouldwriteonesceneofaskitandanotherteammembercouldwriteanother.
Onecouldmakeacostume,anothercouldbuildaprop,andstillanothercouldcreatemusic.
Fifth,TrainYourTeamOnceyougetthelogisticalmattersinplace,it'stimetostarttrainingyourteamonwhattheprogramisallabout.
Becausestudentsworkinteams,they'llneedtolearnhowtoworkcooperatively.
Theywillsolveproblemsusingtheircreativity,soteachthemhowtothinkmorecreatively.
Thefollowingsectiongivesanoverviewofteambuildingandcreative-thinkingtechniquesthatyoushouldemployinyourteammeetingsandpracticesessions.
TrainingYourTeamAnimportantbenefitofOdysseyoftheMindisthatstudentslearntoworkwithothers.
Oftentimes,toencouragecreativity,talentedindividualsaregivenfreereignto"dotheirownthing.
"Theymaybeaccustomedtohavingtheirownideasrecognized,butnowtheyhavetheideasoftheirteammemberstoconsideraswell.
Itisnaturalfornewteamstotaketimedevelopingintoacohesivegroup.
Youmayhavetohelpthatprocessalong.
Ultimately,you'llfindthatteammemberswillformlifelongfriendshipsanddevelopadeeprespectforoneanother'stalents.
TeachingTeamworkItisthecoach'sresponsibilitytoprovidestabilityandtoensurethateachteammemberhasequalinputtotheproblemsolution.
Everyone'sopinioncounts,soavoidallowingoneortwoteammembersto"overpower"ameeting.
Ifthishappens,youmayhavetobetheonetodrawouttheideasofthequieterstudentsinthegroup.
Youmayfindthatteammemberswillnotagreeononesolutionandwillworkagainsteachotheratfirst.
YoumayhavetobetheonetoinitiatetheprocessPage|11ofreachingaconsensus.
Intime,thelessonsyouprovidewillbecomenaturalbehavior.
Herearesuggestionstohelpensurefairnessandequalinputforallteammembers:Rotateteamcaptainsandhavethemtaketurnsconductingthemeetings.
Havememberscometoanagreementonissuesthatareimpedingprogress.
Theyshoulddothisbylistingtheprosandconsoftheissuesotheyseebothsidesoftheargument.
Ifaconsensuscannotbereached,havethemembersvotebysecretballot.
Schedulemeetingswhereallteammembersworkononlyoneaspectofthesolution.
Thisway,allteammemberswillcontributetomanyaspectsofthesolutiontosomedegree.
Formcommitteeswitheachteammemberinchargeofonegroupresponsibleforateam--determinedcontribution(e.
g.
,artwork,costumes).
Thiswillhelpdevelopleadershipskills.
TeachingCreativityCoachesmustprepareteamsforthreephasesofcompetition:Long-Term,Style,andSpontaneous.
(Moreabouttheselater.
)Manyteamswillworkontheirowntodeveloptheirlong--termproblemsolutionbutmayneedguidanceinbuildingcreative-thinkingskillsorpracticingsolvingspontaneousproblems.
Toprepareteammembersforthementalrigorsofcompetition,trainingshouldincludeexercisesbasedonbasiccreativityprinciples.
Thecoachcanhelpimproveateam'sdivergentthinkingabilitythroughbrainstormingsessionsandexercisesthatinvolvetherestatementofaproblem,functionalfixedness,removingmindsets,androle-playing.
Thesewillhelpbuildself-confidenceanddivergentthinkingability.
Inadditiontothesetypesofexercises,thecoachshouldteachdiscipline,andmanagementandorganizationalskillstotheteammembers.
Oftentimes,generatingideastosolveaproblemiseasy,butselectingandexecutingasolutionismuchmoredifficult.
Followingareexercisestohelpbuildcreative-thinkingskills.
BrainstormingManypeople,whentryingtosolveaproblem,willdevelopamentalblock.
Thismaybearesultof"thinkingtoohard.
"Then,later,withoutconsciouseffort,asolutionwillcometomind.
Onewaytoovercomeamentalblockintheproblem-solvingprocessistoholdabrainstormingsession.
Thepurposeofbrainstormingistogenerateasmanyideasaspossible.
Themoreideasateamhastochoosefrom,thegreaterthechancesareoffindingonethatissuccessful.
Ideasaregeneratedrapidly,whichpreventsindividualsfromdwellingonwhyanideamightnotwork.
Evaluationoftheideascomesatalaterstageofsolutiondevelopment.
CoachesshouldteachstudentshowtoholdPage|12brainstormingsessions,andtheymayserveasmoderatorsofthesessions.
Followingaresomeguidelinestofollowforbrainstorming:1.
Allownocriticism.
Somepeoplebecomeself-consciouswhentheyfeeltheymaybecriticized,whichinhibitsthemfromofferingideas.
Forthisreason,itisimportanttonotjudgeideasatthistime.
Presentexamplesof"wildideas"thatweresuccessfulsuchaswalkingonthemoon.
2.
Encourageoutrageousideas.
Thisoftenresultsinteammembersgoingbeyondthenormalthoughtprocess.
3.
Encouragepiggybackingofotherideas.
Oneideaoftenstimulatesabetterone.
4.
Evaluatetheideasattheendofthesessionorafteradayortwo.
Eliminatethosethatarenotfeasible.
Teachteamsthedifferencebetweencritiquing—offeringconstructivecriticism—andcriticizing,whichtendstobenegative.
Stressthatteammembersaretocritiqueeachother'sideasinapositivemanner.
Ratherthansimplysayingtheydon'tlikeanidea,askthemtostatewhyandofferwaystoimproveontheidea.
Mostimportant,lettheteamknowthatwhilebrainstormingismeanttobeproductive,itshouldbefun,too.
Remindthemthatdecisionsmadeatthistimearenotalwaysfinal;ideationisanongoingprocess.
Besideshavingthecoachasmoderator,eachbrainstorminggroupshouldselectaleadertodirectthediscussion.
Ifalevelingoffofideasoccurs,theteamleaderforthatsessionshouldencouragenewideasbyasking"whatif"typequestionssuchas,"Byalteringthematerialshowcouldwe.
.
.
""Whatmighthappenifwechangeditsshape""Howcouldweadaptittomakeitmovefaster""Howcanwemakeitsmaller,lighter,etc.
"Haveoneteammemberserveassecretaryofthesessionandrecordallideasandusefulcomments.
Teammembersshouldtaketurnsintheseroles.
RestatementoftheproblemHowaproblemisstatedofteninfluenceshowaproblemissolved.
Essentially,therearetwotypesofproblems:analyticanddivergent.
Ananalyticproblemisconvergentinnature;thatis,ithasasinglecorrectanswer.
Divergentproblemsallowformanypossiblesolutions.
Manyproblemscanbestatedinawaytoeitherencourageordiscouragecreativeresponses.
Acommontraitamongcreativeindividualsistheirabilitytoredefineaproblemwithoutchangingitsobjective.
Forexample,considertheproblem,"Designanewtoothbrush.
"TomostpeopleanobvioussolutionwouldbeanadaptationPage|13ofautensilwithahandleandfibersatoneend.
Ifyourestatetheproblemto"findabetterwaytocleanteeth,"themorecreativeindividualswouldgobeyondthepreconceivedideaofthetypicaltoothbrush.
Abrainstormingsessioncouldhelpincomingupwithmanydifferentsolutions.
Coachesshouldtrainteammemberstoredefinetheproblemspresentedtothemandstimulateandnurturethisthinkingapproach.
Becareful,however,whenrestatingproblemsandmakesuretheobjectiveisnotchangedorreinterpreted.
Forexample,ifyouaskateamto"Designabaseballglove,"animage,conceptorsolutionthatwillmostoftencometomindisatypicalfielder'sglove,catcher'smitt,ortwoorthreefingeredglovewithalargeweb.
Theproblemcouldberestatedas,"Thinkofdifferentwaystocatchabaseball,"whichencouragescreativityandallowsforanarrayofusablesolutions.
However,statingtheproblemas,"Designanewglove,"willresultinsolutionsthatdonotservetheintendedpurposeofcatchingabaseball.
FunctionalfixednessFunctionalfixednessisamindset,orthetendencytoperceiveanobjectasbeingabletocarryoutonlythefunctionforwhichitwasdesigned.
Thetendencytoapplyonlyonefunctiontoanobjectlimitsthenumberofpossibleresourcesanindividualcanusewhenfacedwithcertaintasks.
Althoughnotdesignedforthesefunctions,atoothbrushcanbeusedtocleangolfclubs,acoincanbeascrewdriver,anoldsockcanbearag,orarubberbandcanbeusedasahairband.
Similartoredefiningaproblem,redefininganitem'sfunctionallowsindividualstogobeyondpreconceivednotions.
Role-playingHavingstudentsassumedifferentrolesorthepersonaeofothercharactersallowsthemtogo"outsideofthemselves.
"Ithelpstogetthemtolookatthingsfromdifferentpointsofviewandopenstheirmindstopossibilitiesotherthanwhattheyareusedto.
Havingteammembersactoutfictionalexperiencesinamake-believesettingwillhelpthemtothinkmoreimaginatively.
Itwillalsohelphonetheiractingskillsandgetthemtofeelmorecomfortableperforminginfrontofothers.
Youcansettheparametersforwhatthestudentswilldointheirassumedroles,oryoucanencouragethemtoimprovise.
Providefeedbackonhowtheycouldimprovetheirperformancetobemoreconvincing,humorous,dramatic,andsoon.
Page|14ChannelingcreativityIt'snotenoughtobecreativeforcreativity'ssake.
Creativeprocessesshouldbeproductive,too.
Onewayto"channel"ateammember'screativityistoposelimitationstotheproblem.
Thiswillstimulateideaswhilefocusingonthetaskathand.
Askingsomeonetoinvent"something"istoobroadandmaycauseanindividualtofeeloverwhelmed.
Ontheotherhand,askingsomeonetodesignaredride-ontoyfiretruckistoorestrictive.
Takingamiddlegroundandaskingsomeonetodesignapull-toyleavesagreatdealoflatitudeforcreativethinking.
Includinglimitationsforcost,sizeandsafetywillofferfurtherdirectionandhelptokeeptheideaspractical.
PuttingitalltogetherConsidertheproblem,"Designaboat.
"Thisstatementinhibitscreativitybecauseofpreconceivedideasofthecharacteristicsofacommonboat.
Toencouragecreativity,youcouldrestatetheproblemas,"Buildadevicetotransportonepersonacrossapond.
"Tofurtherencouragecreativity,imposecertainlimitations.
ThisproblemandthefollowinglimitationswerepresentedtostudentsatRowanUniversityinNewJerseyinthe1970's.
Belowisthesolutiondevelopedbyonegroupofstudents.
Thesolutionwasnotsuccessfulinthatitdidnotgettheindividualsacrossthepondwithoutgettingwet,butitcertainlywascreative.
Infact,itwastheinspirationfortheOdysseyoftheMindRanatraFuscaCreativityAward.
RanatraFuscaistheLatintermfor"waterstrider"and,inOdysseyoftheMind,issynonymouswithexceptionalcreativity.
Therulestothechallengewere:1.
Nogasolineenginesmaybeused.
2.
Thevalueofmaterialsusedmaynotexceed$5.
3.
Theprojectmustbecompletedwithinthreeweeks.
4.
Thedevicemustkeeptheindividualsafeanddry.
5.
Thedevicemustnavigateoveragivencourse.
Page|15ChapterIIAboutYourMembershipWewelcomeallstudentstoparticipateinOdysseyoftheMind.
However,toenterofficialOdysseyoftheMindcompetitions,teamsmustbecoveredunderacurrentmembershipandabidebycertainrulesandrequirements.
Allmembershiporganizationsmayenteroneteamperproblemperdivisionithousesintocompetition.
Thegradeoftheteammembersdeterminesthedivisioninwhichateamiseligibletocompete.
Forexample,consideraschoolofgradesK-6.
Generally,thiswouldbemadeupofDivisionIandIIstudents.
Thismembershipcouldenteratotaloftenteamsincompetition—fiveinDivisionIandfiveinDivisionII.
Ifamembershipwantstoentermoreteamsinthesameproblemanddivisionitmaypurchaseanadditionalmembershipatareducedrate.
Allteamsthatfallunderthesecondmembershipwouldbeconsidered"TeamB.
"Ifathirdmembershipispurchased,thoseteamswouldbeconsidered"TeamC,"andsoon.
Ifpurchasingadditionalmembershipsisnotfeasible,aschooldistrictmayholdanintramuralcompetitiontodeterminewhichteamswillparticipateinofficialcompetitions.
SchoolMembershipsInmostcircumstances,allteammemberscomefromthesameschool.
However,multi-schoolteams—thosemadeupofstudentsfromdifferentschools—arepermittedaslongasalltheschoolshaveacurrentmembership.
Iftheschoolscontainthesamedivision,multi-schoolteamsmaychoosewhichschoolnametheywishtouseforregistering;otherwise,teamsmustcompeteundertheschoolnamethathousesthedivisionthattheyarecompetingin.
Multi-schoolteamsmayonlycompeteatoneregionaltournament,evenifmultipleschoolsmaybelocatedinmorethanoneregion.
Furthermore,eachteamisallowedonestudentthatattendsadifferentschoolwithoutamembership,butwhoresidesinthesamegeneralarea.
However,theteammembersmustagreeandmusthavepermissionfromprincipalsfrombothschoolsinvolved.
Ifateammembertransferstoanotherschool,he/shemayremainontheteamuntiltheendofthecompetitionyear,providedbothschooladministrationsapprove.
CommunityGroupsEstablishedcommunitygroupssuchasRotary,churchgroups,libraries,etc.
maypurchaseamembershipunderthegroup'sname.
AcommunitygroupmaynotbeorganizedforthesolepurposeofcompetinginOdysseyoftheMind,thatis,itmusthaveanestablishedmissionotherthanparticipatingintheprogram.
Ifthecommunitygroupcontributesmoneytoaschooltosponsorateamortoenablestudentstoparticipate,themembershipwouldbeintheschool'sname.
Page|16Home-SchooledStudentsHome-schooledstudentscanpurchasemembershipsunderahomeschoolname.
Eachhome-schooledteammustincludeaminimumoffourhomeschooledstudents.
Eachteammayalsoincludeuptothreestudentsfromotherschoolsthatwouldnothavetopurchaseanadditionalmembership.
Ifschooladministratorspermitit,homeschooledstudentsmaycompeteonaschoolteamsponsoredbythepublicschoolthattheywouldnormallyattendiftheywerenothomeschooled.
AgeDivisionsTeamsareformedbydivisionandcompeteagainstteamsinthesamedivisionandproblem.
GradeleveldeterminesthedivisionforteamsintheU.
S.
andincountrieswithaneducationalstructurethatcorrespondstotheU.
S.
ExceptforDivisionIV,teamsfromcountrieswithadifferentgradesystem("OtherInternational")andU.
S.
studentswhoarenotassignedagradewillhavetheirdivisiondeterminedbytheagesoftheteammembers.
Incompetition,eachmembershipmayenteroneteamperproblemforeachdivisionitcovers.
Theteammustcompeteinthelowestdivisionforwhichitqualifies.
Forexample,ifateamqualifiesforDivisionIIitcannotcompeteinDivisionIII.
Theteammemberinthehighestgrade(U.
S.
)ortheoldest(OtherInternational)determinestheteam'sdivisionasfollows:Primary–Non-competitivebutmayshowcaseatatournamentforfeedback.
GradesK-2(U.
S.
).
Lessthan8yearsofageonMay1,2021.
DivisionI–GradesK-5(U.
S.
):Lessthan12yearsofageonMay1,2021(OtherInternational).
DivisionII–Grades6-8(U.
S.
):Lessthan15yearsofageonMay1,2021(OtherInternational).
DivisionIII–Grades9-12(U.
S.
):OldestteammemberdoesnotqualifyforDivisionsIorIIandisattendingregularschool—notacollegeoruniversityoranythingsimilar(OtherInternational).
DivisionIV–CollegiateforALLTEAMS.
