11/9/10 - Coaches update

Post by Gloria Rumberger, regional director

Dear Coaches,

Welcome to a new year of Odyssey of the Mind. It's time to register for the NEPA Regional Tournament on March 5, 2011, (snow date: March 12) at Pocono Mountain West HS.
If you have not done so as yet, be sure to submit the regional registration fee of $100 in a check made payable to NEPA Odyssey of the Mind by January 15, 2011. Send the check directly to our treasurer:

Doug Millard
RD2 Box 570
Dingmans Ferry, PA 18328

Remember, the fee is per membership, not per team. If you can submit your membership fee by December 14, 2010, you can take advantage of the Early Bird Discount and pay just $80.00 per membership. If the fee is not received by January 15, it increases to $150. If you need an invoice to submit to your school to request funds for regional registration, please send an e-mail (grumberger@nepaootm.com) with that request, and we'll send that to you.

From this point forward, all coaches (and once they've been determined, your judges) should be checking in to our regional website on a regular basis. Starting in January, you should be checking our website at least once a week, and as we get closer to our major regional events (Judges' Training on February 5 and the Regional Tournament on March 5), you should be checking in even more frequently.

Teams must provide the following judges:

Long-term judges – one per team
Spontaneous judges – one for every two teams from a given district
Score room judges – at least one per district

It is vital that we have the judge's contact information, not the coach's on the Judge's Registration.

Each coach is responsible for providing copies of the general program rules (from the Program Guide) and the particular long-term problem to each of the judges representing the team. Both documents are available via the Members' Area of the Odyssey of the Mind website. Each judge should have read through his/her particular long-term problem and the general program rules before coming to training and should bring those copies along to NEPA Judges' Training on February 5, 2011 at Abington Heights Middle School. It is mandatory that all judges (even score room judges) attend training. 25 penalty points will be assessed at competition to teams without properly trained judging representation.

Additionally, we are in need of a certain number of untrained volunteers to provide a short amount of service time on competition day. If you have others who can help, please have them register via the judge's registration link and also send me an e-mail with their contact information. It takes an incredible amount of manpower to make this incredible program work for our kids.

As we get closer to competition, we'll be sharing more information and reminders. It is essential that you frequently check our regional website for updates nepaootm.com.

Good luck as your season progresses. I'm looking forward to seeing you soon.

All the best,
Gloria Rumberger

P.S. Don't forget to plan ahead for the successive levels of competition - State Finals - April 9 at Williamsport Area High School and World Finals - May 27-30 at the University of Maryland.

11/9/10 - Judges and tournament officials update

Post by Gloria Rumberger, regional director

Dear Tournament Official,

Thank you for volunteering to officiate at this year's Northeast Pennsylvania Odyssey of the Mind Regional Tournament. The offering of your time and talents is going to make an incredible learning experience possible for the children of our region.

Your responsibilities to your team include educating yourself about your team's problem, participating in NEPA Judges' Training Feb. 5, 2011 (snow date: February 12) at Abington Heights Middle School, and officiating at the NEPA Odyssey of the Mind Regional Tournament on March 5, 2011 (snow date: March 12). Additionally, you may be asked to officiate at the State Finals (April 9, 2011 at Williamsport Area High School) if your team advances to that level.

The team you are representing should have provided you with copies of your particular long-term problem and the general program rules. Please be sure to read through both (multiple times, even, please) before coming to training. Also, please be sure to bring those copies along to NEPA Judges' Training at Abington Heights Middle School. Remember, the better you're prepared for Judge's Training, the shorter the training session will be.

It is mandatory that all judges attend training. 25 penalty points will be assessed at competition to teams without properly trained judging representation. Your team is expecting you to fill one of these roles: Long-term, Spontaneous, Score room, or General Volunteer. If you have any questions at all about which role you will be filling, please clarify that with the coach you are serving.

From this point forward, you should be checking in to our regional website on a regular basis. Starting in January, you should be checking the website at least once a week, and as we get closer to our major regional events (Judges' Training on February 5 and the Regional Tournament on March 5), we'll be sharing more information and reminders. It's essential that you frequently check the website for updates nepaootm.com.

Thanks again for offering to officiate at this year's tournament. I'm looking forward to seeing you soon.

All the best,
Gloria Rumberger

3/4/10 - More Tournament information

Post by Gloria Rumberger, regional director

Dear Odyssey Friends,

I know we're all scrambling now to wrap up for Saturday's tournament. This year has been a particularly trying one for many teams due to weather cancellations, but take heart. The kids will still amaze all of us with what they bring to competition.

