Coaches

So, you’ve decided to (or are thinking about) coaching an Odyssey of the Mind team. It is coaches like you who make this entire program possible. You will be meeting with your team a few times a week for the next several months to prepare for a long competition day consisting of an 8-minute long-term skit and a spontaneous problem that they will only have a few short minutes to solve. We want to thank you in advance for your hard work and commitment to your teams!

If you have coached before, then you know exactly what you are getting into. For those of you who are new to Odyssey of the Mind, don’t panic. This web site contains resources that will be important for you as your team prepares their solution. Be sure to check the sidebar on the right side of the page for important deadlines, training opportunities, and tournament dates. Take some time to look through the information here and on the Resources page, and if you have any questions, please contact our school coordinator liaisons.

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2024 Region 9/Region 12 Tournament Results

Congratulations to all of the teams that competed at our 2024 NOVA North/NOVA South Tournament!  See the final results for Region 12 and for Region 9.  Note that each problem and division is on a separate page. All first-place teams are invited to compete at the Virginia State Tournament on April 6 at Tuscarora  High …

2024 Registered Teams

Please see below the list of teams that have officially registered for the 2024 NoVA North & South Regional Tournament. If you have any questions regarding your registration or the tournament, please contact our Tournament Director. More information will be posted on the Regional Tournament event page as it becomes available. You can click the …

2024 Tournament Schedule

Problem Division Number Region Name Coach Longt Time Spont Time Tournament Helper 1 I 42145 9 WESTBRIAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL katie [Dulaney] 12:50 PM 2:05 PM 10:30 AM 1 I 30642 9 SPRING HILL ELEMENTARY SCH A Ramanujan [Jagannathan] 1:10 PM 3:20 PM 1:40 PM 1 II 29184 12 SANGSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL A Jennifer [Healy] 12:30 …

Office Hours 2023-2024 – A Resource for Coaches

Amy Montie, a long-time coach, is holding a biweekly series of on-line meetings on Thursday evenings from 7:30-8:30 pm. These will consist of a presentation on various coaching topics followed by Q&A for any issues coaches might have.  The dates and topics are listed below.  The link for the meetings is https://meet.google.com/zzu-zruw-dts.   A reminder will …

T-shirt Orders for the Regional Tournament

The T-shirt design for the 2024 tournament is here! (Note: this is the logo superimposed on a picture of a T-shirt, not an actual finished T-shirt.) The cost is $18 for all sizes up to adult X-large; XX-large is $20 and XXX-large is $22.  You will need to compute your total cost. The last day …

Regional Tournament Registration

***REGIONAL TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION IS CLOSED*** If you have any concerns, please contact our Tournament Director. First read through this entire page and then click the link at the bottom to register. Before you begin the registration process, you MUST have all of the information listed below. Otherwise, you will be forced to start the entire …

Volunteer Opportunities

Spread the Volunteering Opportunities Around Odyssey of the Mind is totally operated by volunteers. As a coach, you will be involved for the entire season (as will the NOVA North Board members). But putting on the Regional Tournament can only be accomplished through the efforts of many more volunteers. We will need a minimum of …

Team Logistics

One of a coach’s most important roles is managing their team. Part of that role is creating a schedule of practices and setting goals for your team throughout the year. Before the First Meeting Be sure that you have read this season’s Odyssey of the Mind Program Guide (a link to it is available on the Resources …

Information for New Coaches

The information provided on this site will get you started, but there is so much more than we could possibly write here! We STRONGLY recommend that you attend the Coaches Training that we hold in the fall. More information about this and other events can be found under “Important Events” on the right. Additional coaching tips and the Virginia Coaches Handbook …

Outside Assistance

Outside assistance is one of the trickiest aspects of Odyssey of the Mind for coaches. It can be very confusing trying to figure out what is outside assistance and what is not. Our general advice is, when in doubt, assume it is outside assistance. However, if team members are ever putting themselves or others in danger, PLEASE DO step in…without …

Balsa Teams

Building Your Own Tester Base The instructions below are instructions with a parts list of how to build your own structure tester base for the balsa problem. If you have any questions, please contact our Balsa Problem Captain. How to build a crusher 2017 Another resource can be found at: Instructions for Building Your Own …

Coach FAQs

Please review our list of frequently asked questions for Odyssey coaches. Click on the links below to view the questions in each category. If your question isn’t answered here, please contact our school coordinator liaisons.