Virginia Odyssey Into Creativity ExplorationS)
   VA ODYSSEY OF THE MIND™  

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------VOICES MESSENGER

January/February 2006   

Nancy Ragland, Assoc. Director                                      Editor: Elaine Haley

5009 Ox Rd, Fairfax, VA 22030                                       voiceslistens@gmail.com                                              

     I know your delightful solutions are well underway by now, and all of the Voices officials are eagerly anticipating getting a chance to see them at regional tournaments. In case any one needs inspiration to reach the finish line, let me offer a few resources.

     I know some of our coaches and judges are chiming in on the VAODYSSEY group that is exchanging emails about problems and questions that arise. If you are not part of this, sign up at the state website at va.odysseyofthemind.org or drop an electronic note to our web wizard Vonnie Boitnott at boitnott@cox.net. She will get you connected with the group so you can post a question and get answers back from experienced coaches, judges, and officials. Just remember when using this great service, that outside assistance rules still apply, so be cautious about how specific you make your questions and answers.

     Don’t forget that the national web site, odysseyofthemind.com It has wonderful information and links to other state sites as well. You can find the current clarifications for your problem by clicking on the member area. KEEP CHECKING THESE BEFORE YOUR PERFORMANCE, UP TO AND INCLUDING ALL TOURNAMENTS YOU MAY ATTEND, INCLUDING STATE FINALS AND WORLDS FINALS. You may browse for suggestions on spontaneous problem practice too. Many states list spontaneous problems for team practice, so you might want to click them if you’re out of ideas. There is even an OoTM store where you can purchase Odyssey themed items.

     I just can’t say this often enough, make sure everyone has read the Program Guide, because you can’t solve the problem without the very helpful information found on these pages. Look through those stacks of paper your local director has given you and make sure you have a copy. If not, give them a call or email right away.

ONE MORE TIME

Here are the dates for your rapidly approaching tournaments.

Region 1 Southside                          March 4, Charlotte MS

Region 4 Piedmont                           March 11, Franklin County HS

Region 6 Peninsula                           Feb 25, Menchville HS

Region 8 Nova East                          March 11, Hayfield Secondary

Region 10 Rappahannock                March 4, Atlee HS

Region 13 Nova West                       March 4, Falls Church HS

Region 15 Northwest                        March 4, Broad Run HS

VIRGINIA STATE FINALS - APRIL 8, Woodside HS, Newport News

World Finals May 24-27 Iowa State University in Ames

Judges Training

If any regions out there have their full complement of judges already don’t rejoice too soon, because they still must be certified in order to perform most of the judging tasks. The training time for your region is listed below, but if you’re seeing this for the first time and want to judge, please contact the person indicated. We always have room for smiling volunteers both at regional and state levels. For those of you who have only judged regionals, consider bumping it up to the next level this year and join us at the State Tournament. Sign up by filling out an online application on the state web site at vaodysseyofthemind.org or contact Jim Bell jim@batten.bell.com.

IMAGINE THIS

Tournament day has finally arrived and everyone is exhausted, exhilarated, and nervous. This is the day you’ve been working toward and you’re not sure you’re quite ready. A little early planning is in order so you will show up in staging calm, cool, and collected. Have a final sit down with the team a week or so before to reread the problem, especially checking the last page for, Style form, what the team must provide, and the glossary, if you don’t already know this by heart. Here are some topics you might want to think about.

STYLE. One of the biggest and most correctable problems encountered in staging is an inaccurate or missing Style Form. Please, please, read what choices you must have on this form. You must use the three choice that are listed in your problem, the last one always being overall effect, but you have two FREE CHOICE OF TEAM decisions to make. You will have to look over the wonderful things you have created and pick two elements you want the judge to score. You may not pick something that is already being judged in long term, and be sure you pick what you believe is your best idea or prop to be judged. Style judges can only score what you put on your sheet!

ELECTRICITY? Now you know the tournament director will make sure you have access to an electrical outlet, but be sure to bring any necessary extension cords. Don’t bring so much that everyone gets tangled, the outlet is usually within a short distance of the performance area.

PAPER! Do you have one team member who remembers everyone’s schedule, always has homework turned in on time or even early, and reminds everyone to show up for team practice? You are really lucky! Please put that person in charge of paperwork on tournament day. We love these super organizers who show up with the required three (count them, 3) copies of their Style Form, one Materials Value Form, one Outside Assistance Form, and all team specific clarifications. There are individual paperwork requirements for each individual problem too, so don’t neglect to have your eager Omer sharpen their pencil for these critical pieces of parchment.

Problem 1, The Great Parade, specifies 3 copies of The List, as described in B, 12, Problem 2, Tech Transfer, specifies 3 copies of The List, as described in B, 15

Problem 3, Ancient Egypt, specifies 3 copies of The List as described in B, 11

Problem 4, Geometry Structure, needs no lists, but requires safety glasses for team

Problem 5, The Jungle Bloke, specifies 3 copies of The List described in B, 12

       AND documentation of the animals as described in B, 11   

Primary Problem, Space Trek, only requires a list, but none of the other forms.

