It’s tournament season. Here’s what you need to know!
Each Qualifying Tournament will have its Schedule and Map posted and sent to the coach email listed on the tournament registration. Printed copies of the schedule and the map are no longer handed out in a packet. Print them ahead of time or use digital copies on your phone through the NorCal website or Odyssey of the Mind WebApp.
The WebApp is a bookmark, not an app in an app store. Directions on how to download and use the app are HERE.
Arrive Early to Everything
It is suggested to arrive approximately one hour before the team’s earliest time on the Tournament Schedule. Some teams will have the LT time before Spont, some teams will have the Spont time before LT. This will allow for delays due to traffic or finding a parking space.
Coaches, check in at the Registration Table (marked on the map) as soon as you arrive to pick up participation pins and the team’s Spont ticket. Coaches – keep this Spont Ticket with you! Your team needs this ticket to check into the Spont Competition.
Long Term: The team will need to check-in at the Staging Area, located just outside the problem venue 20 minutes prior to the LT time on the schedule. This is where the team turns in their paperwork.
Spont: The team will need to check-in at the Spont Check-in Table 15 minutes prior to their Spont time. They will show the Spont ticket but hold onto it and give it to the judge who escorts the team to their room.
Audience: If the LT problem is running on schedule, the doors will close at the LT starting time and remain closed during the team’s performance. If family members arrive late, they will not be allowed inside while the performance is in progress. All family and friends should know the problem number and time that the team is performing. This will help them find the location on the map. And they should get seated early.
Packing & Unloading
Make a checklist of team supplies. Know who is responsible for bringing each supply. Remember to pack a Repair Kit / Bag. What tools will you need if something breaks on the way to the tournament? There will often be Loading and Unloading areas near the Check-in / Registration entrance. The team should work together to unload before their performance time and help reload after their performance. Vehicles may not remain parked or unattended in these loading areas.
No Outside Assistance PLEASE!
The team is responsible to reassemble set pieces or repair anything that was damaged during travel. The team is responsible for applying their make-up, styling hair, adjusting costumes, etc. Please do not allow parents to help the team or the team may receive an Outside Assistance penalty.
Parents can help move the supplies from vehicles to the Staging Area or team meeting location. With the team’s permission, adults may even help move supplies from the outside Staging Area inside to the Starting Position which will be on one side of the Performance Area.
Do Your Best – The LT Performance
The Timer/Announcer will meet the team in the Starting Position to one side of the Performance Area. They can answer questions if the team has any, show the team where the three-prong outlet is located, etc. They will introduce the team and ask, “Team, are you ready?” The team can give an enthusiastic YES or come up with a short response that might have something to do with their solution. When the Timer/Announcer says, “Team you may begin,” the team should move their supplies out into the Performance Area and begin their performance.
Speaking With Judges: The team has 8 minutes to present their solution. It is okay to end early. In some problems, time will be called at 8 minutes and all activity must stop. In some problems, teams receive an Over the Time Limit penalty up to 9 minutes and then time is called. The judges will come up after the performance to look at the team’s creations more closely and find out more about the items the team made.
Clean up: Parents may help move supplies after the team speaks with the judges. Make sure the floor is clean for the next performance. Bring your own cleaning supplies.
Get Your Team’s Raw LT Scores: Coaches will usually receive a text message from the Head Judge when the LT scores are ready to be picked up. Please return to the LT site and speak with the Head Judge soon after receiving that text message or about 30-60 minutes after your team’s performance. The Head Judge will explain any penalties or scores of zero for not completing something correctly. Coaches have 30 minutes to return if they disagree with a penalty or score of zero. Subjective scores cannot be argued or changed. The Head Judge will give the coach Positive Notes from the judges about what they enjoyed in the team’s performance. Be sure to share these with the team. If the team advances, you can look more closely at the raw scores and the team can figure out ways to try and improve any low scores.
Spont scores are not handed out.
Enjoy Watching Other Team’s Creativity
It’s amazing how different each solution is within the same problem! See other problems and see what new skills you might want to learn for next year! Most importantly, be a good sport. If you can’t say anything nice about another team’s performance, don’t say anything at all. It is also against the rules to take ideas from this year’s teams’ solutions and use them in your solution if your team advances.
Awards Ceremony & Final Scores
A slideshow of teams attending the tournament will be shown before the start of the Awards Ceremony. Coaches can send 1-3 pictures of the team to photos@norcalodyssey.org by the Wednesday before the tournament to be included in the slideshow. This year we are encouraging Problem 5 teams to show off their “rocking” costumes and hairstyles in a quick parade at the start of the Awards Ceremony. Final scores will be posted on the NorCal website later that evening or early the following morning. This is where you can see how well the team did with the Spontaneous problem.