Allteamsmusthaveamajorityofmemberswhoarehighschoolgraduatesandregisteredforatleastoneclassatacollege,university,accreditedtechnicalschool,ormemberofthemilitary.
Teammembersdonothavetoattendthesameinstitution.
VirtualDivisionIV—anygroupofindividualsthatdon'tqualifyforDivisionsI–III.
Thereisadivisionfinderatwww.
odysseyofthemind.
com/division_calculator.
phptousetodeterminethedivisionof"OtherInternational"teamsforDivisionsI,IIandIII.
Nospecialexceptionswillbegrantedtoallowateamtochangeitsdivision.
*NOTE:Ingeneral,theUSAstandardisthatchildrenbeginschoolinkindergartenat5yearsold.
Thereare12subsequentgrades(1-12)beforegraduatingfromhighschool.
Studentsareusually18yearsoldwhentheygraduatefromhighschool.
Agescandifferbasedonindividualschoolretentionandpromotionpolicies.
Page|17TeamMemberParticipationUptosevenmembersmayparticipateonanyOdysseyoftheMindteamfromPrimarythroughDivisionIV.
Thereisnominimumnumberofteammembersrequiredbutwerecommendeachteamhasatleastfive,preferablysixorseven.
Incompetition,seventeammembersmayparticipateinthepresentationofthelong-termsolutionandinspontaneous.
Bepreparedtogotocompetitionwithoneortwoteammembersmissingincaseofillnessorotherunexpectedabsence.
Teammembersshouldpracticesharingrolesandcoveringforeachotherandallshouldbepreparedforeverytypeofspontaneousproblem.
Teammembersmaynotberemovedfromtherosterforanyreasonevenifateammemberdecidestonolongerparticipate.
Onceateammemberhascontributedtotheproblemsolution,inanywayandtoanydegree,theyarepartofthatteameveniftheydon'tparticipateatacompetition.
Ateamwithlessthansevenmembersonitsrostermayaddtotheroster,atanytimeandwithoutpenalty,untilitreachesafullcomplementofseven.
(SeesectiontitledSpecialSituationsforGoingtoCompetition.
)Iftherearesevenmembersontherosterandtheteamneedstoaddtoitsrosterforanyreason,itmustindicateithasmorethansevenontheteamonitsOutsideAssistanceFormandwillreceiveapenalty.
Thejudgesatthecompetitionwillconsiderthecircumstanceswhendeterminingapenaltythatisproportionatetotheviolation.
Forinstance,ateamwithalateadditionduetoillnesswouldhavethecontributionsofthenewteammemberconsidered,whereasateamthathadamemberdropintheearlystageswillhavethatperson'scontributionsconsidered.
Thelevelofpenaltywillvarybutwillbelessseverethaniftheteamdoesnotindicatethisonitsform.
MembershipIdentificationCCIsendseachmemberanemailconfirmationthatindicatesitsmembershipnumber.
Thismembershipnumberishowtheteamisrecognizedduringtournaments.
LogintotheMember'sAreaonwww.
odysseyofthemind.
comwithittoseeandprintyourmembershipstatus.
Teamsmustshowitwhenregisteringforofficialcompetition.
Theprintoutshowsthemembershipnumberandnameoftheschoolorgroupthattheteamrepresents.
AlthoughCCIsometimesabbreviatesamember'sname,itstillisrecognizableasitsfullname.
Forexample,WaldenHighSchoolmaybeabbreviatedtoreadWaldenHSorWaldenHighSch,butneverWHS.
(See"IncorrectorMissingMembershipSign"underPenaltyCategoriesinthisguideformoreinformation.
)Page|18Whenaschool/organizationpurchasesadditionalmemberships,CCIassignseachnewmembershipitsownmembershipnumber.
Thenewmembershipswillbeunderthesamenamebuttheiridentificationwillsay"TeamB,""TeamC,"andsoon.
YouwillbeabletoprintthisnewnumberintheMemberAreawiththe"TeamA"todistinguishitfromthesubsequentmemberships.
Forexample,WaldenHSwouldthenbecomeWaldenHSTeamA.
Thisbecomestheofficialmembershipidentificationforthatteam.
Ifyourteam'snameisincorrectinyourrecordonline,youmustnotifyCCIandprovidethecorrectedinformation,andCCIwillupdateit.
Namecorrectionswillnotbemadeonceateamenterscompetition.
Sinceeachteamusuallyregistersseparatelyattournaments,andtheymayarriveatdifferenttimes,eachteamwithinthemembershipshouldprintacopyofitsmembershipidentificationfromtheMemberAreaanduseittoregisterfortournaments.
Allmembershipsmustbepaidinfullinordertocompeteinregionalorstatetournaments.
Apurchaseorderisnotconsideredpayment.
If,after30days,yourstatusremainsunpaid,pleasecheckwiththebusinessofficeofyourmembershiporganizationtobesurepaymentwassent.
TemporaryMembershipRulesfor2020-2021MembersmaysubscribetoboththeTraditionalplatformandtheVirtualplatform.
TraditionalMemberships(ThesearespecificforTraditionalMembershipteamsthisyear.
)Mayenteroneteamperproblemanddivisionasqualified.
IndividualteamsmaychoosetocompeteinthetraditionalplatformoraVirtualPlatform.
Intheeventanon-sitetournamentisnotavailable,aVirtualCompetitionforTraditionalTeamswillbeprovided.
Theseteamscanadvancetoanin-personeventwhensafeandlegal.
Canenteroneteamperproblem,perdivisioncoveredbytheschoolorcommunitygroupinatournament.
TraditionalMembershipscanhaveamixofvirtualandin-personteams.
CannotentertwoteamsinthesameProblemandDivisionevenifoneisTraditionalandoneisVirtual.
VirtualMemberships(ThesearespecificdifferencesforVirtualMembershipteams.
)TeammembersdoNOThavetoattendthesameschool.
Everyteammemberneedstobeastudent,butteamsmaybemixedamonganyarea.
Canalsobeaschoolorcommunitygroup.
Coachesmaybeanyadultselectedbytheteam.
Canenteroneteamincompetition.
TheteamwillselecttheproblemandthedivisionwillbePage|19assignedasusualusingthegradelevelsoftheteammembers(birthdaysforinternational).
WillbegiveninstructionsonhowtocompeteintheirVirtualTournamentnolaterthanwhenthatTournamentRegistrationbegins.
Allteammembersparticipateinthespontaneouscompetition.
PlatformTransfersTeamsmayswitchplatformsatanytimepriortoitsfirstcompetition.
Itmaydosomorethanonce.
However,therearenorefundsordiscountsformakingtheswitch.
TherewillbetwoWorldFinalsin2021.
OnewillbeVirtualandtheotherisaplannedTraditionaleventprovideditissafeandlegaltogather.
Ifthatisnotthecase,therewillbeaseparatevirtualeventforTraditionalteams.
Page|20ChapterIIIOdysseyoftheMindProblemsCreativeproblemsolvingisthebasisforallOdysseyoftheMindproblems.
Incompetition,teamsarescoredinthreeareas:thelong-termproblemsolution,theStylecomponentofthelong-termproblemsolution,andhowwelltheysolvethespontaneousproblemgivenonthedayofcompetition.
Long-TermCompetitiveProblemsEachyearOdysseyoftheMindprovidesfivecompetitivelong-termproblems,whosesubjectmattervariesfromthetechnicaltotheartistictotheclassical.
Teamschoosetheproblemtheywishtosolveandcreateasolutiontopresentincompetitionagainstotherteamsinthesamegraderange.
Long-termproblemsrequireteamstobeginpreparingtheirsolutionsweeksormonthsbeforecompetition.
Eachproblemincludesoneormoreobjectives,asetoflimitationsandrequirements,andspecificscoringcategories.
Theproblemsofferedaredifferenteachyear,andtherequirementsandlimitationschange,butthetypesofproblemsareasfollows:Problem1:Vehicle–Teamsdesign,buildandoperateoneormorevehicles.
Sometimesthey'resmall,othertimesthey'rebigenoughtorideonandtransportotheritems.
Generally,thevehiclesarescoredontheirpropulsionsystem,andfortravelingandcompletingdifferenttasks.
Problem2:Technical/Performance–Teamsarescoredforperformanceelementsaswellasforsometypeoftechnicalachievement.
Usually,thisproblemrequirestheteamtocreateoneormoredevicesthatperformcertainfunctionsortasks.
Problem3:Classics–Thisisaperformanceproblembasedonsomething"classical.
"Itcouldinvolvemythology,art,music,archaeology,oranythingelsethatisclassicalinnature.
Problem4:Structure–Teamsdesignandbuildastructureoutofonlybalsawoodandglue.
TheytestthestructurebyaddingOlympic-sizeweightsuntilitbreaks.
Eachyearthereisanelementoftheproblemthatsetsitapartfromotheryears.
Forexample,havingthestructureenduretheimpactofaballpropelleddownaramp.
Problem5:Performance–Thisisstrictlyaperformanceproblem,wherescoringisbasedmostlyontheperformanceandelementswithintheperformance.
Itsometimesrequiresaspecificcharacter,sometimeshumor,sometimesanoriginalstory,butit'salwaysfun!
Page|21Long-TermScoringTheteamearningthehighestscoreforeachlong-termproblemanddivisioninacompetitionisawarded200pointsunlesstheproblemstatesotherwise.
Everyotherteamreceivesapercentageof200basedonitsrawscoreinrelationtothehighestrawscore.
Anypenaltypointsaredeductedafterscoresarecalculated.
Noteamwillreceiveascorebelowzeroforitslong-termscore.
Therearetwotypesofscoringcategoriesforthelong-termproblems:1.
Subjectivescoringcategoriesaregenerallybasedoncreativity,quality,effectiveness,humor,andotherareasthatarequalitativeandanopinionofthejudge.
Thesearescoredonaslidingscale,suchas1to15points.
Anexampleofasubjectivescoringcategoryis,"Creativityofthevehicle'sappearance,"andeachproblemjudgewouldrateitsomewherewithinthestatedpointrange,dependingonhowcreativetheyfeelthelookofthevehicletobe.
2.
Objectivescoringcategoriesarebasedonwhetherornottheteamcompletescertainrequirementsoftheproblem.
Thesescoresareabsolute,suchas0or5points.
Anexampleofobjectivescoringis,"ThevehiclecrossestheFinishLine.
"Theteamwouldreceivezeroscorefornotcrossingthelineand5pointsforcrossingtheline.
Eachproblemlistsitsownsetofscoringcategories.
Generally,ifateamdoesnotcompleteoneofthescoringcategories,itreceivesazeroscoreforthatcategory.
Otherscoringcategoriesthatdependonthefirstonetooccurwillstillbeeligibleforscore.
Forexample,aproblemrequiresascenesetinaspecifictimeperiodthatincludesapoem.
Ifthetimeperiodforthesceneiswrongthescenegetszeroscoreforthatcategory,butthepoemisstilleligibleforfullscore.
Also,ifaproblemhasrequiredscoringelements,suchasanoriginalpoem,theteamcanincludeseveraloriginalpoemsinitsperformancebutmustdesignateonetobescored,andonlythatpoemwillbescoredforthatcategory.
ElementsinthesolutionthatdonotfallwithinascoringcategorywillnotreceivescoreunlesstheteamlistsitasaStylefreechoice.
Long-TermStyleStyleisanaddedelementthatenhancesthepresentationofthesolution.
TheStyleportionofthecompetitiongivesteamsanopportunitytofurthershowcasetheirtalentsandcreativeskillsandtoelaborateontheirlong-termproblemsolution.
EachproblemhasitsownrequiredStyleelements,aswellasFreeChoiceStylecategoriesthataredeterminedbytheteam.
Theseprovideincentiveforcreativityindifferentareasbecauseteamscanchoosetheelementstheywanttoincludeandhavescored.
Stylescoreisinadditiontothelong-termproblemscore.
Page|22ScoringStyleEachlong-termproblemlistsfiveStylecategories.
Categoriesonethroughfourareeitherspecificscoringelementsor"Freechoiceofteam.
"Thefifthcategoryisalways"OveralleffectofthefourStyleelementsintheperformance.
"AllStylecategoriesarescoredsubjectively,andeachisworth1to10points,foramaximumof50points.
TheteamawardedthemostStylepointsreceivesascoreof50;everyotherteamreceivesapercentageof50basedonitsrawStylescore.
ToreceivescoreforStyle,theteamshouldcompleteaStyleForm(seeAppendix)andpresentfourcopiestotheStagingAreaJudge.
Theteammustlistthefirstfourareastobescoredandexplainhowtheyrelatetothelong-termproblemsolutionandhowtheycontributetotheoveralleffectoftheperformance.
TeamsmustbespecificwhenexplainingtheirStylecategories.
Intechnicalproblems,ateammaypresentitsStyleelementsevenifthetechnicalcomponentsofitssolutionarenotsuccessful.
AskitorperformanceisnotnecessarytoreceivescoreforStyle.
DefiningStyleCategories1.
MandatoryStylecategories:UsuallyeachproblemwillincludeoneortwomandatoryStylecategories.
Thesearecategoriesthatarescoredineveryteam'ssolutionforthatproblem.
However,adifferentelement,oradifferentaspectofthatelement,maybescoredfromteamtoteam.
Forexample,ifaspecificStylecategoryis"Costumeofoneteammember,"it'suptotheteamtodecidewhichcostumeandwhichaspectsofthatcostumearetobescored.
Oneteammaywantaclown'scostumescoredandanothermaywantacowboycostumetobescored.
Additionally,thefirstteammaychoosetohavetheoverallappearanceoftheclown'scostumescored,whiletheotherteammaywantonlyoneaspectofthecowboy'scostumescored,suchasahat.
Ifateamwantsaspecificelementofacostumescored,itmuststateonitsStyleFormexactlywhatthatelementisandidentifytheteammemberwearingthecostume.
Gettingbacktothecowboycostume,thisteammightlistonitsform"Appearanceofthecowboy'shat,"or,itcouldchooseotheraspectsandlistthem,forexample,"Constructionmethodofcowboy'scostume,"or"Materialsusedforcowboy'scostume.
"Inanycase,theteamwouldprovideenoughinformationontheform,sojudgesknowpreciselywhichpartofthecowboy'scostumeistobescored.
Iftheteamlists"Thecowboy'scostume,"thejudgeswillconsidereverythingaboutthecostume.
Page|232.
Freechoiceofteam:Forthesecategories,teamscannotselectanythingthatisalreadybeingscored;however,theycanlistadifferentaspectofsomethingalreadybeingscored.
Forexample,avehiclescoredforhowwellitfunctionsmaybeselectedtobescoredforitsappearanceandamandatorycharacterscoredforitsperformancemaybescoredforsomethingelse.
Freechoicecategoriesshouldbewhattheteamfeelstobethemostcreativeaspectsofitsproblemsolution.
TheteammustbecarefultolistonitsStyleFormexactlywhatitwantsscored.
Followingaresomewaystolistcategories,usingaclownasanexample:Iftheteamwouldliketheclown'soverallappearancetobescored—costume,makeup,hairstyle,etc.
—itshouldstate"Appearanceoftheclown.
"Ifateamwouldlikeaspecificaspectoftheclownscored,itmightlistonitsStyleForm,"Appearanceoftheclown'scostume,"or"Appearanceoftheclown'smakeup.
"Iftheteamuseditemsinauniquewaytomaketheclown'scostumeandwouldlikethisscored,itshouldstate"Materialsandtechniqueusedtomaketheclown'scostume.
"Iftheteamstates"Theclown,"thejudgeswillconsiderallaspectsoftheclown,includingitsperformance,whichcouldresultinalowerscorethanhavingspecificelementsscored.
Somecommon"Freechoiceofteam"categoriesincludespecialeffects,artwork,costumes,music,dance,poems,ortheintegrationofaspecificdramaticorhumorouselement.
AnythingmaybeselectedbytheteamforfreechoiceStylecategoriesincludingdrawings,amodelofthesolution,theunveilingofamodelofthesolution,costumes,orotherspecialenhancementsofthesolutionitself.
