Region 13 Odyssey of the Mind Tournament Information

February 28, 2015 at Greenville Middle School

1321 Chase Rd, Greenville MI, 48838

Hello Coaches, Team Members and Odyssey of the Mind Supporters,

The following information will help you to prepare for the Region 13 Tournament to be held at Greenville Middle School on February 28, 2015, from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Teams and Spectators: Doors open at 7:00 am- Please allow us adequate time to set up for the day.

PARKING- PARKING is a challenge – you can help us by sharing the enclosed map and parking specifics with your team parents and fans who plan to attend!

Please park in the SOUTH lot at the Middle School (off of Hillcrest St./Blackburn St ( marked by bus icon on map)

Overflow parking will be at Greenville High School this is preferred!

It is a short walk on a sidewalk, so add the time to your schedule!

DO NOT PARK IN THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING - circle drive. This is for Officials and Prop Drop ONLY. Problems #3 and #5 as well as Primary will use this as a Prop Drop Entrance – Unloading ONLY!

Police will ticket cars in the circle drive.

Handicap marked cars will be allowed to park in the official lot on the west side of building.

SIGNAGE for Odyssey of the Mind specific information, room directions, restrooms, etc... will be posted on RED POSTERBOARD

BACKDROP! Hopefully this will help separate school postings from our tournament posts.

Team Registration- Registration desk located outside Caféteria, center of building.

Volunteer Registration - Volunteer assignment Desk located in front of Gym

Teams must register at the information desk prior to competing. Coaches should register their teams at the Information Desk at least 45 minutes before the team’s first performance.

In order to register, the coach must present:

A signed MEDIA RELEASE for all members of the team (including the coaches)

1)  Per coach – “Coaches Code of Conduct” form.

All forms including the above, can be found on Miodyssey.com – under coaches tab – coach forms

. Please have your team’s media release forms organized and ready to turn in at the information desk! Registration will take place at the Information Desk beginning at 7:00am. All teams must be registered by 2:00pm.

The registration packet will contain:

 Spontaneous Card (to be turned in at Spontaneous Registration)

 Team Member Participation Certificates

4 copies of the souvenir program, additional copies are available at the Registration desk, while they last!

Please be at your competition site at least 20 minutes ahead of your scheduled time.

PERFORMANCE SITES:

Problem #1- GYM

Problem #2- Room 216

Problem #3- 400 wing

Problem #4- Room 217

Problem #5- 300 wing

Primary- 100 Wing

Costuming Areas- Locker Rooms 219 and 420

Spontaneous Registration- Located in the 200 wing of the building

COMPETITION VIEWING- Competitions begin at 8:00 a.m. Supporters should arrive at the competition site at least 10 minutes before your scheduled time. If spectators are late they will miss the performance. Door Keepers are instructed not to let spectators in during a performance.. PLEASE make sure you share a map of the school with any ‘team fans” with clear information to help assure happy and timely supporters! ( see attachment)

No one is allowed to view Spontaneous performances.

COSTUMING- Girls and Boys Locker Rooms will be available for ALL changing and costuming of team members and access will be restricted to team members only. Team members are prohibited from changing and costuming in the restrooms- this includes hair and makeup.

Primary teams only-a coach or parent will be allowed to accompany same-gender students into the locker room as needed for supervision.

PROP DROPS- PROP DROP AREAs will be designated with signs for each problem. Please do not leave vehicles unattended in the Prop Drop Zones. Please respect all of our teams and their hard work by not touching any props that don't belong to you that are sitting in the hallways or pre-staging areas. Teams should remove props from the building at the conclusion of their performance. Prop disposal is not allowed at Greenville Public Schools. You must take out what you bring in.

SPORTSMANSHIP -Sportsmanship is extremely important in Odyssey of the Mind. Please discuss thoroughly with your team(s) and parents that they are representing their local school district and positive and/or negative behavior by one member will reflect on all. Region 13 expects respectful behavior from all participants and spectators. Officials may issue sportsmanship penalties to individuals and teams based upon behaviors. In keeping with the Spirit of the Program, we need to keep in mind that although only some teams emerge as champions, all participating teams are winners. Enjoy the day by watching and cheering for all teams.

TEAM NAMETAGS-All team members and coaches are required to wear a nametag throughout the entire competition and awards ceremony (with the exception of the time you are doing your long term performance.) Nametags should have the following information on them: Participate name, membership name and number.

SCORES- Coaches should pick up their Long Term Raw Scores 30 minutes after the performance from the designated judge at your performance site. A check mark on the schedule poster outside your LT performance site will indicate when your team score is available. This will also include Style scores. Spontaneous Scores will not be given, but you may check the website for all your scores, including spontaneous, after the awards ceremony has concluded. Please review your Program Guide on procedures regarding Long Term score questions.