PS. Make sure your straw boss gets you to the staging at least 15 minutes before the performance.

PLAYBILLS? PICTURES? Playbills are not required, but if you want to make one, that’s fine. Just make sure you don’t hand it out to the audience before the performance starts. A team member must do this only after “begin” is announced. If you want the long term or style judges to have one, just give them to the staging judge and they will distribute them. You might want to remember the time constraints the judges are under, and the pieces of paper they already have to review, and keep your playbill brief. A team picture is nice because it helps judges quickly recall that great prop or special costume.

KEEP IT CLEAN Please note that each problem instructs team members to bring cleaning supplies to make sure the next team has the same clean surface to work on as your team did. A team should know without being told that they need to clean up any messes they make. Goodness, you might want to start that habit early, then the judges won’t have to remind members that they need to pick up all their glitter and feathers before they exit the stage. Please remember these tidy habits when you are in the halls, bathrooms, and prop storage areas of the tournament site. We want to leave nothing but good memories behind.

THE COACHES CORNER

Some of the “old” coaches, and judges, for that matter, look like they could have just graduated from high school, and others are, well, young at heart. Many of them have passed information along over the years that they have found helpful and they have many ideas to share. It’s not too late to try something new. Let me offer a few hints that have been shared by folks just like you.

Learn how to delegate!  - This is a problem for students to solve, so don’t wear yourself out and deprive them of the opportunity to learn time management, teamwork, and the joy of knowing they did it themselves.

Establish ground rules. – Students need and want to know what the limits are. Keep it simple, and let them take the lead in setting the rules they will follow.

Practice spontaneous often – Starting every meeting with a cool new problem is easier than cramming the week before the competition. It gets the creative juices flowing and often sparks a new look at a long-term puzzle they have been trying to put together.

Videotape the solution along the way. – Playback of a video is a simple way for students to critique their own skills and impact on an audience. A picture really is worth a thousand words.

Make sure everyone has a role – So, you have one great artist who had taken charge of the scenery, props, and costumes. The others are milling around watching, feeling that their input is not as valuable, and they are occasionally causing discipline problems. Some of the best costumes I’ve ever seen required only a few stitches, or none at all. Some of the most amazing props are 90% creativity and 10% skill. Have a team meeting and ask if they have any ideas that might take some pressure off the busy teammate.

If you have done your job well you will have the reward of seeing the unlimited imaginations of students who feel free to color outside of the lines. When you assist them in carrying their props into the competition, you will not even be tempted to pick up that screwdriver to help, because you will have the certainty of knowing that they can do as good or better a job repairing that prop than you can. If you are tempted, just put your hands in your pockets. Do remember to put on your game face when they perform too. Your job is over when you sit down in the designated coaches chair, so no help from the sidelines, even if you do have the script memorized.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR GEOMETRY STRUCTURE

Teams working on solutions to Geometry Structure should be aware that in order to comply with Limitation B.6.b and General Clarification #6, they may need to purchase or borrow a micrometer accurate to .001 inches, in order to accurately measure to .130 and .120 inches. These measurements will be checked at the State Finals tournament

THIS JUST IN…

NO fog machines, weapons or reasonable facsimiles will be allowed at any tournament, including regional and state finals.  If you show up at a Virginia tournament with an item not allowed at your performance site you will not be allowed to use it, even if you have a private clarification from CCI to the contrary. If you have any question about an item you are planning to use, ask your regional director or local school coordinator.

 

HUMM? WHERE CAN I FIND A BIT OF EXTRA CASH FOR COLLEGE?

If you have ever been on an Odyssey team and you are a Junior or Senior you are eligible to apply for a 4 year $500 scholarship to help out with college expenses. The application deadline is MARCH 30, and you may get a paper form by going to the vaodysseyofthemind.org website,  through your local coordinator, or from JoAnn Marshall who is RD in Region 10. You should submit the completed application to her care of Louisa County M.S, PO Box 448, Mineral, VA 23117

EDUCATORS, WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH THE MICROSOFT OoTM PROJECT

I am quoting this directly from our odysseyofthemind.com website.

      “ Thanks to Microsoft generosity, Odyssey of the Mind will be starting a new               project that will emphasize creativity in the classroom. Integrating Odyssey of the Mind Teaching Strategies into the Classroom project will enhance the way students are taught in order to allow them to meet their intellectual potential.”

     This project has far some wonderful long-term payback implications, which you can read about on the web. What you can do to make these educational benefits a reality is spend a few minutes of your time to take an online survey you can find on the front page of our national website as listed above.

INSPIRATION

In checking out a few state web sites I found a wonderful story on the Arizona site. The question is “Why is Odyssey of the Mind like an Apollo space shot? If you’re curious, and I know you are, find the answer at http://www.azodyssey.org/ApolloStory.htm