Teamscanchoosetobejudgedonthecreativityofaspecificelementintheproblem,eventhoughtheyarejudgedforoverallcreativityoftheperformance.
Forexample,ifateamreadsapoemduringitsperformance,anditisnotspecificallyscoredforcreativity,itmayselectcreativityofthepoemasafreechoicestylecategory.
3.
OveralleffectofthefourStyleelementsintheperformance:Forthiscategory,theteamisscoredonhowwellalloftheStyleelementscometogethertoenhancethepresentationofthelong-termsolution.
Page|24RequestingLong-TermProblemClarificationsLong-termproblemsarewrittentoprovidejustenoughguidancetosolvetheproblemwithoutlimitingcreativity.
Ifateamquestionstheinterpretationofalimitationorisnotsureifanaspectofitssolutionisallowedormeetstheproblem'srequirements,itmayrequestaclarification.
Anyonerequestingaclarificationmustcitetheruleinquestion.
AbuseoftheclarificationsystemmayresultinanUnsportsmanlikeConductpenalty.
ReadandrereadtheproblemandthisProgramGuidecompletelybeforesubmittingaclarificationrequest.
IftheinformationisclearlypresentedintheproblemorProgramGuideyouwillbeinstructedtoreadthemagain.
Therearethreecategoriesofproblemclarifications:1.
Generalclarificationsamendorfurtherexplainaproblem'slimitationswithoutrevealinginformationaboutateam'ssolution.
Allgeneralclarificationsarepostedonwww.
odysseyofthemind.
com/clarifications.
Whenteamsquestionaproblemlimitation,beforerequestingaclarification,theyshouldfirstcheckonlinetoseeiftheirconcernhasalreadybeenaddressed.
Clarificationstakeprecedenceoverlimitationslistedintheproblemandtherulesinthisguide,soit'simportantthatteamskeepcurrentonallgeneralclarificationsissuedthroughouttheyear.
2.
Team-specificclarificationspertaintoanindividualteam'ssolution.
Theseareconfidentialandarenotpublishedsinceteamsmustdescribedetailsoftheirsolutiontoreceiveanaccuratereply.
Insomecases,theanswertoateam-specificclarificationmaybedistributedtojudges;however,theyarenevermadeavailabletootherteamsunlesstheansweris"no"andotherteamswillbenefitbyknowingthatspecificactionisnotallowed.
Ifateamreceivesaclarificationallowinganelementbuttheperformancedoesnotmatchwhatwasapproved,thejudgeswilldisregardtheclarification.
Besuretherequestisspecifictoapartofthesolution.
TeamscanrequestaclarificationusingtheclarificationsystemintheMembersAreaathttps://www.
odysseyofthemind.
com.
Youcanviewallgeneralclarificationsathttps://www.
odysseyofthemind.
com/clarifications/.
AllclarificationsareansweredbyCCIwithinsevendaysofreceipt.
CopiesofallclarificationsaresenttotheInternationalProblemCaptainforthelong-termprobleminquestionandtheAssociationDirectorfortheassociationfromwhichthequestioncame.
Page|253.
JudgesclarificationsarelimitedtoOdysseyoftheMindassociationrepresentativesandmaybesubmittedatanytime.
Ifateamreceivesaclarification,itisimportantthatitpresentstheprintoutoftheemailtojudgesatcompetitiontoavoidscoringdiscrepancies.
OnlyclarificationsissuedbyCCIareofficial.
Nooneelseisauthorizedtoissueproblemclarifications.
Donotsubmitquestionsaboutaspecificcompetitionsite,forexample,floortype,scheduling,andsoon.
YoumustcontactyourTournamentDirectorforthisinformation.
February15isthecutoffforsubmittingteamclarifications.
Sincetheproblemsareneweveryyearandteamsareusingtheircreativity,eventsatthefirstlevelofcompetitionmayrequireclarification.
Thisistoensureallteamsareworkingwithinthesamegeneralparameters.
Therefore,eventhoughclarificationsthatareemailedafterFebruary15oftheprogramyearwillnotbeanswered,newclarificationsmightbepostedbeyondthatdate.
Pleasecheckfornewclarificationsbeforeeachlevelofcompetition.
ProblemClarificationswillbethesamefortraditionalteamsandvirtualteams.
Thereisanadditionalcategorywhichisvideosubmission.
Thisisonlyfortheprocessforteamssubmittingasolutioninavirtualcompetition.
ThePrimaryProblemEachmemberreceivesanoncompetitiveprimaryproblem,whoseintentistointroduceyoungerchildrentothecreativeproblem-solvingprocess.
TopreparestudentsforOdysseyoftheMindcompetitions,theformatoftheprimaryproblemisverysimilartothatofthecompetitivelong-termproblems—completewithexamplesofscoringandStylecategories.
Althoughthereisnocompetitionattheprimarylevel,teamsmaybeinvitedtodisplaytheirsolutionsatanofficialtournament.
ThisisadecisionoftheindividualTournamentDirector.
SchoolsmustpurchaseamembershiptohaveaccesstothePrimaryProblem,butthereisnolimittothenumberofteamsthatcanparticipate.
SpontaneousProblemsIncompetition,everyteamsolvesaspontaneousproblem.
Thispartofthecompetitioniscalled"Spontaneous"becauseteamsdon'tknowwhatthey'llhavetodountiltheyenterthecompetitionroom.
Solvingspontaneousproblemsteachesstudentsto"thinkontheirfeet.
"Page|26Spontaneousproblemsare"topsecret.
"Teamsparticipatinginthesamelong-termproblemanddivisionwillsolvethesamespontaneousproblem,so,toensurefairness,itiscriticalthatnoonediscussestheproblemoutsideoftheroomuntilallteamshavecompeted.
Eventhen,youmayonlydiscussitwithinyourgroupuntilOotMcompetitionsthroughouttheworldarecomplete.
Lettingotherteamsknowtheproblemtheymayreceivecouldgivethemanadvantageinatournament.
Anyonewhorevealsaspontaneousproblemtoothersissubjecttodisqualificationand/ordisciplinaryactiontakenagainsttheentireteam.
Thenatureofthespontaneousproblemsvaries,witheachhavingitsownsetofspecificrulesthatarereadtotheteaminthecompetitionroom.
Teamswillhavetosolveonlyonetypeofspontaneousprobleminacompetition.
Teamsthatcompeteinatechnicallong-termproblemmayhavetosolveaverbalspontaneousproblemandviceversa.
Toprepare,teamsshouldpracticeforthethreecommontypesofspontaneousproblemsaslistedbelow.
However,theyshouldalsobepreparedfortheunexpected.
(SeeAppendixforsamplespontaneousproblems.
)Verbalspontaneousproblemsrequireverbalresponses.
Theymayincorporateimprovisationordramatization.
Teamsarescoredforcommonandcreativeresponses.
Hands-onspontaneousproblemsrequireteamstophysicallycreateatangiblesolution.
Eachhands-onproblemhasitsownspecificscoringcategories.
Verbal/hands-oncombinationspontaneousproblemsrequireteamstocreateatangiblesolutionandincludesometypeofverbalcomponent,forexample,creatingastoryaboutthesolution.
Teamsarescoredforboththetangiblesolutionandtheverbalpresentation.
Allseventeammembersareallowedtoparticipateinthespontaneousportionofthecompetition.
Everyteamshouldpracticeverbalskillsaswellashands-on.
ScoringSpontaneousIncompetition,thespontaneousproblemisworthupto100points.
Theteamwiththehighestrawscoreineachproblemreceives100;everyotherteamreceivesapercentageof100basedonitsrawscore.
Spontaneousscoresarethedecisionofthejudgesintheroom.
Inverbalspontaneousproblems,creativeresponsesarescoredhigherthancommonresponses.
However,ifacreativeresponseisslightlymodifiedbyanotherteammember,itwillbescoredasPage|27common.
Forexample:Thejudgereadstheproblemtotheteam:"Namedifferentkindsoftrees.
"Responsesinclude"Familytree"then"Myfamilytree.
"Thejudgewillgive"Myfamilytree"thelowestpossiblescorebecauseitissosimilarto"Familytree.
"Allotherresponsesinvolvingfamilytreesarescoredascommon.
Similarly,iftheresponseisinappropriatetotheproblemthejudgewillscoreitascommon.
Theonlytimeateamwillbeinterruptedoraskedtorepeatsomethingduringresponsetimeisifajudgecannotheararesponse.
Inhands-on,teammembersarescoredforsolvingtheproblemand,oftentimes,forhowwelltheyworktogetherandthecreativityoftheirsolution.
Verbal/hands-onproblemsusuallyrequiresometypeofverbalresponses,combinedwithanapplicationortechnicalcomponent.
PracticingSpontaneousCoachesshoulddedicatepartofeveryteammeetingtopracticingthedifferenttypesofspontaneousproblems.
ThereisanexampleofeachtypeofspontaneousproblemintheAppendixtothisguide,andbookscontainingpracticeproblemsareavailablefromCCI.
Followingaretipstopracticingspontaneous:Teachteammemberstolisten.
Theyshouldnot"thinkahead"andpresumewhattheproblemrequires;theyshouldlistencarefullyuntilthejudgefinishesreadingtheentireproblem.
Brainstormverbalresponses.
Askthestudentswhatmadethemrespondthewaytheydid,thendevelopthatskillfurther.
Improvisenontraditionalusesforvariousitems.
Familiarizeteammemberswithvariousmaterialsandtheiruses.
Practicebuildingstructuresoutofcommonmaterialssuchastoothpicks,papercups,andjustaboutanythingelseyoucanthinkof.
Page|28ChapterIVGoingtoCompetitionInmostsituations,teamsfirstcompeteattheregionallevel.
ThosewhoplaceatthisleveladvancetoAssociationFinalsatthestate/province/countrylevel,accordingtoqualificationcriteriasetbytheindividualassociation.
TeamsthatplacehereareeligibletocompeteintheannualOdysseyoftheMindWorldFinals.
In2021,WorldFinalswillbeheldatMichiganStateUniversity,fromMay26-29.
VirtualWorldFinalswillbeheldinJune,datetobedetermined.
TeamsinareasthatdonotprovideofficialcompetitionsbeforeWorldFinalsmayapplytogodirectlytoWorldFinalsandareapprovedonafirst-come,first-servedbasis.
TheseteamsmustapplytoCCIbyApril1oftheprogramyeartobeeligible.
Theymayalsobeallowedtoparticipateinaneighboringstate'sofficialcompetitions,withchampionsbeingselectedfromeachstaterepresented.
Iftheteamwishestodothis,theymustcontacttheAssociationDirectoroftheneighboringstatetolearnthedetails.
ContactyourTournamentDirectorforspecificsregardingthecompetition.
Inmostcasesyouwillbeemailedthisinformationafteryouregisterorqualify.
OnCompetitionDayforTraditionalTournamentsTeamsmayberequiredtoregisteratacentrallocationuponarrival.
TheyaregivenascheduledtimetocompeteinLong-TermandinSpontaneous.
Sometimestheseareondifferentdays,butoftenthey'reonthesamedaywithsufficienttimeinbetween.
Teamsshouldreporttotheareafortheirproblemanddivision15minutesbeforetheyarescheduledtocompete.
AjudgewillthendirectthemtowaitintheCheck-InArea.
AnyonemayhelptheteammovepropsthereandtotheStagingArea.
Whenthecompetitionhasendedothersmayhelptheteamremoveitemsandclearthesite.
Parentsandothersshouldrememberthatiftheycarryanitemfortheteamanditbreaks,onlytheteammayrepairtheitem.
Teamsarewelcometolookatthecompetitionsitebeforethisbutarenotallowedtorehearseonsiteoncompetitionday.
EitherintheCheck-InAreaortheStagingArea,dependingonthecompetitionsite,ajudgecollectstheteam'spaperwork,andchecksforfootwearandotherrequirementsoftheproblem.
TheteamremainsherewithallitspropsandmaterialsuntiltheTimekeepergivesthesignaltobegin.
Page|29ChecklistforCompetinginLong-TermIncompetition,eachteammustprovidethefollowingitemsforitslong-termsolutionalongwithanyformsrequiredbythelocalcompetition'sTournamentDirector.
TheteammembersmustfilloutalloftheirformsontheirownwiththeexceptionofDivisionI,wherethecoachmaywritefortheteambuttheteammembersmustdictatewhatistobewritten.
Teamsshouldkeepanextracopyofalltheirforms.
Mostofthefollowingitemswillbeexaminedand/orcollectedbytheStagingAreaJudge:FourcompletedcopiesoftheStyleForm.
FourcompletedcopiesoftheTeamListForm(ifrequiredintheproblem).
OnecompletedCostForm.
OnecompletedOutsideAssistanceForm.
Onemembershipsign.
Problemclarificationsspecifictotheteam'ssolution.
Allprops,costumes,etc.
necessarytocompletetheproblemsolution,exceptthoselistedintheproblemunder"TournamentDirectorWillProvide.
"Anyitemslistedintheproblemunder"TeamMustProvide.
"SpecialSituationsOnceateamsubmitsarosterforacompetition,itmaynotchangetherosterforthatcompetitionunlessfirstapprovedbytheTournamentDirector.
Anyteammembermaycompeteinmorethanoneproblem;however,ateammembermaynotentercompetitioninthesameproblemformorethanoneteam.
Specialrequestswillbeaccommodatedinextenuatingcircumstances.
IfateamhasaspecialrequestitmustsubmititinwritingatthetimeofregisteringforatournamentandcheckwiththeTournamentDirectortwoweeksinadvanceofcompetitiontomakesuretherequestwillbehonored.
Somereasonstosubmitaspecialrequestare:Whenateammemberiscompetinginmorethanoneproblem.
Ifanyofthemembersdonotunderstandandspeakthelanguageusedincompetition.
Iftheteamincludesamemberwhoisdisabled.
Theteammustprovidethenatureofthedisabilityandtheareas(Long-Termand/orSpontaneous)inwhichtheteammembermaybePage|30participating.
Forsomespontaneousproblems,adisability,suchascolorblindnessorareadingorlearningdisability,mayaffecttheteam'sperformance.
Foodallergiesandothermedicalconcernsthatrequirespecialattention.
Ifateamcanabsolutelynotcompeteatacertaintimeofthedayduringthetournament.
TraditionalCompetitionScoringTheteamthatearnsthehighestrawscoreinitsdivisionandlong-termproblemisawardedthemaximumscore.
Allotherteamsreceiveapercentagedscorebasedonthemaximumrawscore.
Thesamepercentage-basedscoringappliestothespontaneousproblemcompetitionandStyle.
Thetotalcombinedlong-term,Style,andspontaneouspercentagedscores(withpenaltiesdeducted)determinethewinnersineachproblemwithineachdivision.
Finalscoresarecarriedtotwodecimalplaces.
Tiesaredeclaredwhenateam'sscoreiswithinonepointofthehighestscoreinthatplace.
Example:finalscoresare294.
51,293.
57,293.
11.
Firstplaceis294.
51;however,293.
57isnotafullpointlessthan294.
51,sothisbecomesatieforfirstplace.
Thescore293.
11ismorethanonepointlessthanthehighestfirst-placescore(294.
51),soitisconsideredsecondplace.
GettingLong-TermScoresOncompetitionday,beforetheawardspresentation,judgeswilltellcoacheswhentheycanpickuptheteam'slong-termrawscores.
TeamswillhavetheopportunitytogetacopyofitsaveragedStylescores.
TheprocedureforpickingupscoreswillbedeterminedbytheTournamentDirector.
Coacheswillbeaskedtoinitialtheirteam'sscoresheettoverifythetimetheyreceivedit.
Oncecoachesreviewtheteam'slong-termrawscoreswiththejudge,theyhave30minutestoraiseanyquestions.
Allrawlong-termscoresbecomeofficial30minutesafterthereview,evenifacoachhasnottakentheopportunitytoreviewtheteam'slong-termscore.
Ifacoachisdeniedareview,theyshouldreporttotheproblemcaptain.
Onlylong-termrawscoresandaveragedStylescoresaregiventoteams;individuallong-term,styleandspontaneousrawscoresarenotprovidedtotheteams.