Now, for some last-minute information and reminders. First of all, registration opens at 8:00 near the main entrance of the building. You must turn in your signed Coach’s Contract to pick up your registration packet. There are three important tickets for your team that will be found in the registration packet. One will admit you to long-term, one to spontaneous, and one will get you your score packet at the end of the night, after the awards assembly. Please be sure to keep those tickets safe.

Only spectators should enter the building at the front entrance, off lot A. Teams with their props and scenery should proceed around the building to the left to the appropriate entrance for their particular problems. The order of the entrances is shown in the following table:


C Lot
1
Nature Trail'R
Vehicle

4
Column Structure
Structure


2
Return to the Gift of Flight
Technical


6
Surprise Party
Primary


B Lot
3
Hidden Treasures
Classics

5
Food Court
Theatrical


Once again, we are being fed very well in the PMWHS cafeteria. Take a look at the menu to see. Made-to-order omelets, trattoria pizza, deli sandwiches, and mousse tarts are just a few of their delectable offerings. Yum! It’s almost worth coming just to take advantage of the caf! Breakfast will be available from 7:30 to 10:30, lunch from 11:00 to 4:30, and prepackaged snacks will be available all day.

I can’t stress enough the importance of reading the Coach’s Contract and reviewing its points with your teams and supporters. I’d particularly like to remind everyone of the importance of keeping all food and drink in the cafeteria, keeping the walkways safe and clear, and loading all materials back onto vehicles as soon as possible after the team’s long-term performance.

Entertainment will begin in the gym at 3:30 and will last ‘til 4:30, when the awards assembly itself will start. Everyone should have a seat in the stands. No one will be allowed to sit on the gym floor. Wait ‘til you see what Ryan and his crew have for us this year. Along with his jumbotron slideshow, you can expect some videos from this year’s performances. And get this. Our awards assembly will be sent out online as a live webcast. Anyone who cannot attend will be able to share live in the excitement via our website, www.nepaootm.com.

Please remember, we are prepared to show respect and good sportsmanship to all other competitors, coaches, judges, media, audience members, and tournament officials. All performers, speakers, and award recipients deserve a respectful audience. We will not leave our places before the last award is presented and the assembly is dismissed.

As you meet with your team members and pack your trucks, please put this last request out to your supporters, particularly those who are not already serving as judges. We can still use some help with some very easy jobs that require no previous training. Anyone who can donate an hour to help should please stop in at the registration desk. They will be greatly appreciated.

See you Saturday. Break a leg!

Gloria

P.S. I also wanted to give you a heads-up on what we're doing with the regional scholarship. For many years now, we have been conducting collections at the regional tournament to benefit the state scholarship. Our regional board now has the power to channel these funds to one of our own. To that end, we have instituted the Karl R. Schneck, Jr. Memorial Scholarship.

Karl Schneck dedicated himself to the Odyssey of the Mind program. As a coach, regional co-director, state problem captain, and world finals official, he embodied the spirit of creativity and positive attitude that kindles Odyssey of the Mind.

To reward students who think outside the box while solving problems in OotM and in every day life and to honor his memory, we are establishing a scholarship to be awarded each year to a senior from our region. The monies collected at the tournament will be used for this scholarship. Please be as generous as you can.

3/2/10 - Regional tournament instructions

Post by Gloria Rumberger, regional director

Dear Odyssey Friends,

It's nearly tournament day, and we have some important information to share. This is a long message, but hang in there to read all of it. Knowing this information and sharing it with your teams and supporters will make for a successful day.

Our tournament site, Pocono Mountain West High School is part of the Sullivan Trail Campus of Pocono Mountain School district. It is located on Route 940, about 1.5 miles west of Exit 3 from Route 380. The campus entrance is marked with a traffic light on Route 940. Directions are available from our regional website, www.nepaootm.com.

Directional signs will be posted outside so that your teams may unload at the appropriate entrances. While your teams are unloading, coaches, please come to the front hall to register. Once again, as part of the registration process, each coach will be required to submit a signed Coach's Contract in order to pick up his registration packet. Coaches must register their own teams at the tournament and may not pick up other teams' packets, however they may turn in the Coach's Contracts for any assistant or co-coaches of the same team at that time. Registration opens at 8:00 A.M.

