Thank you for your interest in Odyssey of the Mind. Please complete the following application form. (Please complete a separate form if you have more than one child who wishes to apply.)
Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving program for kids. It is a hands-on learning experience for students in Grades 3/4 who enjoy working on a team and being challenged. OotM is an incredible experience; it is also a commitment for your child and your family. Once teams are selected and start practicing, there will be a short window of time in which you may change your mind about participating. After that, the team cannot add another team member without being penalized and losing points.
Also, please take into consideration your child’s schedule. OotM begins with one day a week, but as the tournament gets closer, many teams choose to add more optional practices in order to prepare for the big day. As much as we would love a team for every child, each team must have at least one coach in order to participate. Please do not hesitate to ask questions.
Online registration will stay open until Nov. 4
Each OotM team consists of a maximum of seven members and must have at least one coach. Each team is also required to make certain contributions to the Colorado tournaments in order to provide the best experience for all teams; therefore, each team is required to have a judge and a volunteer in order to register for tournaments. Please read the descriptions below to see if you are interested in volunteering.
Coach: Coaches are more like facilitators than traditional coaches. As a coach, you will organize meetings, communicate and organize parents, help the team brainstorm resources and ideas, delegate outside meetings for kids to work on different aspects of the problems, and facilitate the general needs of the team. You do not need past experience. You do need patience and organizational skills. You will need to be available for a mandatory coaches training. If you volunteer to coach, your child can be on your team if you choose.
Co-Coach: If you want to share coaching responsibilities with another coach, this is a great option. The same description of coach above applies. Most coaches choose this option.
Judge: Each team must provide a judge. The judge must available for the Regional Tournament and State Tournament should your team advance. The judge needs to complete a mandatory training. Although the judge will have other opportunities to see their child perform, they will not be able to watch their child the day of the tournament(s). The judge does not have to be a parent but must be 18 or older. They may be a sibling, grandparent, friend of the family, sitter, etc. People who volunteered to judge in the past have enjoyed the experience and liked learning more about the OotM process. Although not guaranteed a spot, if you volunteer to be a judge, your child will move up the list in priority to be on a team.
Team Volunteer: Each team is required to provide a volunteer. The volunteer must be available the day of the tournament(s) to help with various tournament needs (i.e. team check in, souvenir table, etc.) Volunteers are able to select an area of interest to volunteer and do not have to complete any training. The volunteer must be 18 or older and does not have to be a parent. This is probably the easiest way to help your team.
Please check the position(s) below for which you would like to volunteer.
Below, please mark your child's days of availability. Choosing more than one option will open more opportunities with more teams. Please
remember that practice will most likely start in late October/early November and will extend through the spring. It is important to think about your winter and spring schedules as well as your current schedule. Days and times of the meetings will be determined by the coaches’ schedules.