QuestionsAboutScoringShouldateamquestionascoringelement,itshoulddiscussitwiththeHeadJudgeand,ifPage|31necessary,theProblemCaptain.
Ifthequestioninvolvesaninterpretationoftherulesandiftheteamisnotsatisfiedwiththeexplanationgiven,theteammayaskthatatribunalbeconvened.
Atribunalusuallyconsistsofthreepersonswhohaveathoroughknowledgeoftheproblem'srules.
Thetribunalwillreviewtheruleinquestionand,ifnecessary,talkwiththecoach,teammembersand/orjudgesinvolved.
Oncethetribunalmakesadecision,itsdecisionisfinal.
Tribunalswillnotbeconvenedforquestionsregardingsubjectivescoresorquestionsinareassuchaswhethersomethingorsomeonewasacrossalineorwithinacertainarea.
Inshort,atribunalistobeconvenedonlywhenthequestionregardsaruleinfraction.
Issuesthatariseastowhetherornotsomethinghappenedordidnothappenduringateam'sperformancearenoteligibleforatribunal.
Innocasewillarecordingbeusedtomakeadecision.
Resultsareofficialoncethetournamenthasended.
Ifthereisanobjection,theconcernmustbesubmittedtothelocalRegionalorAssociationDirector.
Thatpersonmaypursuetheinquiryormakeafinalruling.
CCIwillworkwithteamsandassociationstohelpevaluatethesituation.
Remember,scoresinsubjectiveareaswillbedifferentfordifferentpeopleandatdifferenttournaments.
Gettingahigherscoreatonelevelofcompetitiondoesnotguaranteeitwillremainashighatthenextlevelofcompetition.
TheSpontaneousCompetitionAtitsassignedcompetitiontime,theentireteamentersthespontaneousroomandsolvestheproblem.
Attheteam'scompetitiontime,ajudgecallsallthemembersintoaroomandstatesthetypeofproblemtheteammustsolve.
Everyteamshouldfinditsbestformulaforcompetingineachtypeofspontaneousproblem,it'sagoodideatoprepareeveryteammemberfordifferentaspectsofsolvingeachtypeofproblem:hands-onskills,building,workingtogether,verbalskills,etc.
Inspontaneouscompetitions,theteamreceivestwocopiesoftheproblemtofollowasthejudgereadstheproblemaloud.
Theteammayrefertoitscopiesthroughoutthecompetition.
(See"SpecialSituations"regardingdisabilities.
)Inahands-onspontaneousproblem,teamsmaydesignateonemembertoreviewtherulesoftheproblemwhiletheremainingmembersworkonthesolution.
Thatpersonmakessuretheteamunderstandstheintentoftheproblemandissolvingitproperly.
Ifjudgesareawarethatateamobviouslydoesnotunderstandtheproblem'sintentorrules,theywillbringthistotheteam'sPage|32attentionandtellthemtoreadtheproblemcarefully.
Thejudgeswillhelptheteamunderstandtheproblembutwillnothelptheteamsolvetheproblem.
Herearesomeremindersthatwillhelpteamsincompetition:Listencarefullytothejudgereadingtheproblem,butalsorefertotheprovidedTeam'sCopiesoftentobesuretostaywithintheproblem'sintent.
Ifthereisanyuncertaintyaboutanaspectofaproblem,askthejudgesquestions.
Timewillnotbestopped,butamisunderstandingorwrongassumptioncanleadtoalowscore.
Therearemanypossibleskillsthatcouldbeappliedinhands-onproblems,includingbuilding,strategy,measuring,communication,etc.
Inverbalspontaneous,speakloudlyandclearly.
Someverbalproblemsallowforonlyalimitednumberofresponses.
Itisbesttotakethetimetothinkofsomethingcreativeandearnmorepointsforeachresponse,ratherthanrespondingquicklywithcommonresponses,scoringlowpointsandleavingtimeremaining.
Foralltypesofspontaneousproblems,theteamswhohavepracticedoftenandpracticedmanykindsofproblemswillgenerallybemorerelaxedandbetterpreparedtothinkcreativelyandconstructively.
CompetitionforVirtualTournamentsVirtualtournamentswillhavemanyofthesamerequirements,butdonevirtually—teamswilluploadfilesandsubmitlinksoftheirsolutionsandrequiredpaperwork.
Judgingthesolutionswilltakeplaceoveralongertimeperiod.
Rulesonhowtosubmitlongtermsolutionswillbeprovidedatalaterdate.
AwardsCreativeCompetitions,Inc.
encouragestheTournamentDirectorofeachcompetitiontopresenteveryparticipantwithacertificateofparticipationandtopresentawardstotop-placingteams,thatis,first,second,andthirdplace.
Theseawardsmaybetrophies,plaques,ribbons,medals,orspecialcertificates.
AtWorldFinals,first,second,andthirdplaceteammemberseachreceiveamedalandtheteamreceivesatrophy.
Page|33RanatraFuscaCreativityAwardTheRanatraFuscaCreativityAwardrepresentstheessenceoftheOdysseyoftheMind.
Itispresentedtoteamsorindividualswhoexhibitexceptionalcreativity,eitherthroughsomeaspectoftheirproblemsolution,oranextraordinaryideabeyondtheproblemsolution.
Asuccessfulproblemsolutionisnotacriterionforwinningtheaward;rather,theawardisawaytoacknowledgeandencouragecreativethinkingandrisk-taking.
RanatraFuscaisthetermforaclassificationofwaterinsect.
Althoughthismayseemaremoteassociationtocreativethinking,thenamehasaspecialmeaninginOdysseyoftheMind.
TheOdysseyoftheMindwasbornfromacollegeclasstaughtbyitsfounder,Dr.
SamMicklus,inwhichheassignedstudentstocreateaflotationdevicetotransportthemacrossapond.
Onestudentdesignedawaterstrider-likecontraption.
Thedevicedidnotsolvetheproblembecauseofitsinabilitytomaintainproperbalance;however,ifgiventhetimeandopportunityto"gobacktothedrawingboard,"thestudentwouldhavebeenabletocorrectthisandcrossthepond.
Eventhoughthedevicedidnotworkproperly,theideawasexceptionallycreative.
TeamsthatearnaRanatraFuscaCreativityAwardatthestate/province/countrylevelofcompetitionareeligibletoadvancetoWorldFinals.
IfanindividualisawardedaRanatraFusca,theentireteamadvances.
RanatraFuscawinnersattheWorldFinalslevelreceiveamedalandhavetheirteamnameengravedontheRanatraFuscatrophy.
Thishasbeenatraditionsince1981,andthetrophyisondisplayeachyearatWorldFinals.
OMER'sAwardOMER'sAwardisnamedfortheOdysseyoftheMindraccoonmascot,OMER,inrecognitionofindividualsorteamswhodemonstrateoutstandingsportsmanship,exemplarybehavior,orexceptionaltalent.
Recipientsofthisawardmaybecoaches,teammembers,parents,officials,oranyoneelsethattournamentofficialsordirectorsfeelexhibitthesetraits.
Thisawardisnotintendedtorewardcreativity.
AnyonemayinformatournamentofficialofapossibleOMER'sAwardcandidate.
Thatofficialwillthendetermineifthatpersonshouldbenominated.
Allnomineesarereviewedbyapanelthatdeterminesthefinalrecipients.
AtWorldFinals,eachOMER'sAwardrecipientreceivesamedal.
Page|34OdysseyoftheMindCreativityAwardEachyearOdysseyoftheMindrecognizesanindividualand/ororganizationforextraordinarycreativeachievementorexceptionalendeavors.
ThisawardispresentedduringtheWorldFinalsAwardsCeremony.
PastwinnersincludeTheLibraryofCongressforitsmissiontopreserveauniversalcollectionofknowledgeandcreativity;PeterYarrow'sOperationRespect,forits"Don'tLaughAtMe"program;BlueManGroup,forusinginnovativeandartistictechniquestoentertainothers;NationalAssociationforGiftedChildren,forsupportingtalentinchildren;rockbandOKGo!
foritsinnovativeapproachtomusicvideos,andTVpersonalityandartistBobPartingtonforinspiringstudentswithhisartthatcombinesSTEMskills,sculpture,andmore.
OdysseyoftheMindSpiritAwardEachyearOdysseyoftheMindrecognizesanindividualinvolvedintheprogramwho,throughpersonalaction,demonstratestheencouragementanddevelopmentofcooperation,self-respect,andtheappreciationandunderstandingofothers.
AttheOdysseyoftheMind2020WorldFinals,thisawardwaspresentedtoJeffCarter.
Page|35ChapterVProgramRulesFollowingarethegeneralrulesforofficialOdysseyoftheMindcompetitions.
Theseapplytoeveryproblemineverydivision.
Eachproblemhasitsownspecificsetofrules(limitations)thattheteammustfollowaswell.
Problemlimitationssupersedetherulesinthisguide;however,problemclarificationssupersedebothofthese.
Inadditiontotheruleslistedbelow,teamsmustcomplywithlocal,state/provincial,andfederalregulations,includingregulationsforspecificfacilities.
Ifyouhaveaconcern,contactthepersonqualifiedtoprovidetheinformationyouneed.
AdditionaloralternativerulesforVirtual/Onlinetournamentswillbeprovidedbeforetournamentregistration.
RulesThatApplytoAllProblems(1)Ateammustbeaffiliatedwithacurrentmembertocompeteinatournament.
(2)Ateammustpresentalong-termproblemsolutiontoreceivescoreforLong-TermandStyleatacompetition.
AteammayparticipateinSpontaneouswithoutparticipatinginLong-Termbutwillnotberanked.
(3)IfateamdoesnotcompletearequirementoftheproblemthatisscoredineitherLong-TermorStyle,theteamwillreceiveazeroscoreforthatscoringcategoryevenifitisscoredonaslidingscalethatbeginsatone.
Thereisnoadditionalpenaltyandscoringcategoriesthatrelyonthatportiontakingplaceareeligibleforscore.
Forexample,ifaproblemrequiresanoutdoorscenethatisscoredforitsappearance,creativity,andartisticquality,butthesceneisportrayedasbeingindoors,theteamwillreceivezeroscorefortheappearanceofthescene.
However,itwillreceivescoreforcreativityandartisticqualityofthescene.
Iftheteamhasascoreditemwiththem,butdoesnotpresentitduringtheperformancetime,itcanstillbescoredforcategoriesthatdonotrelyonitappearingintheperformance.
Forexample,artisticquality,creativeuseofmaterials,originalitycanstillbescored;but,effectivenessorimpactintheperformancewouldreceivezero.
IftheteamdoesnotcompletearequirementoftheproblemthatisnotscoredundereitherLong-TermorStyle,judgeswillassessaSpiritoftheProblempenalty.
Page|36(4)Norealanimalsmaybeusedinanysolution.
Thisdoesnotincludemanufactureditemsofanykind.
(5)JudgesmaynotbecomepartoftheproblemsolutionorStylepresentation.
DuringitsLong--Termcompetitiontimetheteammayaskjudgesquestions;however,thejudgeswillansweronlyiftheydecideitisappropriate.
Thejudgeswillonlyspeaktotheteammembersiftheyfeelitisappropriateoritisrequiredinthelimitationsoftheproblem.
InSpontaneous,judgeswillalwaysanswerquestions.
Theteammaynotinvolvethejudgesinitspresentationinanywayandanyreactionorparticipationfromthejudgesoraudiencedoesnotcountforscore.
Judgeswillnotuseanythingprovidedbytheteamtoviewspecialeffects,suchas3Dglasses.
Also,ifplaybillsarelistedasaStylecategory,theteammustgiveittotheStagingAreajudgewiththerestofitspaperwork.
Nothinghandedtothejudgesduringthe8minutecompetitiontimewillbeconsideredforscore.
(6)Duringtheircompetitiontime,teamsmayasktheaudienceforareaction,suchasapplause,boosorlaughter.
However,ifateaminvolvestheaudienceinmorethanageneralway,forexample,specificdialogueorinteractionbetweentheteamandamemberoftheaudience,judgeswillassessanOutsideAssistancepenalty.
Teamsmaynotthrowanythingintotheaudience.
(7)Oncecompetitiontimebegins,teammembersmaygointotheaudienceandinteractfromtherewhiletheremainingteammembersareintheperformancearea.
(8)Nudity,profanity,vulgarity,violentacts,andethnic/racialslursarenotpermitted.
Thisincludestheinappropriateuseofpotentiallyoffensivewordsoractions.
Teamsmaysimulateviolentactsduringaperformanceonly,buttheymustbeportrayedinanacceptableandobviouslyfictitiousmanner.
Judgeshavediscretiontodetermineadditionalsituations,portrayals,orbehaviorsthatmaybedeemedinappropriateforanOdysseyoftheMindperformanceandtheymayissueanUnsportsmanlikeConductpenalty.
Iftheprohibitedbehaviororportrayalisrecurrent,judgesmaystopateam'sperformance.
(9)Nationalanthemsorofficialpledgesmaynotbeusedintheproblemsolutions.
Theserequireactionsbyothers,suchasstandingorsaluting,whichmaydisruptanotherteam'spresentation.
Page|37(10)Allpartsofaproblemsolutionandthecontainerstheyareshippedinmustbeabletofitthroughadoorwaythatmeasures28"x78"(.
71mx1.
98m),andtheymustbeabletostandorbeplacedinanuprightpositioninastandardroom(ceilings7.
58feet(2.
282.
43m)high).
Thisappliestoallcontainersholdingpartsoftheteam'ssolution.
Apenaltywillnotbeassessedifapartexceedsthesedimensions;however,sometournamentsitesmaynotbeabletoaccommodatethem.
TournamentDirectorsareundernoobligationtoprovidetimetodisassembleandreassembletheseitemstobringthemintotheroomandtheteammustnotalterthebuildinginanyway.
(11)Check-In/Staging:TheStagingAreaJudgewillmeetwiththeteamintheCheck-InArea.
Generally,ifacompetitionsiterequiresdoorstobeclosedwhenteamsareperforming,theCheck-InAreaisoutsideofthecompetitionroom.
ThisiswheretheStagingAreaJudgewillmeettheteamtocollectpaperwork,checkfootcoverings,andsoon.
Whenready,ajudgedirectstheteamtocomeintothecompetitionroomandwaitintheStagingAreaforitsperformancetobegin.
Theteam,andanyonehelpingit,willmoveallofitsmaterialsfromtheCheck-InAreaintotheStagingArea.
Anymaterialsremainingafterapproximately3minutesmaybemovedbythejudgetoallowthenextcompetingteamtoentertheCheck-InArea.
WhentheteamisintheStagingAreaandthejudgesareready,thetimekeeperwillannounce"TeamBegin"andthe8-minuteperformancetimewillbegin.
Theteammaystartitsperformancewhilesettingup.
(12)Withtheteam'spermission,othersnotontheteammayhelptomoveproblemsolutionitemsintotheCheck-InAreaandtheStagingArea.
Othersmayalsohelptheteamremoveitemsfromthecompetitionsitewhendirectedbythejudges.
However,untiltheteamisdismissed,noonemayenterthecompetitionsite.
(13)Forms:Requiredformsmaynotbealtered.
Theymaybephotocopiedorscannedintoacomputer,butlinesmaynotbemoved,spacesadded,etc.
(14)Noone,includingtheannounceroranyotherjudge,mayreadaloudtotheaudienceanyintroductionordescriptionoftheteam'sproblemsolutionpriortotheteam'sperformance.
Iftheteamwantssomethingread,itmaydosoduringitscompetitiontime.
(15)Weaponsareprohibitedfromthecompetitionsiteandtournamentvenue.
IfanactualPage|38weaponisdiscovered,itmustberemovedfromthesiteimmediatelyoritwillbeconfiscated.
Thereisnopointdeduction.
Team-createdreplicasofweaponsthatareeasilymistakenforrealweaponsarealsoprohibited.
Theymusteitherbechangedtolooklessrealisticorberemovedfromthecompetitionsiteortheywillbeconfiscated.
Thereisnopointdeduction.
