Arizona Odyssey of the Mind
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As parents,we want to help and encourage our children to grow and learn. If they get stuck with a problem, we often step in and help them solve that problem.

But in Odyssey of the Mind, the teams are 100% responsible for their solutions. They learn best when they complete tasks on their own and they develop a sense of pride and increased self-esteem when they go beyond what is expected.

To ensure that team members get the full benefits of participation, and to ensure fairness, team members must design and create all aspects of the problem solutions. Any input or suggestions from anyone other than a team member will be considered Outside Assistance and the team may be penalized at competition.

So how can you help as a parent? If you child asks your opinion (Should I paint this red or blue?), you can answer them with, "Which do you think will look the best?" Or, "What other ways can you think of to...".

Another way parents can help is by practicing spontaneous problems with your children. There is a list on the resources pages of this site with 100's of spontaneous problems. Practice a verbal problem while driving to and from school, soccer practice or around the dinner table. Encourage them to come up creative answers.

Your child's coach is volunteering their time to make Odyssey a positive experience for your child. Make sure you support them with whatever they need. Most teams divide up the cost of supplies, membership, etc. among the team members. Remember, most schools do not provide any funding or supplies to the teams.

The coach may ask parents to provide snacks or refreshments for team practices, or may ask parents to help with transporting props or team members to the tournament.

The day of the tournament is a hectic time for all. The coach will receive a schedule of when you child's team performs. The team will compete in 2 events -- spontaneous and long-term. Team members only are allowed in spontaneous. Parents, coaches and other spectators are not allowed. The long-term portion of competition is open to spectators. Please be sure to be at the competition site before the team's scheduled performance time. Once the performance begins, NO ONE will be admitted. We want each team to have the judge's undivided attention and not be distracted by people coming in during their performance. Please make sure grandparents, friends and any one else that might be coming is aware of the performance time and understands this.

For this reason, we will never start a performance before it's scheduled time. Some competition sites may be running behind schedule, but they will never be ahead of schedule.

Remember, the team is responsible for EVERYTHING about their solution. Some common tournament day mistakes we have seen in the past are parents helping with makeup or hair or sticking something that fell off a prop back on. This can be considered outside assistance. Parents are allowed to help carry props to and from the competition site.

Immediately following the team's performance, the judges will talk with the team members about how they solved the problem. Parents are not allowed in the performance area until the judges have finished. At that time, you can help remove the props from the competition site.

While it is rare, teams have been accessed Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalties based on the actions of coaches or parents. As the tournament director, I never want to penalize a team for the actions of adults if at all possible. Remember, judges, volunteers and tournament officials are all giving their time so you child can have the best experience possible.

One final thought. As an Odyssey parent, I can see in my grown children the benefits they received and the creative problem solving they learned from their time spent in Odyssey of the Mind. More so than any other extra-curricular activity they participated, Odyssey of the Mind has given them valuable skills they did not learn any where else. That's why I'm still involved after 18 years.