NorCAL Odyssey of the Mind

Welcome to NorCal Odyssey of the Mind !

“What is Odyssey of the Mind?” It is a place where knowledge, creativity, imagination and ingenuity come crashing together to allow one-of-a-kind solutions that only can be created by students at a given moment in time.  Odyssey is a combination of theater and problem solving which needs the use of both sides of the brain to solve and present.  Students of all ages, kinder through college, write original scripts, creation costumes, props, scenery, and technical elements.  Teams of students work together to produce incredible solutions to creative problems while thinking “Beyond the Box!” Students with talents in many areas find a unique opportunity to showcase their gifts in engineering, script writing, physics, costume creation, math, music, dance, visual arts, construction, problem solving, leadership, critical thinking, and more!

Odyssey of the Mind has long history in California, with over 750 teams competing at the regional, state, and international levels.  The program has grown so much in the state of California that in 2018 two separate associations were organized to allow more students to participate and to keep travel distance for teams closer to home.

California North (NorCal) has six regions and physically half the state.  The regions in NorCal are North State Shasta, Redwoods, Capital Gold, Delta, San Francisco Bay, and Silicon Valley. Be sure and check out the REGION tab on this site for more details in your area.

Look around our website – we have information about Odyssey in general, galleries with photos and videos from our teams, information about forming a team in your area, opportunities for volunteers, and a link to make a donation if you would like to support our program.  If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to a regional director or myself, we are happy to help.

As a longtime coach, I have watched many students blossom in confidence, creativity, and comedic intellect which is often carried with the student forward into whatever the future holds.  The unique opportunities create leadership skills, teamwork, and lifelong friendships.

We look forward to you joining us.

Be safe and well,

Diedre Girod, NorCal Odyssey of the Mind Volunteer State Director

Pay NorCal State Membership

Traditional

$80

The state membership will register your group at the state level and allows for the membership to participate in California North. These funds are used to run the state tournament, train officials, and maintain the program in Northern California.

Find Your Region

Search for your region by zip code:

Find the region that your team will register to compete and where coaching training will be offered.

NorCal Odyssey Association Tournament

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Events

  • Competitions are over for this year. Please come back in September for the year's Competitions.

More Events...

News & Announcements

Wagner Ranch is in the NEWS!

May 20, 2021
Wagner Ranch Places First in Odyssey of the Mind By Staff  - April 25, 2021 (Regina Gordon, Photographer)     The fifth grade team at Wagner Ranch Elementary rose to the challenge amidst a pandemic year and placed first in their

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Look Who Is In The NEWS – Loma Verde Odyssey of the Mind

May 20, 2021
4.23.2021 Loma Verde Odyssey of the Mind Teams Advance to World Finals (Novato, CA)…Loma Verde Elementary School sent five teams of students to compete in the annual Odyssey of the Mind NorCal Section Championship this year and the winners were

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2021 Showcase Celebration Event

March 11, 2021
  Join us live for the NorCal ALL Regions Showcase Celebration this Saturday, March 13th at 4:30pm ONLINE Congratulations!!! You completed your first round for this year’s Odyssey of the Mind competition season. On Saturday, March 13th at 4:30 pm, we

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Celebrate this “ODDyssey” Season with a t-shirt or pins!

March 5, 2021
Celebrate this unusual “Oddyssey” year with a shirt! Our favorite t-shirt company, GIC Graphics, has come up with 2 awesome designs (with help from our Redwood RD Bob Lipman) to commemorate the 2021 Odyssey Showcase and State Tournament!  The first

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Activities Challenge!

February 23, 2021
ACTVITIES CHALLENGE! You've submitted everything for the Regional Showcase - CONGRATULATIONS!  But, we know many teams are continuing to work on their long term solutions and are preparing for Spontaneous.  If you need to break up the stress a little

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Starting a Team

Step
01
General Interest
Generate interest in the Odyssey program.

International Membership
Any school, home school, or community group may purchase a membership from Creative Competitions, Inc at www.odysseyofthemind.com

– Traditional International Membership – $135 Join now! Pricing will increase September 16, 2021

 

Step
02

Step
03
NorCal State Membership
Purchase a state membership from NorCal Odyssey Association for each Traditional International Membership – $80 which is required to participate in the NorCal Odyssey of the Mind program.

Regional Membership
Each team competing in a Regional Tournament pays a registration fee per team.
Step
04

Step
05
Create/Build/Practice/Train
Get started with your team. Get training for coaching and coordinating.

Help Support Students

NorCal Odyssey is a non-profit organizations that runs on volunteer efforts. Help support the efforts of this organization to give Nouthern California students the opportunity to let their imaginations grow and be creative.

Other ways to help support