Propsthatappearand/orareusedasaweaponintheperformanceareallowedprovided,theyareobviouslynotrealandposenothreat.
Theseincludeteam-madepropsandtoysthatdonotlooklikerealweapons,suchaswaterpistols,plasticswords,etc.
Ifateamusesafakeweaponinitsperformance,itmustconfirmwiththeStagingAreaJudgethatitisallowed.
Itcanonlybeusedforpracticeandduringtheperformance;itmustbeputawayatallothertimes(16)Allsolutionsmustbepresentedlive(duringthe8minuteperformancetime).
Teammembersmustbepresenttoperformduringtheliveperformance.
Remoteperformancesarenotpermittedunlesscompetinginavirtualtournament.
Pre-recordedvisualandaudiomaybeapartoftheproblemsolution.
Allowedpre-recordedaudio/visualincludesteam-recordedandcommercially-produceditems.
Tobeconsideredforscoretheymustbevisibletoboththeofficialsandaudience.
Thefollowingappliestoboth:(a)Completingrequiredscoringmustbedonebytheteammembers(theirideasandwork)andbepresentedlive(notpre-recorded).
Arecordingoftheteampresentingaproblemorstylerequirementwouldnotqualifyforscoreforthatrequirement.
Scoredproblemrequirementsmustbepresentedlive.
(b)Commerciallyproducedpre-recordingsmayincludepersonsotherthantheteammembers,solongasitwasnotcreatedtobepartofthesolution.
Teamsmayusecommerciallyproducedandcommonlyavailableaudiovisualmaterialsiftheyalonearenotfulfillingarequiredscoringcategoryor,inthejudges'opinion,theyarenotamajorpartoftheproblemsolutionorStyle.
Theymaybeusedinconjunctionwithteam-createdworktofulfillascoringcategory.
(c)Ifspecificallyallowedbytheproblem,itemsthatappearinapre-recordedvideowillonlybeeligibleforobjectivescores,i.
e.
iftheydidordidnotappearintheperformance.
However,theseitemscanbescoredforsubjectivescoresiftheyalsoPage|39appearliveduringthe8minuteperformance.
Forexample,abackdropthatappearsinavideowillnotreceivescoreforcreativeuseofmaterials,originality,etc.
unlessitisalsopresentedaspartoftheperformance.
Subjectivescoreswillbebasedonhowtheitemappearsandisusedduringtheliveperformance.
(d)Anynoncommercialpre-recordingmustbecompletelyperformedandrecordedbytheteammembers.
Rulesforoutsideassistancearethesamefortheserecordingsastheyarefortheperformance.
(17)Safetyanddamagecontrol:Nopartoftheproblemsolutionsmaycausedamagetothefacilityorinjurytoanyone.
Ifjudgesdeemanyactoritemaspotentiallydangerous,theymaymakeateamdemonstratethatitwillnotcauseinjuryordamage.
Ifnotsatisfiedbytheteam'sdemonstration,thejudgeswillnotallowtheteamtoincludethatpartofthesolution.
Ifanunacceptableriskofpersonalinjuryorahazardoussituationoccurs,judgeswillstopthatportionoftheteam'spresentation.
Theymayalsoassessapenalty.
Teamsmustusesafechemicalsatalltimes.
Ifattemptingtocreateaspecificeffectwithchemicals,theresultingeffectmustbesafeandclean.
Unsafechemicalsandunsafereactionsarenotallowed.
Forexample:CombiningMentoscandywithsodaisnotallowed.
Whiletheyaresafeingredients,theycreateanunsafereactionandarenotpermitted.
Ifthere'sapossibilitythatareactionisnotself-contained,anyoneintheareamustweargogglesorprotectivegear.
IfStagingAreajudgesdeterminethatthereactionisunsafe,unabletobecleanedquickly,orrisksdamagetothesite,theywilldisallowthatpartofthesolution.
Thefollowingitemsarenotallowedtobeusedintheteam'spresentationofitssolution:Lighter-than-airballoons(e.
g.
,helium)thatarenotsufficientlytetheredand/orweigheddown.
Thatis,thosethatwillfloatuncontrollablyupwardarenotallowed.
Itemsthatareexcessivelyhotorcold(includingdryice)Itemsthatleavearesidue(sometypesoffireextinguishers,sometypesoffogmachines,etc.
)InternalcombustionenginesFlammablefuelsSmokebombsorsimilaritemsPage|40Firesinanyform,includinglightedcandlesandsparklersLiquidsthatcanstainorcauseotherfloordamageEmergencyresponsealerts,i.
e.
fire/smokealarm.
Hoverboards(18)Teamsmayusestrobelightsintheirperformance,buttheymustfirstinformtheStagingAreaJudgeand/orTimekeeper.
TheTimekeeperwillannouncethistotheaudienceandgiveanyonewhowouldhaveaproblemwiththemanopportunitytoleavetheroom.
(19)Footcoverings:Duetohealthandsafetyregulationsatmanycompetitionfacilities,thebottomofthefeetmustbecoveredbyamaterialthatisgenerallynon-penetrable.
Thatis,thecoveringshouldpreventsplintersandsmallshardsofglassfrompenetratingthefoot.
Ifthefootcoveringcomesoffduringthepresentation,theteamwillnotbepenalized,aslongasitisreplaced.
Thememberwholosesitmuststopperforminguntilitisreplaced,orthejudgewillmakethatmemberstop.
Judgesmayhelptheteammemberretrievethefootcovering.
Theotherteammembersmaycontinueperformingasusual.
(20)Damagetothefloor:Teamsmustbecarefulnottocausedamagetoacompetitionsiteatanytime.
Remember,floordamagecanoccurwhenmovingpropsaswellasduringtheperformance.
Judgeswillexaminetheconditionofthefloorbeforeeachperformance.
Ifateamdamagesthefloor,whetherintentionalornonintentional,theteamisfinanciallyresponsibleforanyrepairsnecessaryandsubjecttopenaltyinthefollowingdegrees:Scuffthatisremovablewithsoapandwaterwillnotbepenalized.
Scuffthatcannotberemovedwithsoapandwater,butthereisnootherdamage:15points.
Stainonacarpet:25points.
Damagetothefloorthatrequiresnewvarnish:25points.
Carpettearordamagedtile:50pointsDamagetothefloorthatrequiressandingandnewvarnish:50points.
If,duringthepresentation,theteamcausesdamagetotheflooranddoesnotstopafterbeingwarnedbythejudges:100pointsandthejudgewillcall"time"andstopthepresentation.
Page|41If,priortothepresentation,judgesdeterminethatasolutionorpartofasolutionwilllikelycausedamagetothefloor,theymaypreventtheteamfrompresentingitssolutionorthatpartofitssolution.
Iftheteamcausesintentionaldamagetothefloor:200pointsandthejudgewillcall"time"andstopthepresentation.
(21)Useofbatteries:Unlessaproblemstatesotherwise,onlyunmodified,commerciallyproducedsealedbatteriesmaybeused.
Thecombinedmeasurementofanycommerciallyproducedbattery,batterypackorbatterychargerislimitedto15".
Thatisthelength,plusheight,pluswidth,allmeasuredatthewidestpoint(excludingbatteryterminals)mustnotexceed15".
AllbatteriesusedmustbeavailableforcheckingbyOfficialsduringtheCheck-inprocess.
Batteriesinitemssuchascellphonesandcomputersareexcludedfromthisrequirement.
Sincealmosteverybattery-powereddevicedoesnotusejustonecellatatime,teamsmaygrouppermittedcellstogethertoformhighervoltagesorcurrents.
Commerciallyproducedbatterypacksthatfallintheallowedbatterytypesmaybeused.
Teamsmustensurethateachbatterysystem,includingallinterconnections,issafelydesignedforallconditionsencounteredduringuseandotherwisecompletelyappropriateforthedesiredapplication.
Anassemblyofmaterialsthatisonlyarguablyfunctioninginamannersimilartoabatteryisnotconsideredabattery.
BatterychargingBesurethechargerusedisthecorrectoneforthebatterybeingcharged.
Teamsmustuseacommerciallymanufacturedchargerandfollowthedirectionsforitsuse.
Adultsshouldperformorsuperviseanybatterycharging.
Thisisnotconsideredoutsideassistance.
Batteriesmaynotbechargedatthecompetitionsite.
AlittlecommonsenseWiringthatconductselectricityandallconnectorstobatteriesmustbeinsulated.
Regardlessofwhatabatteryismadeof,keepitawayfromopenflameandextremetemperaturevariations.
Explosionisarealthreatforbatteriesthatreachtheirboilingpoint.
Donotletabatterygethottothetouch.
Donotshortcircuitbatteries.
Page|42-Batteriesshouldbekeptisolatedfromeachotherandmetalobjectstopreventexternalshortcircuits.
Donotstorebatteriesloosely,anddonotplacethemonmetalsurfaces.
-Beforebatteriesareinsertedintoacircuit,thecircuitshouldbetestedtoavoidshort-circuitingorchargingthebattery.
Beenvironmentallyconscientious:Disposeofbatteriesaccordingtomanufacturers'recommendations;e.
g,NiCadshouldberecycled,asthecadmiuminNiCadbatteriesisatoxicmetal.
(22)MembershipSign:Allteamsarerequiredtohaveamembershipsignvisiblethroughoutthepresentationofitslong-termproblemsolution.
(SeePenaltiesforadditionalinfo.
)Ifthemembershipsignfallsdownorisobstructedthereisnopenaltyprovidedtheteamfixesthesituationinatimelyfashion.
(23)Copyrights:Membersmayusecurrentlong-termproblemtitlesandiconsandmayphotocopyOdysseyoftheMindmaterialsfordistributionwithinthemembershipduringtheprogramyear,butthesematerialsarecopyrightedandmaynotbedistributedbeyondthemembershipandwithoutpermissionforfutureuse.
Inallareas—music,visuals,writtenword,characters—itistheteam'sresponsibilitytoavoidcopyrightviolations.
Itisillegaltouseandreproducecopyrightedmaterialwithouttheowner'spermission.
Theteamshouldfindoutifaworkiscopyrightedandobtainpermissiontousethework.
Judgeswillnotrequireteamstoproducealetterofpermissiontouseacopyrightedwork,sincetheycannotascertainwhoholdsthecopyright.
Therefore,theywillnotpenalizeateamfornotproducingaletterofpermission.
However,teamsmustbeawarethat,insomecases,theycouldbeprosecutedbycopyrightholdersiftheyusecopyrightedmaterialwithoutobtainingpermission.
Itisuptotheteamtodeterminewhat,ifany,copyrightlawsapplytoanynon-team-originatedmaterialitwishestouse.
NeitherCCIoritsaffiliatescanassistteamsseekingsuchinformationorpermission.
(24)Trademarks:CurrentOdysseyoftheMindmembersareallowedtousethefollowingcopyrightsandtrademarks,whicharefederallyregisteredtoCreativeCompetitions,Inc.
,intheirsolution,foradvertisingorfundraisingpurposeswithintheirmembershiparea,andforprogramawareness.
Teamsmayproducetee-shirtsandsimilaritemsbearinganyofthesemarksfortheirownuse.
However,iftheyintendtoofferanyitemsforsalethatbearthePage|43marks,theymustfirstsecurewrittenpermissionfromtheirAssociationDirectororCCIandcannotselltheitemsonline,e.
g.
ebay.
OdysseyoftheMindOotMCreativeCompetitionsOMERCurrentLong-TermProblemIconsOMER'sfriendsCurrentLong-TermProblemcoverartOdysseyAngelsOMTheteammustassumeresponsibilityforusinganyotherregisteredtrademarkssuchastheNIKEswoosh,McDonald'sgoldenarches,etc.
Teamsmustbeawarethattheycouldbeprosecutedbytrademarkholdersiftheyuseregisteredmarkswithoutobtainingpermissionfromtheowner.
NoteamisallowedtouseWorldFinalsortheWFlogo.
Teamsand/oranyothergroupmustobtainpermissionfromitslocalassociationorCCIfortheuseofanyotherOotMtrademarkorcopyrighttobeusedatWorldFinals.
(25)Lightswillnotbedimmedatanycompetitionsite.
Ifnecessary,contactyourTournamentDirectorforsitespecificssuchasthesizeoftheperformancearea,typeoffloorsurface,etc.
(26)Internetconnectivitywillnotbeprovidedatanytournamentvenue.
Anymediabeingusedinasolutionmustbesavedtoadevice.
(27)Don'tshareyoursolutionuntilafterWorldFinals.
Thisincludespostingitonline.
Also,don'ttrustideas,solutions,suggestions,etc.
thatothersprovide.
(28)AssigningCost:Tomaintainanequalplayingfieldamongteams,eachproblemhasacostlimit.
Thisisthemaximumallowabletotalvalueoftheitemsusedintheteam'sfinalproblemsolutionatthecompetition.
Allmaterialsusedinthepresentationoftheteam'ssolution,exceptthosethatareexemptfromcost,mustbecountedinthisvalue.
Theteammustincludeanitem'svalueevenifitisborrowedordonated;however,itemsmaybevaluedat"garage"or"yard"saleprices.
Thisisaused,orsecondhand,price.
Itemspurchasednewmustbelistedatfullprice,andtheteamshouldretainthereceipt.
Iftheteamusesonlypartofanitem,forexample,halfacanofpaintorasegmentofa2x4,theteamisrequiredtolistthevalueofonlytheportionused.
Teamswillfilloutacostform(seeappendix)asfollows.
Page|44ItemizingmaterialsontheCostFormTherearethreebasiccategoriesforitems:(1)cost,(2)assignedvalue,and(3)exempt.
Mostitemsfallundertheheading"cost.
"Forcostitems,thegeneralcriterionforpricingisitsstandardvalue;thatis,couldanyotherteamduplicatetheproblemsolutionforthesameamountofmoneyThisissubjecttodeterminationbythejudges;therefore,teamsshouldbeabletoverifyanitem'svaluethroughreceiptsand/orpricelistsifanyquestionsarise.
Salestaxandshippingcostsdonotneedtobelisted.
Ifakit,orcomponentofone,isusedexactlyfortheoriginalintentthepricemustbelistedatcost.
Ifakit,orcomponent,isrepurposed,garagesalepricesapply.
Forexample,ifarubberballismadeintoavehiclethatisthrownandbouncedintoarequiredarea—itisusedasintendedandfullpriceshouldbelistedfortheball.
Iftheballisalteredordismantledandallorpartisusedinadifferentapplication(notrolled/bounced),garagesalepriceisallowed.
OntheCostFormteamsmaycombineitemsusedinsmallamountssuchasducttape,glue,string,staples,crayons,paperclips,paper,paintandsmallhardwareitems(nuts,bolts,nails,screws,etc.
),andcalculatethemasmiscellaneousitems.
AnythingthattheteammemberswearthatenhancestheperformancemustbecountedinthecostandlistedontheCostForm.
However,theteammayusegaragesaleorausedvalueforallitemsofcostuming,includingstreetclothes.
Team-madet-shirtsnotconsideredacostumecanbevaluedatgaragesalepricesevenifallperformingteammembersarewearingthem.
Anyelaborationoffootcoveringsmustbeincludedinthecostaswell.
Thecostofitemssuchascrutches,wheelchairs,etc.
requiredbyateammemberaregenerallyexcludedfromcost.
Forexample,ifateammemberbreaksherlegandrequiresawheelchair,thewheelchairdoesnothavetobelistedontheCostForm.
However,ifthewheelchairisdecorated,thecostofthedecorationsmustbeincluded.
Ifthewheelchairbecomespartofavehicleorthewheelchairbecomespartofadeviceusedtorotatescenery,ratherthanjustallowingtheteammembertomovearoundtheperformancearea,thenthecostofthewheelchairmustalsobeincluded.
Rentalequipment,suchaslights,usedinthepresentationmustbecountedforaone-dayrentalfee.
Teamsmustpresentareceiptorpricelistforaone-dayrental.
Assignedvalueitemsareasfollowswiththeassignedcost.
However,iftheactualcostislegitimatelylessthantheassignedvaluetheteammaylisttheactualcost.