Storage areas will be designated in the school's hallways, and each team will have its own assigned storage area. Please look for the signs. The team members are responsible for the security and storage of their props, equipment, and other items. We are all responsible for keeping the building as safe and clean as possible, particularly keeping open paths through all storage areas. Let's not give the nurses any excitement on tournament day. Pack all costumes, scenery and props directly after your team's long-term performance. And if it is possible, please make every effort to remove your materials from the hallways and re-load them to your vehicles by no later than one hour after your long-term performance. No food or drink is permitted in the storage areas.

Report to your long term competition site fifteen minutes before your scheduled time. Have all paperwork completed and ready for the staging area judge to review. These include your registration ticket (picked up that morning), four copies of your Style Form, one Material Values Form, one Outside Assistance Form (You had NONE, right?), four copies of the Team's Required List Form (as required), all team clarifications received, and any additional paperwork stipulated in your long-term problem. After completing your long term problem and discussing the solution with the judges, clean up the site and remove all your costumes and props so that the next team can start on time in a clean site. Coaches, parents, or other non-team members may help with taking all materials from the competition area. Coaches or team captains may return one-half hour (or otherwise, as directed by the Head Judge) after their team's performance for their long-term raw scores. Be sure to keep additional copies of your paperwork for use at the next level of competition

Report to North Hall upstairs to register for Spontaneous fifteen minutes before your scheduled time. Coach, please register at the table, then wait quietly with your team in the designated holding area for Spontaneous. Remind your team to be respectful of others who are competing. Remind them that they may not discuss the spontaneous problem with ANYONE, including you. No one other than the team and coach is allowed upstairs. No teams or coaches are allowed upstairs except immediately before and during their scheduled Spontaneous times.

Spontaneous and Style scores are not given out during the competition day, but will be available after the awards assembly. One person should report to the library after the Awards Assembly to exchange the purple ticket found in your registration packet for your scoring packet. The scoring packet will include a copy of the long term scoring sheet, a Style composite score sheet, and the results sheet from the team's particular problem and division. Please put the ticket in a safe place, as you will not be able to pick up your scoring packet without it. Please send only one person per team to pick up the scores.

Judges, please report to your judging sites by 45 minutes before the first team performs, or otherwise as directed by your Problem Captain. When you report to your problem captain, you will be issued a judging t-shirt, ribbon, and lunch tickets. And even though I've nagged you about it before, I'll say it again. Please re-read your Program Guide, specific Problem Guide, and any other materials your Problem Captains gave you on Judges' Training Day. We are counting on you for excellence in evaluating the children's efforts. Our Problem Captains were encouraged by what they saw on Training Day. It looks like we're going to have some great judging teams.

Please remind the students to show respect and good sportsmanship to all other competitors, coaches, judges, media, audience members, and tournament officials. This is especially important during the Awards Ceremony. All performers, speakers, and award recipients deserve a respectful audience. Please do not leave your places before the last award is presented and the assembly is dismissed. Please be sure that all team supporters are aware of this as well.

Do not attempt to enter any competition site after the Door Monitor has shut the door. Please turn off pagers and cell phones in any competitive venue.

The Awards Assembly will not start until the halls are completely clear. Please show respect for the competition site, and help us keep it clean.

Be sure that your kids inform any supporters who might possibly show up THE NAME OF THEIR PROBLEM. You'd be surprised how many sweet parents and grandparents come looking for their students who are "in the Odyssey of the Mind." Really. We have about 500 kids who fit that bill, and nearly two hundred scheduled events for the day. Help us out here, please.

Program books and tournament souvenirs will be on sale throughout the day. Be sure to get yours early. Once again, the Pocono Mountain West High School cafeteria will be open all day with some absolutely delicious offerings for us. Remember to enjoy all of the wonderful food only in the cafeteria. No food or drinks may be taken to any other part of the building.

In the event of a medical emergency, contact a tournament official immediately.

Division III coaches, be sure your seniors check out the many Odyssey scholarship opportunities. Hound your kids to submit applications. And we have our own exciting news. For years now, our regional collection has been included in the state Line Mountain scholarship. At the direction of the state board, that will change. This year, for the first time, we have established our own scholarship, exclusively for the Odyssey students from Northeast PA. Please be generous when we pass the jugs for the Karl R. Schneck, Jr. Memorial Scholarship. Together, we can honor Karl's memory in the way that would mean the most to him.

WHEW! That's a lot to take in. Here's the most important "do" for the day - enjoy yourself and have fun! We're in for a great ride!

