ARIZONA ODYSSEY OF THE MIND
Spontaneous Problem Procedures

From the Fall 2002 Odyssey of the Mind Newsletter

Every tournament site should have a spontaneous holding room where teams may report 10 minutes before their scheduled competition time. (If there is no holding room, teams should report to the competition site 10 minutes before the scheduled time and wait quietly for further instruction.) Only one coach should accompany the team into the holding room. One team member should register the team, giving the team's long-term problem and division, the team membership number and name, and its demographic information. The team will wait in the holding room until it is called to compete. Only the seven team members will be accompanied to the spontaneous problem room by the Problem Judge. The coach will remain in the designated area and wait for the team to return. Where possible, this should be a different area so the holding room does not get congested.

All seven team members are allowed (and encouraged) to enter the spontaneous room. The judges will identify the type of problem: verbal, combination verbal/hands-on, or hands-on. The team members will then have 1 minute to decide among themselves which five will compete. The other two team members may remain and watch, but they must not talk, signal, or intervene in any way. If they wish, the two non-competing team members may leave the room; however, watching the team compete allows all tea members to feel valued and allows them to know the problem their teammates have solved without having to discuss it outside the competition site. Remember, spontaneous problems must be kept secret until after the competition, because all teams in the same long-term problem and division have the same spontaneous problem.

Once the team has chosen the five competing team members, the judge will read the problem aloud. A copy of the problem is placed in front of the team to refer to as needed. Coaches should train team members to listen carefully and look at the judges, who often point and use gestures to help clarify the intent of the problem. In a verbal and/or verbal hands-on problem, the judges will use the following language:
*If a team member speak to fast of mumbles and the judges cannot understand, they will say, "UNCLEAR. Please say it again."
*If a response does not make sense to the judges or is not acceptable, they will say, "INNAPPROPRIATE. Please clarify or give another response."
*If a response is a repeat of what another team member said, the judges will say, "DUPLICATE. Please give another response."

Once the team has competed it should leave the room quietly and meet the coach at the designated area. Team members should be reminded not to discuss the problem. Spontaneous problems are generally not subject to the grievance procedure; however, if a team has a concern, one team member should ask to speak to the Spontaneous Problem Captain, who will then speak with the judges and the entire team, if necessary. -- Joy Kurtz, International Spontaneous Problem Captain

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