Page|45AssignedvalueitemsThefollowingitemsmustbeintactandusedfortheirintendedpurpose.
Iftheyaredecorated,thecostofthedecorationswillbeinadditiontotheassignedvalue.
Thefollowinglistshowsthecategoriesofitemsandtheirassignedvalue.
(1)Commerciallyproducedmusicalinstrumentanditscase,includingrequiredperipheralssuchasastand,amplifier,andspeakers.
VALUE:$5oractualcostifless.
(2)Anytypeofaudioorvideorecorderorplayerandspeakerstohearthesoundsifapplicable.
VALUE:$5oractualcostifless.
AphoneplayingsoundthroughBluetoothspeakersisalso$5.
(3)Audiovisualcart.
VALUE:$5oractualcostifless.
(4)Laptopordesktopcomputersystem(includingmonitor,keyboardandconnectingcables).
Smartphonesareconsideredcomputers.
VALUE:$10oractualcostifless.
(5)Projectorofanytype.
VALUE:$10oractualcostifless.
(6)Televisionsetormonitor(notusedinconjunctionwithacomputer).
VALUE:$10oractualcostifless.
(7)3DPrintedItems:50centsperhourofprintingtime.
(8)Roboticcontroller:$20ExemptitemsCertainitemsareexemptfrombeingcountedinthecostaslongastheyremainintactandareusedfortheirintendedpurpose.
Theseareitemsconsideredaccessibletoallteamswithoutacostassociatedwiththem.
Theyarelimitedtothefollowingitems.
Anythingnotlistedbelowthatisusedinthepresentationoftheteam'ssolutionmustbeshownontheCostForm.
(1)Extensioncordsandmultipleplugs.
(2)Batteries.
(3)Chairs,stools,tablesanddesks.
(4)Jewelry,suchaswristwatches,earrings,rings,etc.
,andstreetclothesthatdonotenhancethesolutionorcontributetoacostume.
Remember,ifateamiswearingidenticalstreetclothessuchasmatchingshirts,theywouldcounttowardscostbecausetheyappeartobeauniform,thereforeenhancingthesolution.
Page|46(5)Problem-specificshirtssoldbyCCIatwww.
odysseyofthemind.
com/shop.
(6)Trashitems—itemsthatareusuallydiscardedsuchascardboardcartons,milkcontainersandscrapsofwoodthatmaybealteredfromtheiroriginalstateareexemptfromcost.
Usedmaterialsthatarerecyclableandhavevaluesuchasadepositareconsideredtrashmaterialsandareexemptfromcost.
(7)Toolkit—Toolsusedasintendedtobuildand/orrepairanypartofthesolutionthatdonotenhancetheperformance.
Forexample,ascrewdriverusedtorepairapropisexemptunlesstheappearanceofthescrewdriverand/orthewaythescrewdriverisusedenhancestheperformance.
ThetoolkitmustbeintheStagingAreawhentimebeginsandmaybeusedonthecompetitionsiteforsettinguptheperformanceorforrepairs.
If,atanytime,theirappearanceorthewaytheyareusedpositivelyimpactstheperformancetheyarenolongerexemptandtheteamwillreceiveaSpiritoftheProblempenalty.
Note:Itemssuchasstoragebins,casters,ordolliesmaybeusedtomovepropsfromtheStagingAreatothecompetitionsite,aslongastheyarenotusedinthepresentation.
Theymustberemovedimmediatelyaftertheitemtheyaremovingisplacedinthecompetitionarea.
Iftheyarenot,theircostwillcountintheproblemsolution.
SafetyitemsexemptionsThefollowingsafetyitemsareexemptfromcost:(1)Personalprescriptionitemsofteammemberssuchaseyeglassesandhearingaids.
(2)Floorcoverings,suchasdropcloths,thatareusedonlytoprotectthefloor,ormatsusedtopreventinjurytoateammember.
(3)Requiredfootcoveringsthatarewornastheyarecommerciallyproduced.
Ifanythingisaddedtothefootcoverings,thevalueoftheadditionsmustbecounted.
Thisexemptiondoesnotapplytoshoeswithbuilt-inwheels.
ThesemustbecountedinthecostandmustalsobeapprovedforuseinthecompetitionfacilitybytheTournamentDirector.
(4)SafetyglassesPage|47PenaltyCategoriesEveryproblemhasitsownsetofpenalties,andtheteammustbeawareofthepenaltiesitcouldincurinsolvingitsproblem.
Themostcommonpenaltiesareexplainedbelow.
Inmostcases,omissionofscoredproblemrequirementscarriesnopenaltyexceptlossofscore.
Nooneisallowedtochangethevalueofapenaltycategoryorcreatepenaltiesthatarenotlistedintheproblemorbelow.
"SpiritoftheProblem"Violation(eachoffense,-1to-30points)Eachproblem,under"A.
TheProblem,"explainswhatisexpectedofteamstosolvetheproblem.
Eachproblemhasinfinitepossiblesolutions.
However,eachhasanunderlyingobjectivewecalltheSpiritoftheProblem.
Ifateamcircumventsthebasicobjectivesoftheproblemorviolatesrulesthatarenotscoredandforwhichthereisnospecificpenaltylisted,itwillreceiveaSpiritoftheProblempenalty.
UnsportsmanlikeConduct(eachoffense,-1to-30points)OdysseyoftheMindteachesvaluessuchasteamwork,integrity,andrespectforothers.
AnUnsportsmanlikeConductpenaltywillbeassessedfortheuseorportrayalofprofanity,nudity,druguse,sexualsituationsorwhateverelsemaybeconsideredbythejudgestobeunacceptablebehavioraspartoftheperformanceoratacompetition.
Thisincludesthederisionofothers,includingfellowteammembers.
Teamsmaybepenalizedforimproperbehaviorinmanyregardsincludingthebehaviorofacoachorparent,complainingaboutanotherteam,misbehavioraroundcampus,etc.
Penaltiesmaybeassessedretroactivelyandmaybeappliedtofutureevents.
IncorrectorMissingMembershipSign(-1to-10points)Toensurethatthejudgesscorethecorrectteam,andtoberecognizedbytheaudience,everyteammusthaveamembershipsignthatisreadablefromaminimumof25feetawaythroughoutthepresentationofitslong-termsolution.
IftheteamfailstoprovideasignitmaycreateonewhileintheStagingArea.
Ifitisnotvisiblepartofthetime,thereisnopenalty.
Ifitisnotvisiblemostofthetimeitwillreceiveapenalty.
Thesignmustbecreatedbytheteam.
Itmustshowtheteam'smembershipnumberasitappearsonthemembershipcard,anditmustshowthemembershipnamethatappearsonthecard.
Thenamemaybespelledoutorabbreviated,aslongasthePage|48abbreviationsarerecognizablebythejudges.
Forexample,GeorgeWashingtonHighSchoolmayreadGeorgeWashingtonHSorGeo.
WashingtonHS,butGWHSisinsufficient.
Ifamembershipcardcontainsanyotherinformation,suchasTeamA,TeamB,andsoon,thatmustappearonthesignaswell,eitherspelledoutorabbreviated,e.
g.
,TmA.
Thisrequiredinformationonyourmembershipsignmustappearinthelanguageofyourtournamenthostatalltimes.
Anyotherlanguagethatappearsonthesignwillbeconsideredpartofthesign'sdecoration.
Ifthemembershipsignisscoredthereisnopenaltyifitismissingotherthanreceivingascoreofzero.
Theteammayaddtoitsmembershipsignasitwishes,andthesignmaychangeappearanceduringthepresentation;thatis,itmayrotate,blink,etc.
TheteammayhavemorethanonesignbutonlyonewillbetheofficialmembershipsignthatmustbevisibleduringtheperformanceandscoredifitislistedasafreechoiceStylecategory.
OutsideAssistance(eachoffense,-1to-25points)Studentslearnbestwhentheycompletetasksontheirown,andtheydevelopasenseofprideandincreasedself-esteemwhentheygobeyondwhatisexpected.
Toensurethatteammembersgetthefullbenefitsofparticipation,andtoensurefairness,teammembersmustdesignandcreateallaspectsoftheirproblemsolution.
Thisincludestheirmembershipsign,props,alltechnicalrequirements(vehicles,structures,etc.
)andcostumes.
Thesemusteither(1)bemadebytheteammembersor(2)beputtogetherbytheteammembersfromcommerciallyproducedparts.
Ifteammembersarenotabletomakeasolution,prop,costume,orsignthattheyhavedesigned,orifacoachfeelsthetoolstheywishtousetomakeanitemaretoodangerousforteammemberstooperate,thentheteammembersmustfindanotherwaytoconstructtheitemorredesignitsotheycanmakeitthemselves.
Althoughnoonemayassisttheteammembersinsolvingtheproblem,itisnotOutsideAssistancetousesomethingthatwascreatedbysomeonewhoisnotontheteam—providedthatitwasnotcreatedtohelpsolvetheprobleminanyway.
Forexample,ifaschoolhasan"OotMcloset"whereitkeepsmaterialsusedfrompastyears,futureteamsmayselectandusethoseitemswithoutpenalty.
Ifthematerialswerecreatedbythemembersofthecurrentteam,thatis,therearenomembersfromtheoriginalrostermissingfromthecurrentone,theywillbeconsideredteam-created.
Otherwise,theywillbejudgedascommerciallyproduced.
Theseitems,suchaspropsandbackdrops,willbeconsideredthesameasitemsfoundinathriftshop,schooltheaterPage|49department,etc.
Anycommerciallyproducedkitthatisassembledasintendedbythemanufacturerisnotconsideredteam-created.
Usingcommerciallyproducedkitpartsinawaythatisdifferentfromtheintentisconsideredteam-created.
TeamsmustcompletetheOutsideAssistanceFormintheAppendixandgiveittotheStagingAreaJudgepriortoitsperformance.
Theymuststatewhethertheyhadanyoutsideassistanceand,ifso,thenatureofthatassistance.
ThejudgeswillassessanOutsideAssistancepenaltybasedonhowcrucialtheassistancewastothesolution.
Coachesactasfacilitators,buttheyarenotallowedtosuggesthowateamshouldsolveaproblem.
Theymayposethought-provokingquestions,buttheyshouldneverhintatasolution.
Iftheteamasksforanopinion,thecoachshouldrespond,"Youdecide.
"Unlessasituationisdeemedpotentiallydangerous,alwayslettheteammakethefinaldecisionswhendevelopingasolution.
Atcompetition,othersareallowedtohelptheteamtransportpropsandotherproblemmaterialsintotheCheck-InandStagingAreas.
However,othersmaynothelptheteamassemblebackdropsoranythingelse,orapplymakeup,fixcostumes,etc.
Iftheydo,theteamwillreceiveanOutsideAssistancepenalty.
OutsideAssistancepenaltiesarebasedonthejudges'observationsand/ortheteam'sstatements,notonhearsayfromothers.
Oncetheteambeginsworkingonitslong-termproblemsolution,ifateammemberleavestheteamforanyreason,thatpersonmaynotbetakenofftheroster,sincehe/shecontributedtotheproblem.
Ifateammemberisreplaced,andittakestheteamoverthesevenmemberlimit,theteamwillreceiveanOutsideAssistancepenalty.
Parentsandothersupportersmayactastutorsorinstructors,buttheymustnotmakesuggestionsonhowtosolvetheproblem.
Forexample,aparentmayteachthemembershowtosewiftheyask,butcannotsuggestthattheysewand/ordesignacostumefortheteam'ssolution.
OverTimeLimit(-5pointsforevery10secondsorfractionthereof)TherearetwotypesoftimelimitstoOdysseyoftheMindLong-Termproblems.
FirstistheNoOvertimeCategory.
Theseproblemsprovide8minutesfortheteamtodoeverything.
ThisincludesmovingitemsoutoftheStagingAreaandontothecompetitionsite,settingupsetsandprops,performingtheskit,completingtechnicalrequirements,andsoon.
When8minutesexpirestheTimekeeperwillcall"time"andallactivitywillendforthatpresentation.
Thereisnoovertimeandnopenaltywillbeassessed.
Page|50ThesecondtypeistheOvertimeCategory.
Theseproblemsprovide8minutesforallactivityaswell.
However,iftheperformanceexceeds8minutestheTimekeeperwillallowtheperformancetocontinueforuptoonemoreminuteand,iftheteamdoesnotfinish,willthencall"time.
"Iftheteamgoesovertimeitwillincurapenaltyasdescribedintheproblem,butcanstillbescorednormallyforanythingthatoccursinthatone-minutetimeperiod.
Eachspontaneousproblemhasitsownspecifictimingsystem.
Sometimesitisoneblockoftimetosolveaproblemandothertimesitistwotimeperiods,onetoprepareandonetoworkforscore.
Overtimeisneverallowedinspontaneous.
Thejudgecalls"time"attheendofeachperiodandtheteammuststop,sothereareneveranypenaltiesforexceedingthetimelimit.
Virtual—timelimitsstillapply,plusadditionalminutestohighlightaspectsofyoursolution.
OverCostLimit(-1to-30points)Ifateamexceedsthecostlimit,itwillbepenalized.
IfateamfailstolistanyofitsitemsontheCostForm,theStagingAreaJudgewillallowthemtoaddthevalueofthoseitems.
Ifaddingthevalueputsthemoverthecostlimit,judgeswillassessapenalty.
EachteammustgivetheStagingAreaJudgeacopyofitscompletedCostForm(seeAppendix)beforeitbeginsitslong-termpresentation.
Thevalueofmaterialsusedmustbelistedontheforminthecurrencyusedbythecountrywherethecompetitionisheld.
CostlimitsaregiveninUnitedStatesdollars.
AssociationswillannouncetheirofficialexchangeratesnolaterthanOctober15ofthatprogramyear.
Ifthesearenotpublished,non-USAteamsmustusetheexchangeratefortheircountryasofOctober1oftheprogramyeartodeterminematerialvalues.
PotentialReasonsforDisciplineDisciplinaryactionmaybetakenagainstateamincertainsituations.
Thisisadecisionofthejudgesand/orTournamentDirector.
Possiblereasonsfordisciplinaryactioninclude,butarenotlimitedto,thefollowing:Copyrightviolation—copyingOdysseyoftheMindmaterialsfornonmembers.
Enteringteamsincompetitionbeyondthenumberallowedforthemembership.
Failuretoincludeallnamesofcurrentteammembersontheroster,aswellasthenamesofanyothermemberswhowereontheteamatanytimeduringtheprogramyear.
Page|51Enteringateamthatincludesstudentsnotpermittedbytherulestobeontheteam.
Enteringateamintheincorrectdivision.
Havingaperformancerecordedwiththeintentofusingotherpeople'sideas.
ExcessiveOutsideAssistance.
SeriousormultipleUnsportsmanlikeConductpenaltiesassessedduringacompetition.
Revealingthespontaneousprobleminviolationoftherules.
Coachingmisconductorintentionalviolationoftherules.
Violationoffederal,state/provincialorlocallaws.
PossibleDisciplinaryActionTeamsand/orindividualswillbedisciplinedaccordingtothetypeandscopeofinfractiontheycommit.
Insomeinstances,theteamwillbegivenawrittenwarning.
ThiswillcomefromtheTournamentDirectorortheAssociationDirectorandbesenttothecoachoftheteamand,ifappropriate,theparentsoftheteammembers.
Somebehaviorwillresultinimmediatedisqualificationandremovalfromtheevent.
Thisisatthesolediscretionofthelicensedassociationand/orrepresentativeofthetournamenthostsite.
ForWorldFinals,CCIwillalsohaveauthoritytotakeactionregardinginappropriatebehavior.
Possibledisciplinaryactionincludes:Probation:Specifictimeperiodwhererepeatinfractionswillleadtoautomaticsuspensionand/ordenialofparticipationofacoach,teammember,teamand/ormembership.
Suspension:Foraspecifictimethesuspendedpartymaynotcompeteorbeassociatedwithacompetingteam,orateammayperform/participateonlyasademonstrationinanofficialtournament.
Thismaybeaone-tothree-yearperiod.