All the best,

Gloria

P.S. Keep checking your email and the regional website frequently. There will be more info to follow.

2/3/10 - Weather update for judge training

Post by Gloria Rumberger, regional director

Once again we're looking ahead to an Odyssey weekend with some trepidation weatherwise. We're monitoring the weather reports very closely and if we do intend to change the training time, we'll have the new information posted by mid-day on Friday. Keep your fingers crossed!

2/3/10 - A message to our judges

Post by Gloria Rumberger, regional director

Dear Tournament Official,

Thank you for volunteering to judge at this year's Northeast PA Regional Odyssey of the Mind Tournament. You are going to have a great time and you are making an incredible experience possible for the young people you represent. I'm looking forward to meeting with you next Saturday, February 6, 2010, at our regional Judges' Training hosted by Abington Heights Middle School. Here are the directions: Abington Heights MS

As you veterans have heard me say before, a successful and fair competition depends on the active involvement of well-trained judges. To that end, we require that you take time to peruse the specific problem you will be judging, as well as this year's program guide before you come to Judges' Training on Saturday. Also, please bring your copies to training. (Of course, by then you will have pored over them multiple times!)

OotM Program Guide 2009-2010 (You'll find the rules in chapter 5 - file pages 40-53. You shouldn't need to print any other pages.)

Program Guide Changes for 2009-10 (Particularly for our returning judges.)

PDF files require a free PDF reader. If you cannot access the files, you can download software here: http://get.adobe.com/reader

Judges’ Training starts at 9:00 A.M. for our brand-new judges. Returning judges may report at 10:00. We hope to be finished by 1:00 P.M. The sessions will be shorter if we find that the judges are well-prepared going into the training. If they've read the long-term problem, program guide, and any other missives we've put out they'll streamline the process and get out of training that much sooner.

It is absolutely essential that our children, who have worked so hard on these challenges, be evaluated by well-prepared officials. Thank you so much for volunteering to make this program possible for them. Please don't hesitate to contact me, or your Problem Captain if you have any questions.

All the best,
Gloria

P.S. Please add our regional website to your favorites page and refer back to it frequently between now and the tournament for important information. http://www.nepaootm.com If we need to change plans because of dangerous road conditions, there will be a posting on the regional website.

P.P.S. The Abington Heights folks will be feeding us quite well. There will be a very nice continental breakfast spread so you can sleep a little longer Saturday morning before you have to leave home!

11/23/09 - Welcome to another year of OotM

Post by Gloria Rumberger, regional director

Welcome to a new year of Odyssey of the Mind. It's time to register for the NEPA Regional Tournament on March 6, 2010, (snow date: March 20) at Pocono Mountain West HS.

If you have not done so as yet, be sure to submit the regional registration fee of $100 in a check made payable to NEPA Odyssey of the Mind by January 15, 2010. Send the check directly to our treasurer:

Doug Millard
RD2 Box 570
Dingmans Ferry, PA 18328

Remember, the fee is per membership, not per team. If you can submit your membership fee by December 15, you can take advantage of the Early Bird Discount and pay just $80.00 per membership. If the fee is not received by January 15, it increases to $150. If you need an invoice to submit to your school to request funds for regional registration, please send an e-mail (grumberger@nepaootm.com) with that request, and we'll send that to you.

Your team should be registered through the national site via the members area.

Your other responsibility by January 15, 2010 is to register your judges. These are the requirements:

Long-term judges - one per team
Spontaneous judges - one for every two teams from a given district
Score room judges - at least one per district

Each judge should have read through his/her particular long-term problem and the general program rules before coming to training and should bring those copies along to NEPA Judges' Training Feb. 6, 2010 (snow date: February 20) at Abington Heights Middle School It is mandatory that all judges (even score room judges) attend training. 25 penalty points will be assessed at competition to teams without properly trained judging representation. The link for the judges/volunteers to register is here.

As we get closer to competition, we'll be sharing more information and reminders. It is essential that you frequently check our regional website for updates nepaootm.com .

Good luck as your season progresses. I'm looking forward to seeing you soon.
Best Regards,
Gloria Rumberger

Recent Posts

11/9/10 - Coaches update

11/9/10 - Judgs' and tournament officials update

3/4/10 - More 2010 tournament information

3/2/10 - Regional tournament instructions

2/3/10 - Weather update for judge training

2/3/10 - A message to our judges

11/23/09 - Welcome to another year of OoTM