SPONTANEOUS-Teams should report to SPONTANEOUS REGISTRATION 20 minutes before their scheduled performance time. Teams will be asked to present their spontaneous card (found in registration packet) when they check in. Only teams going to and from the spontaneous rooms are allowed in the spontaneous areas. If a judge does not accompany you into these areas, please do not enter them. If a team feels that a serious problem has occurred during their Spontaneous, they are not to talk to the coach about it, but may go to the Registration Desk and ask to see the Spontaneous Problem Captain. Only one coach (or coaches’ designee) may accompany the team to the spontaneous holding room. Cell phones, cameras, Ipods and all other electronic devices will not be allowed in the spontaneous area.

FORMS- Teams Competing should have the following ready to present to the Pre-Staging Area Judges: Please remember to keep an extra set of forms. Copies handed in will not be handed back. There is no copy machine on site. All forms can be found on Miodyssey.com – under coaches tab – coach forms

q Style Forms ( 4)

q Material Value (Cost) Form (1)

q Outside Assistance Form (1)

q List as detailed in problem (4)

q Any problem clarifications that your team sent

Optional : labeled team photo

If you have any questions regarding these items or forms, please consult your Odyssey of the Mind Program Guide that came in your membership packet, or can be found online or check with your district coordinator.

JUDGING-Judging is a critical phase of our competition. Please remind those in attendance that our judges have all been through a training session and certified to judge the problem to which he/she has been assigned. Many of our judges have judged at previous regional, state and international competitions and all the judges are volunteers. Please be respectful. Teams will not be allowed to compete if they have not registered a judge representative.

VOLUNTEERS -During the day we utilize the help of many volunteers. Please make sure that your team’s volunteer shows up for their assigned time. All volunteers are required to sign in and out at the Volunteer/Information Desk before reporting to their designated area. The volunteer schedule can be accessed through the www.miodyssey.com website under regional tournaments. The volunteer schedule will be published on Monday Feb 23rd.

Teams will not be allowed to compete if they have not registered a volunteer representative.

SOUVENIRS- Odyssey of the Mind Souvenirs will be open 9am until 3 pm during the day in the sales area (located in the cafeteria.) There are many items to choose from at a range of prices. Check it out early, certain items sell out quickly!

FOOD- Concessions will be available in the MS Cafeteria from 8:00am until 3:30pm. FOOD AND BEVERAGES ARE RESTRICTED TO THE CAFETERIA AREA. Sack lunches must be eaten in the cafeteria area. All teams bringing food in MUST take it to the cafeteria and keep it there! Please be respectful of the cafeteria area. This is a public area where many people need to eat throughout the day. Do not leave coats or supplies in the cafeteria. You may bring table decorations if you desire but remove them when you are done with the table! We should not have teams or spectators monopolizing the public use area. Thank you!

TEAM SUPERVISION- Teams should be supervised at all times throughout the day. One of the biggest expenses is the use and clean up of the competition site. Please deposit all trash in proper containers. If you see trash on the floor, please take the time to pick it up and deposit it in the trash containers. Prop disposal is not allowed at Greenville Public Schools. You must take out what you bring in.

SECURITY is difficult when large numbers of persons are involved. Please encourage your team members to leave valuables locked in cars. We are not responsible for lost or stolen items.

LOST AND FOUND- items will be taken to the Information/Registration Area outside of the cafeteria. Items will be kept for 4 days only.

TRADING- NO LIVE ANIMALS, SODA, FOOD ITEMS OR SILLY STRING ALLOWED

Trading will begin once the Tournament Director has set up the Main GYM for Awards and as close to 4:30pm as possible. Team members are encouraged to bring trading items to trade with team members from other schools. These should be of nominal value and novelty-type items. Typical trading items include key chains, posters, Frisbees, note pads, magnets, pom-poms, and other novelty type items. Teams bring their own trading items. Some of the items can be donated by various local businesses or from the schools and parents. Trading is not allowed in the halls or competition sites during the tournament. Teams are asked to not leave any trading related trash. Please have the kids pick up after themselves.

AWARDS CEREMONY- The awards ceremony will take place in the Gym as close to 5:00 p.m. as possible. At the ceremony, the OMERs awards, Ranatra Fusca awards, and first six places will be announced with the top three teams entering the stage area for medal presentations. When a team will be advancing to state finals that will be announced as

“ and moving on to state finals…”

We ask teams ( specifically div 2 and 3 teams) to move enthusiastically forward to receive awards!

Please remind parents, supporters and team members that there is a NO SMOKING policy on all school district property.

ADVANCING TEAMS FORMULA
# of Competing Teams
(per problem/division) / Places Advancing to State Finals
1-7 / 1st & 2nd
8 – 15 / 1st, 2nd, & 3rd
16+ / 1st, 2nd, 3rd, & 4th

Any team receiving a Rantra Fusca award will automatically advance.

Communicating the above info, school map and specifics of the day with your team parents and fans is KEY to the success of our tournament! Please make every effort to share the parking information and the school maps!!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to seeing your team at the tournament!

The winning is in the DOING – enjoy the day, celebrate the process! Don’t get too caught up in the final awards. The coach sets the tone for the team when it comes to advancing or not! Let’s keep our focus correct!

Creatively,

Linda Blackmore, your Region 13 Director J