ThesuspendedpartymayappealthedecisiontoCreativeCompetitions,Inc.
Thesuspendedpartyhas15daystofileawrittenappealfromthetimeofreceiptofawrittendisciplineprocedurefromthelicensedassociation.
TheappealwillbepresentedtoCCIandwillbereviewedinatimelyfashion.
CCI'sdecisionisfinal.
Denialofmembershiporparticipation:Ateam,coachorteammembermaybedeniedparticipationintheOdysseyoftheMindprogramforaspecificperiodoftime.
However,theteam,coachorteammemberwillbeaffordedtheopportunitytodefendanyclaimsagainstthem.
Page|52Disqualification:Theteamwillbedisqualifiedfromthecompetitioninwhichtheviolationtakesplace.
Ifthedecisiontodisqualifyismadeaftercompetitionisover,thelicensedassociation,orthecompetitiontribunal,hastherighttodeclareateamineligibletomovetothenextcompetitionlevelandmaysendanotherteaminitsplace.
ThiseffortshouldbecoordinatedthroughtheAssociationDirector.
Spontaneousproblemscannotberevealeduntilthetournamentiscompleted.
Atthattime,teammembersmaydiscusstheproblemwiththecoachesandnonparticipatingfamilymembers.
Noonemaysharetheinformationwithanyoneelseuntilthatlevelofcompetitioniscompletedaroundtheworld.
Forexample,noonecandiscussanAssociationFinalsspontaneousproblemuntilthelastAssociationFinalsiscompleted.
Violatorswillbesubjecttodisqualificationand/orotherdisciplinaryactiontakenagainsttheentireteam.
Anyonewhosharesideasand/orsolutionswithanyonewhoisnotontheirteamwillbesubjecttodisqualificationand/orotherdisciplinaryactiontakenagainsttheentireteam.
Thosereceivingideasand/orsolutionsarealsosubjecttopenalty.
Forexample,ifateammemberpostsadescriptionofitssolutiontoachatroom,thatperson'steamwillbedisqualifiedorsuspended,andthosewhoparticipateinthatchatroommustincludetheincidentontheirOutsideAssistanceFormtoavoiddisqualification.
PenaltiesforUnsportsmanlikeConduct,SpiritoftheProblemandOutsideAssistanceareineachproblem.
However,OdysseyoftheMindreservestherighttopenalizebeyondthoselistedamountsifthesituationwarrants.
Page|53ChapterVIGlossaryThefollowingwordsandphrasesarecommonlyusedinOotMproblems.
Ifawordappearsinitalicsinalong-termproblem,itisdefinedintheProblemGlossaryoritisdefinedbelow.
Ifitappearsinboth,usethedefinitionintheproblem.
ThesedefinitionsarewrittenforthepurposeofsolvingOotMproblemsandmaydifferfromwhatisfoundinadictionary.
Someofthetermsarealsousedinspontaneousproblems.
Appearance–Howsomethinglooks,thatis,itsoutwardvisualcharacteristics,notthatitsimplyisincludedintheperformance.
Appears–Somethingisvisibleandinviewofthejudgesduringtheteam'sperformance.
Artisticmaterials–Anymediathataretypicallyusedinartforms,suchasoils,acrylics,pencil,clay,watercolors,canvas,paper,wood,etc.
ArtisticQuality–Thedistinctivecharacteristics,style,andeffectivenessoftheappearanceofthevisualattributes.
Asportrayedintheperformance–Anyaspectofasolutionwithoutadefinitionintheproblemorclarificationisdefinedbytheteamviaperformance.
Forexample,ifcommunityhasnodefinitionwithintheproblem,theteammaypresentthecommunityasanythingitwishes:aliens,livingpaperclips,etc.
Backdrop–Cloth,cardboard,largesheetofpaper,etc.
showingsometypeofsceneordesign,usuallymadewithpaintorothermedia,thathangsinthebackgroundofastageset.
Boundaries/boundarylines–Boundarylinesareconsideredonaverticalplane.
Contactwiththetapethatmarkstheboundarylineisnotconsideredout-of-boundsunlessstatedotherwiseintheproblem;however,theteammaynotcoverboundarylinesinawaythatcompletelyobstructsthejudges'view.
Unintentionalobstructionofpartofaboundary,thatdoesnotpreventthejudgesfromrecognizingit,willnotberuledasobstruction.
Thisisdeterminedbythejudges.
Anitemisconsideredout-of-boundsiftheoutsideplaneofthetapemarkingtheboundarylineiscrossedatanyheightunlesstheproblemstatesotherwise.
Ifaproblemstatesthatsomethingmustbewithintheboundaries,everypartofthatitem,whetheritistouchingthefloorornot,mustbecompletelywithintheboundarylines.
Thisincludesattachmentssuchaswires,decorations,anyteammembersridingonit,operatingsystems,etc.
Breakingtheplane–Goingbeyond,butstayingwithintheendpointsof,theimaginaryverticalplane,forexample,aboundary,orastartorfinishline.
Character–Unlesstheproblemstatesotherwise,charactersdonotneedtobeportrayedbyteammembers.
However,charactersmustbeanimated.
Thatis,theymustdemonstrateoneormorehumancharacteristics.
Ifaproblemrequiresoneormorespecificcharacters,variousteammembersmayplaytherequiredcharacters.
Arequiredcharactermustremainthesamecharacterthroughoutthepresentationbutmaychangeinappearance.
E.
g.
,Supermanwasoriginallyacomicbookcharacter.
Althoughhehassincebeenportrayedasacartooncharacterorbydifferentactors,hehasretainedthecharacteristicsthatmakehimSuperman.
Characteristic–Adistinguishingfeatureofacharacterorthing.
Commerciallyproduced–Pre-manufacturedandnotteam-created.
Acommerciallyproducedpartcouldbeapartfromalargeritem,suchasthehandlebarsofabicycleorawheelfromatoyPage|54truck.
Itcouldalsobeanitemthatstandsonitsownsuchasanail,abaseballbat,pictureframe,etc.
Eventhoughthepartsofateam-madeitemarenotoriginal,whencombined,thepartscouldformsomethinghighlyoriginal.
Completely(entirely)withinanarea–Nothingmaytouchorextendbeyondtheperimeterofthedefinedarea.
Forexample,alimitationthatstatesthatanobjectmustbecompletelyinsideofataped4'x4'areameansthatnopartofthatobjectmayextendbeyondthetapethatformsthearea.
Whenanobjectisrequiredtobecompletelywithinanareaitisthesameasitbeingenclosedbyimaginarywalls.
Thisisrarelythecaseinspontaneousproblems.
Creativityofoverallengineering–Overallapproachtothecomponentsincludingmaterialsthatmakeupasolution,thearrangement,assembly,anduniqueuseofthematerials.
Effectivenessofperformance–Overallapproachtotheperformance;anythingnotspecificallyscoredinLong-TermorStylebutaddstotheperformancesuchastransitionsandtiming,mood,elaborations,addedenhancements,useofspecialeffects/technology,etc.
Functionalengineering–Themechanicsappliedtomakingsomethingoperate;theabilityofacomponenttoperformthefunctionitissupposedtoperform.
HumanPower–Direct:manipulatingtheintendedobjectbyhandsoitfunctionswithoutanyothermechanism;forexample:throwing,kicking,blowing,twisting,orturningtheobjecttobemoved/manipulated.
Forexample,tossingaballintoacontainer.
Indirect:applyinghumanpowertosomethingthatdirectlymanipulatestheobjectthatinturnmoves/ismanipulated;forexample,hittingaballwithagolfclubsoitgoesintoacontainer.
Ifhumanpowerisusedtohelpcauseaseriesofactionstotakeplaceinordertomakesomethingfunctionthatisconsideredmechanicalandnothumanpower;forexample,turningacrankthatwindsacoilthatreleasesanobjectisconsideredmechanicallypowered.
Also,turningacrankbyhandthatisgearedtopullbackadevicesimilartoacatapultandthenreleasingitsoitmovesaballintoacontainerisconsideredmechanicallypowered.
Thisisallowedaslongashumanenergyisnotprohibitedandtheproblemdoesnothavedifferentdefinition.
HumanCharacter–acharacterasdefinedinthisglossarybutonethatrepresentsahumanbeingwiththegeneralexpectedphysicalcharacteristics.
Itmustnotrepresentanexistingrecognizablehumanbeingorcommercialcharactereitherlivingordeceased.
Incidentalcontactortouching–Unlesstheproblemstatesotherwise,touchingwithoutgaininganadvantage.
Itwouldhavenopenaltyunlesstheincidentaltouchingisrepeatedafterajudgeswarning,oritisintentional.
Insideanarea–Touchingtheflooronlywithintheperimeterofadefinedareaincludingthematerialusedtocreatethearea.
Forexample,alimitationthatstatesthatanobjectmustbeinsideataped4'x4'areameansthatobjectmusttouchtheflooronlywithintheareaincludingthetape.
Itmayextendbeyondtheimaginaryverticalplaneoftheperimeterofthatarea,butitmaynottouchthefloororanythingrestingontheflooroutsideofthatarea.
Thisisoftenthecaseinspontaneousproblems.
Modified–Toalterorchangesomethinginorderforittohelpsolveaproblem.
Music–Thecoordinatedstructureofsoundproducedbytheteam,unlessaproblemstatesotherwise.
OMER–TheOdysseyoftheMindmascot.
OMer'sareOdysseyoftheMindparticipantsandsupporters.
Oneormoreteammembers–Ifsomethingisrequiredtobeoperated,driven,orportrayedbyoneormoreteammembers,thismaybemorethanonememberatatime,oritmaybeonePage|55memberatatime.
Ineithercase,theteammembersmaychange;theydonothavetobethesameindividualsthroughouttheentireperformance.
Portray–Torepresentsomethingortoactoutaspecificrole.
Prop–Anobjectheldorusedbyacharacterintheperformance.
Propsdonotincludeitemsthatarepickeduponlyaspartofateam'ssetuportochangethescene.
Handpropsareheldbyacharacterintheperformanceandlargerstageprops,suchasaladderorchair,areusedbyacharacterintheperformance.
Forexample,ifacharacteranswersatelephoneandsitsinachair,thetelephoneandchairareprops.
Apropmayalsobeapartofacostume.
Forexample,ifacharacterwalksonstageholdingaswordandusesitaspartoftheperformance,theswordisapropaswellaspartofthatcostume.
Propsdonotincluderequiredvehicles,structures,devices,etc.
thatonlyoperateand/orperformafunctionforrequiredscore.
Self-contained–everyaspectofarequiredcomponentisindependentofanythingexternal.
Forexample,ifaself-containeditemmusttravel,allpartsoftheitemwilltravel–unlessACpowerisallowed.
IfateamusesACpower,thecordprovidingtheenergyisallowedtoremainpluggedinanddoesnotneedtomoveaspartofthesolution.
Thecorddoesnotcounttowardsscore.
Setup–Thetimeafterjudgessay"TeamBegin"thattheteamusestosetupprops.
Itcountstowardthe8-minutetimelimit.
Teamscansimultaneouslyperformwhilesettingupprops.
Song–musicwithlyrics.
Themusiccanbeproducedinanymannerunlesstheproblemstatesotherwise.
Stageset–Allteam-createdmaterialsthatareonthecompetitionsitetocreatetheenvironment/settingofascene.
Teammembers,costumes,andpropsarenotpartofthestageset.
Anythingpickedupandusedbyacharacterduringtheperformanceisconsideredaprop,notpartofthestageset.
Theteamsignmaybepartofthestageset,butONLYifitisnotscoredseparatelyasastyleelement.
Touch/touching–Ifaproblemstatesthattheteammaynottouchsomething,thismeansmakingcontactwiththeitemwiththehandoranotherbodypart,whethercoveredoruncovered.
Forexample,holdingaballinaglovedhandisstillconsideredtouchingtheball.
Or,iftheteamisnotallowedtotouchthefloorinacertainarea,ateammembermaynotstepontoapieceofpaperonthefloorinthatarea.
Inspontaneous,ateammayberequiredtouseitemstocompletetasks.
Forexample,itmighthaveabroom,astick,andafishingpoletomoveaballintoacontainerwithouttouchingtheball.
Becauseitisrequiredtousetheitemstomovetheball,theteammaytouchthoseitems,whichinturntouchtheball,andthisisnotconsideredtouchingtheball.
Workingwithinanarea–ateammembermustbetouchingentirelywithintheboundarybutcanbreaktheplanewithouttouchingthecompetitionsitebeyondthatarea.
Page|56QuickGuidetoResourcesApplicationformembership—odysseyofthemind.
com,JoinAssociationinfo—TheState/CountryWebsiteodysseyofthemind.
com,LocalcontactsBooksofpracticeproblems—odysseyofthemind.
com,ShopClarificationforaLong-Termproblem—odysseyofthemind.
com,ClarificationsCopyofallgeneralclarifications—odysseyofthemind.
com,ClarificationsGeneralRulesforallteams—OdysseyoftheMindProgramGuideCostForm—ProgramGuideAppendixOROdysseyofthemind.
com,FormsOutsideAssistanceForm—ProgramGuideAppendixORodysseyofthemind.
com,FormsPrograminfo—odysseyofthemind.
com,LearnmoreStyleForm—ProgramGuideAppendixORodysseyofthemind.
com,FormsTournamentregistrationinfoforyourlocalcompetition—YourRegionalorAssociationDirectorTournamentsiteinfo—YourRegionalorAssociationDirectorWorldFinals—odysseyofthemind.
com,WorldFinals(Info.
addedonanongoingbasis.
)Otherhelpfulinformationcanbefoundatwww.
creativeopportunities.
orgAppendixThefollowingpagescontaintheformsnecessarytoenterofficialcompetitionsandspontaneousproblemstouseinpracticesessions.
Themethodtopresentrequiredformsinvirtual/onlinecompetitionswillbedescribedpriortoregisteringforthattournament.
StyleFormCostFormOutsideAssistanceFormVerbalSpontaneousProblem:ReinventingtheWheelVerbalSpontaneousProblem:ToHaveFunorNottoHaveFunVerbal/Hands-OnSpontaneousProblem:CreationStationHands-OnSpontaneousProblem:TheLastStrawTeammembersmustcompletethisformandlistallitemsusedinthepresentationsoftheirproblemsolu-tion,includingthoseexemptfromcostandassignedavalue.
AdultsmayhelpfillitoutforDivisionIteammembersonly.
Donotincludesalestax.
CostFormLong-TermProblemDivisionMembershipNameMembershipCityState/Prov.
CountryJudge(s)NameofItem(e.
g.
wood,fabric,etc.
)1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
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18.
19.
20.
Value(usedvalue)1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
UsedFor(e.
g.
costumes,props,allareasetc.
)1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
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20.
TOTALVALUEOFMATERIALSUSEDNOTE:Thisformmaybephotocopiedorscannedintoacomputer,butitmaynotbealteredinanyway.
Note:Thisformmaybephotocopiedorscannedintoacomputer,butitmaynotbealteredinanyway.
OutsideAssistanceFormLong-TermProblemDivisionMembershipNameMembershipNumber_CityState/Prov.
CountryWeunderstandthatitisagainsttherulesforanyoneotherthantheteammemberstodesign,buildorpresentthelong-termproblemsolution.
Weunderstandthatanyteammemberwhowaseveronourteammustremainonourrosterandwillcountasateammember.
Werealizethatwemaygetinstructioninvariousareasofdesignandconstructionorinperformancetechniques,butknowthattheseinstructionsmaynotbespecifictothelong-termproblemsolution.
Bysigningbelow,wetestifythatwehavefollowedalloftherulesregardingoutsideassistance.
Ifthereareanyexceptions,wehavelistedthose.
WEHADHELPWTH:(Pleasedescribeanyassistancewithyourspecificproblemsolutionifyouhadany.
StateNONEifnoassistancewasreceived.
Also,pleaselistnamesofformerteammembersnolongeronyourteam(iftherosterexceedsseven)andwhentheylastworkedwiththeteam.
