SPACE COAST ODYSSEY OF THE MIND
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Every team and every team member participates in Spontaneous.

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The purpose of Spontaneous is to measure the team’s creativity, problem solving skills, and teamwork when presented with an unexpected challenge.
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There are 3 different types of Spontaneous problems and teams don't know which kind they will get until they are in the Spontaneous room.

Teams should practice a variety of problems to prepare them to meet these spontaneous "out-of-the-box" thinking challenges.  Spontaneous has been known to have a big impact on where the team ranks - so practice, practice, practice!
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Odyssey Academy's video about Spontaneous: 
https://youtu.be/EFZoorLlkKE
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Websites with sample problems, tips, and other great information:

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Official OM Spontaneous
Magic Center (great tips!)
Barb's Spontaneous
NE Pennsylvania
What to expect for your team's Spontaneous Competition:
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Teams should arrive to the Spontaneous site approximately 15 to 20 minutes ahead of their scheduled performance time.  Please send one or two team members (or one team member and a coach, if Primary) to the check in table.  A volunteer will check the team in and ask that the team wait in the area to be called by a judge when they are ready.

There will be music playing and we encourage everyone to shake off the nerves by dancing and being silly.  Teams tend to score better when they are less nervous!  Take this time to collect cell phones and any other electronics that might make noise and disrupt the Spontaneous performance.  (Medical devices are allowed, but we advise you to let us know ahead of time.)

When the judges are ready to take the team they will let the check in desk person know and the team's name will be announced over the speaker.  The team should approach the judge and wait to be escorted to the Spontaneous room.  

Unlike Long Term, there are no spectators allowed in Spontaneous.  If the team and the judges are both ready, the team may be called earlier than their scheduled time.  If the team has an issue, such as their Long Term ran late and they are unable to make it to Spontaneous on time, please notify the check in desk as soon as possible so we can accommodate.      


Once in the room, the judges will tell the team where to sit or stand and what kind of problem they are about to do.  Even if there are chairs provided, the team members can choose whether they'd like to sit or stand.  The team should not touch any materials until instructed to do so.

A judge will then read the problem to the team.  There will be two copies of the problem provided to the team so that they may read along with the judge.  The problem will specify whether the team may talk to each other, but questions to the judges are always allowed. 

Once the team finishes or time runs out, they will be escorted from the room and back to their coach.  They will not receive any feedback about how they did, unless they are a Primary team.

Primary teams are non-competitive and will receive feedback about how the team did in solving their Spontaneous problem.  We hope that Primary teams learn from this experience and apply this knowledge for their next competition.  Primary coaches should stick around for a few minutes after their team is released so that the head judge can give you the feedback form.    


Remember that Spontaneous is a secret!  Do not ask your team what their problem was or what solution(s) they gave.  These same problems are used all over the world and talking about them or posting to social media may give some teams an unfair advantage.   

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  • Home
    • About
    • Calendar
  • Coaches/Contacts
    • Membership
    • Team Recruitment
    • Coaches
    • Contacts
    • Parents
  • Teams
    • Problem Synopses
    • Problem 1
    • Problem 2
    • Problem 3
    • Problem 4 >
      • Structure Testing Request
    • Problem 5
    • Primary
    • Spontaneous
  • Judges
  • Support
    • Sponsor and Giving Levels
  • Tournaments
    • Tournament Tips
    • Maps
    • Schedule
    • Awards Ceremony & Scores
    • Volunteers Schedule
    • Award Nominations & Printables
    • Concessions
  • Board Members
  • Shop