Coaching Timeline – Georgia Odyssey of the Mind

Note: Each team is different. The following Timeline is a guide, not a rule.

Make sure that your school has purchased a national membership.
Download and read the Program Guide from the Odyssey of the Mind website and start learning as much as you can about coaching a team.
Read through the Coaches’ Handbook in the Coaches’ section of the Georgia Odyssey web site.
Register and attend Coaches’ Training. This is time well spent and will make you a better coach by keeping you up to date on the Odyssey program and connecting you with others in the program.
Find a location for practices if your school/group does not designate.
Start meetings (usually about once a week)
Find someone to serve as a judge representing your team. This person will need to attend a full day of Judges’ Training, and a full day the day of competition. If a parent would like to judge, he/she needs to know that they will NOT see their child’s performance on competition day.
Attend any spontaneous events if available. These are invaluable to you and your team, not to mention FUN.

Continue meetings
Practice spontaneous
Attend any spontaneous events if available. These are invaluable to you and your team, not to mention FUN.
Gather information you’ll need to register your team before the due date:
– Team membership number, name, address, (including zip code) telephone, and e-mail.
– Team members’ names and grades in school.
– Coach(es) name, address, telephone, and e-mail address.
– Your complete name, address, phone number, email,
– Team membership name and membership number
– Which problem your team is participating in
– Team’s division
Have your Judge(s) register. This will get them signed up to receive the important information they will need for training and more. Your team’s Judge will need the following information to register.

Continue meetings
Practice spontaneous
Video a performance and get your team to act as judges, critiquing and looking for areas of improvement.
Complete the team registration (team roster, problem and division) for the regional tournament. Send or confirm that your registration fee for the regional tournament is paid.
Confirm that your judge is registered for regional tournament
Find someone to serve as a volunteer representing your team. This person will be assigned a short shift (about 1 and 1/2 hours) at the regional tournament.