Coach#1Coach#2Coach#3TeamMemberBirthday:GradeTeamMemberBirthday:GradeTeamMemberBirthday:GradeTeamMemberBirthday:GradeTeamMemberBirthday:GradeTeamMemberBirthday:GradeTeamMemberBirthday:GradeVerbalSpontaneousProblem:ReinventingtheWheelA.
Whentheteammembersentertheroom,tellthem,"Thisisaverbalproblem.
"B.
JUDGEREADSTOTEAMS:(Donotreadmaterialinparentheses.
)(1)Youhave1minutetothinkand4minutestorespond.
Youmayaskthejudgesquestions;however,timewillcontinue.
Youarenotallowedtotalktoeachotheratanytime.
(2)Youwillreceive1pointforeachcommonresponseand5pointsforeachcreativeresponse.
(3)Eachofyouhas7cards.
Youwilltaketurnsinorder.
Afteryougivearesponse,youwillplaceoneofyourcardsinthecontainer(pointtocontainer).
(4)Speakloudlyandclearly.
Oncetimebegins,itwillnotbestopped.
(5)Youshouldnotrepeataresponsethathasalreadybeengiven,andyouarenotallowedtoskipyourturn.
Ifonememberoftheteamisstuck,theteamisstuck.
(6)Youwillbefinishedwhenresponsetimeendsorwhenyouhaveusedallofyourcards.
(7)Imaginethatwheelsnolongerexist.
Yourproblemistosaywhatwouldbedifferentwithoutwheels.
Forexample,youmightsay,"Wecanridehorsesinstead;"or"Peoplewouldsteerwithjoysticks.
"(Afterreadingtheentireproblemaloud,repeattheitemsinboldface.
Beginbysaying,"Irepeat.
")C.
FORJUDGESONLY:1.
Giveeachteammemberasetofsevenunnumberedcards.
Eachsetshouldbedifferentfromtheothers,suchasdifferentcolors,ormarkedwithdifferentshapes,etc.
Makesureteammemberssurrenderacardaftereachresponse.
2.
Placeacontainerwithinreachofallteammembers.
Makesureithasanopeninglargeenoughandthatitcanholdall35cards.
3.
Besuretogiveexactly1minutetothinkand4minutestorespond.
Timingiscritical.
Teammembersrespondingastimeendsmayfinishandbescored.
4.
Score:1pointforeachcommonresponse,5pointsforeachcreativeresponse.
5.
ExamplesofCommonResponses:Obviousroundobjectstoreplacewheels:boulders,woodencircles,bigbasketballs,etc.
Alternatemodesoftransportation:walking,train,helicopters,airplanes,hotairballoons,armytanks,magiccarpets,steamrollers,horses.
6.
ExamplesofCreativeResponses:Unusual/humorousreplacementsoralternativemodesoftransportation:"Wecouldcurlupinballsandrolleverywhere";"UseCDsbecausethere'snootheruseforthem";"Justmakemovingroadsinstead";"Freezealltheroadsandletcarsglideeverywhere";"Putahelicopterpropelleroncars";"Inventflyingcars";"Usediscoballssoit'llbeapartyeverywherewego";"We'llmoveupnorthandtravelbysleigh";"Wecanusethehamburgersmydadburnsonthegrill";"Gobacktousingthehorseandbuggy";"Createaninternationaltrolleysystem.
"Otherthingsthatwouldbeaffected:"Thepriceofatrainticketwouldincreasesignificantly";"Morepeoplewouldoptforstaycations";"Peoplewouldsteerwithjoysticks";"Airlineswouldhavetobuildmoreplanes";"Firestonewouldgobankrupt.
"VerbalSpontaneousProblem:ToHaveFunorNottoHaveFunA.
Whentheteammembersentertheroom,tellthem,"Thisisaverbalproblemthatrequiressomewriting.
"B.
JUDGEREADSTOTEAMS:(Donotreadmaterialinparentheses.
)(1)Thisisatwo-partproblem.
AfteryoucompletePartI,thejudgewillreadPartII.
(2)InPartI,youwillhave3minutestodiscusstheproblemandcreateyoursolution.
Youareallowedtoaskthejudgesquestions;however,timewillcontinue.
Youwillbewarnedwhen1minuteandwhen30secondsremain.
(3)Youwilldivideintotwogroups.
Onegroupwillmakealistoffivethingsthatarefun;theotherwillmakealistoffivethingsthatareNOTfun.
Forexamplesomethingfunmightbe"ridingrollercoasters"andsomethingthatisnotfunmightbe"homework.
"(4)Eachgroupwillwriteitslistoffiveitemsonapieceofpaper(pointtopaper).
WhenPartIends,youwillplaceyourlistsonthetable.
Youwillbescored1-10pointsforthecreativityoftheitemsyouputoneachlist.
InPartII:(DonotreadtoteamuntilitcompletesPartI)(5)Youwillhave4minutestogiveresponses.
Speakloudlyandclearly.
Oncetimebeginsitwillnotbestopped.
Youshouldnotrepeataresponsethathasalreadybeengiven,andyouarenotallowedtoskipyourturn.
Ifonememberoftheteamisstuck,theteamisstuck.
(6)Youwillreceive1pointforeachcommonresponseand5pointsforeachcreativeresponse.
(7)Eachofyouhassevencards.
Youwilltaketurnsinorder.
Afteryougivearesponse,youwillplaceoneofyourcardsinthecontainer.
(8)YourprobleminPartIIistogivearesponsethatincludesoneitemfromeachlist.
Forexample,youmightsay,"Ican'tturninmyhomework,itfelloutofmypocketwhenIwasridingonrollercoasters.
"(9)PartIIwillbeoverwhentimeendsorwhenyouhaveusedallofyourcards.
(Repeatitemsinboldface.
Beginbysaying,"Irepeat.
")C.
FORJUDGESONLY:1.
Placetwosetsofpaperandpensonthetablefortheteamtousetowritethelists.
2.
Giveeachteammemberasetofsevenunnumberedcards.
Eachsetshouldbedifferentfromtheothers,suchasdifferentcolors,markedwithdifferentshapes,etc.
Makesureteammemberssurrenderacardaftereachturn.
3.
Placethecontainerwithinreachofallteammembers.
Makesureitislargeenoughtoholdall35cardsandthatithasanopeninglargeenoughtoacceptthecards.
4.
Besuretogiveexactly3minutesforPartI.
Warntheteamwhen1minuteandagainwhen30secondsremain.
Givetheteamexactly4minutesinPartII.
Studentsrespondingastimeendscanfinishandbescored.
5.
Score1pointforeachcommonresponseand5pointsforeachcreativeresponse.
6.
ExamplesofCommonResponses:Statementsthatdon'tmakesenseand/oraresentencefragmentsthatdon'tincludeamajorityofthewordsonthelist.
Statementsthathavelittleornoassociationbetweenthetwowords.
Basic/expectedstatementsthatsimplyusethetwowordswithoutaddingmuchdescription.
7.
ExamplesofCreativeResponses:Originalorhumorousstatements.
Theuseofhomonyms,doubleentendre,playsonwords,etc.
Unexpectedorhumorousconnections/associationsbetweenthewords.
Interestingdescriptionsthataddmorethanjustabasicstatement.
8.
Whenjudgingcreativityofthelists,considerthedetailinvolvedintheitems,weretheycommonorsomethinghumorousorunusualWeretheredescriptivewordsWeretheysimilaroreachonedifferentForexample,ifthelistwassimplyparties,icecream,movies,etc.
itwouldbecommon.
Acreativelistwouldbeapartyfornoreason,icecreamfordinner,andmoviesaboutme.
Verbal/Hands-OnSpontaneousProblem:CreationStationA.
Whentheteammembersentertheroom,tellthem,"Thisisaverbal/hands-onproblem.
"B.
JUDGEREADSTOTEAMS:(Donotreadmaterialinparentheses.
)(1)Thisisatwo-partproblem.
AfteryoucompletePartI,thejudgewillreadPartII.
InPartI,youwillhave5minutestodiscusstheproblemandwork.
Youareallowedtoaskthejudgesquestions;however,timewillcontinue.
Youwillbewarnedwhen1minuteandwhen30secondsremain.
(2)Therearefivestations,eachwithdifferentmaterials(pointtostations).
(3)Yourproblemistousematerialstomakesixcreations.
Youareallowedtoworkasyouwish.
(4)WhenPartIendsyouwillplacethesixcreationsonthistable(point).
(5)Youwillbescoredforthecreativeuseofmaterials(1-10points)andteamwork(1-10points).
(AfterreadingPartIaloud,repeatitemsinboldface.
Afterreadingboldfaceitemssay"BeginPartInow.
"Aftertheteammembersplacetheircreationsinthecenterofthetable,readPartII.
)(6)PartII:Youhave1minutetothinkand4minutestogiveresponses.
Youarenotallowedtotalktooneanother.
(7)Speakloudlyandclearly.
Oncetimebegins,itwillnotbestopped,evenifthejudgehasn'theardyourresponseandasksyoutosayitagain.
(8)Youshouldnotrepeataresponsethathasalreadybeengiven,andyoucannotskipyourturn.
Ifonememberoftheteamisstuck,theteamisstuck.
(9)Eachofyouhastencards.
Youwilltaketurnsinorderandmustusetwocardseachtime.
Whenitisyourturnyouwillplacecardsinfrontofthetwocreationsyouarerespondingto.
(10)Yourproblemistopickanytwoofthecreationsandsaysomethingthattheyhaveincommonorsomethingthatisdifferentaboutthem.
Forexampleyoucouldsay,"Theylookliketheyaremadeoftrash";or"Thisoneistallerthanthatone.
"(11)Youwillreceive1pointforeachcommonresponseand5pointsforeachcreativeresponse.
(12)Youwillbefinishedwhentimeendsorwhenyouhaveusedallofyourcards.
(Repeatitemsinboldface.
Beginbysaying,"Irepeat.
")C.
FORJUDGESONLY:1.
Makefive"stations"outofdesksorsmalltablesmarkedwithanumberfrom1through5.
Placethemnexttooneanother,afewfeetapart.
Placethefollowingitemsoneachstationasnoted:Station1:124-inchsheetaluminumfoil,3plasticstraws,1plasticcup,4rubberbands,4adhesivemailinglabels,blackmarker.
Station2:28"x11"sheetscoloredpaper,3paperclips,5cottonballs,4adhesivemailinglabels.
Station3:2unsharpenedpencils,1paperplate,4adhesivemailinglabels,3binderclips,redmarker.
Station4:2paperplates,4adhesivemailinglabels,6paperclips,4piecesofstring,12".
Station5:124-inchsheetaluminumfoil,3cottonballs,6piecesofstring,12",4adhesivemailinglabels,bluemarker3.
WhenPartIIbegins,giveeachteammemberasetoftencards(forfiveresponses).
Eachsetshouldbedifferentfromtheothers,suchasdifferentcolors,markedwithdifferentshapes,etc.
4.
Besuretogiveexactly5minutesforPartI.
Warntheteamwhen1minuteandagainwhen30secondsremain.
Givetheteamexactly1minutetothinkand4minutestorespondinPartII.
Teammembersrespondingastimeendscanfinishandbescored.
5.
Whenjudgingoverallcreativeuseofmaterialsconsideroriginality,multipleapplications,andtrialanderror.
WeretheitemschangedcompletelyDidtheitemscombinetoformsomethingunusualForhowwelltheteamworkstogether,considerhowteammembersshareproblemsolvingduties,howwelltheysharematerials,consultwithoneanother,createatheme,etc.
6.
InPartII,score1pointforeachcommonresponseand5pointsforeachcreativeresponse.
7.
ExamplesofCommonResponses:basicdescriptivestatementsaboutthecreations;statementsthatdonotmakesense;statementsthataresimilartoapreviousone;littletonoconnectingorseparatingthecreationsintheresponse.
8.
ExamplesofCreativeResponses:statementsthatshowateammemberisimaginative;statementsthatmakesenseandbuildonapreviousstatement;humorousstatements;puns;unusualresponses,humorousorinterestingconnectionsbetweenitems/separationbetweenitems.
Hands-OnSpontaneousProblem:TheLastStrawA.
Whentheteammembersentertheroom,tellthem,"Thisisahands-onproblem.
"B.
JUDGEREADSTOTEAMS:(Donotreadmaterialinparentheses.
)(1)Thisisatwo-partproblem.
InPartI,youwillhave5minutestodiscusstheproblemandcreateyoursolution.
Thejudgewillwarnyouwhen2minutesandwhen1minuteremains.
Youareallowedtoaskquestionsandtalktoeachotheratanytime.
InPartII,youwillhave1minutetotestyoursolution.
Thejudgewillwarnyouwhen30secondsandwhen10secondsremain.
(2)Therearetwobooksandmaterialsonthetabletousetocreateyoursolution(pointtobooksandmaterials).
Nothingelsecanbeusedandyoucannotchangethetapedarea.
(3)TherearecoinsthatyouwillusetotestyoursolutioninPartII(pointtocoins).
(4)Yourproblemistousethematerialstobuildabridgethatconnectsthebooksandsupportsasmanycoinsaspossible.
(5)Youareallowedtoplacethebooksanywhereonthetable,buttheymustremainoutsideoftheboundarylines(pointtoboundarylines).
(6)InPartI,youwillcreateyourbridge.
Thematerialscantouchonlythetopsofthebooksandeachother.
Youcanpracticeplacingthecoinsontoyourbridge,butwhenPartIends,youmustremovethem.
(7)InPartII,youwillplacethecoinsontoyourbridgeforscore.
Theycanrestonlyonthesectionbetweenthetwobooks(demonstratewithtwobooksandpointtoareabetween).
Thecoinsarenotallowedtobestackedontopofeachother.
Anycointhatisovertheredzone(pointtoredtapedsquare)willreceivedoublepoints.
Youmayadjustyourbridgeasneeded,buttimewillcontinue.
(8)YouwillbefinishedwhenPartIIends,whenallofthecoinsareplacedonthebridge,ifthebridgetouchesthetableorbecomesseparatedfromabook,orwhenyouasktobescored.
Onceyouarefinished,youarenotallowedtotouchyoursolution.
(9)Youwillbescoredasfollows:a.
Youwillreceive2pointsforeachinchofyourbridgebetweenthebooks.
b.
Youwillreceive3pointsforeachcointhatissupportedbythebridge.
c.
Youwillreceive6pointsforanycoinsupportedbythebridgethatisovertheredzone.
d.
Youwillreceive1to10pointsforthecreativityofyoursolution.
e.
Youwillreceive1to15pointsforhowwellyourteamworkstogether.
(Repeatitemsinboldface.
Beginbysaying,"Irepeat.
")C.
FORJUDGESONLY:1.
Useone5'tablewiththecentermarkedwithared6"x6"squareastheredzone.
Aroundthat,tapeawhite12"x12"squarethatwillserveastheboundaryline.
Placetwobooks(about8"wide)ofthesamesizeandthicknessonthetable.
Place15ofthesametypeofcoinsononetable.
2.
Beforetheteamenterstheroom,placethefollowingmaterialsonthetable:1"cubeofclay1paperplate1rubberband8drinkingstraws1Styrofoamcup,6-8oz.
2mailinglabels1paperclip1plasticspoon1indexcard5coffeestirrers10toothpicks3.
Besuretogiveexactly5minutesinPartI.
Remembertowarntheteamwhen2minutesandagainwhen1minuteremains.
Giveexactly1minuteinPartII.
Warntheteamwhen30secondsandagainwhen10secondsremain.
4.
Ifthebridgebreaksduringtestingorbecomesdisconnectedfromabook,theteamwillreceivescoreforthecoinsthatweresupporteduptothatpoint.
Takenoteofeachcoinastheteamplacesitonthestructure.
Teamswillreceiveeither3pointsor6pointsforthecoins,notboth.
5.
Whenjudgingcreativityofthesolution,assesstheteam'sstrategy,especiallyhowtheyusethematerialsandhowtheyplacethecoinsontothestructure.
Wasthererisk-takinginvolvedWhenscoringhowwelltheteamworkstogether,considertheextentthatallteammembersareinvolvedincomingupwithideas,workingonthebridge,placingtheitems,etc.