Houston Region specific Information

Updated 10/25/25

Welcome to the Houston Area Region Odyssey (“HARO”) page. You will find here additional details that are specific to Houston, in addition to all the general program information that is explained on this website.

Announcement: DUE TO RESTRICTIONS BY OUR TEXAS HOSTING SITES, TEAMS CANNOT USE GLITTER IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM IN THEIR SOLUTIONS.

Quick links to Odyssey HQ

Bookmark the Members-Area for long-term problems, forms and all materials:

Member Area at HQ

Bookmark the Portal for team and competition related database:

Team and Competition Portal at HQ

Quick links to general information on our website:

Coordinator Resources

General Coach Resources

HARO Team Qualifications

Team Forms

Competition Fees

Tournament Staff for HARO

HARO News

/…/

9/7/25 Full long-term problems are now available through the HQ Member Area.

9/7/25 New portal instructions for coordinators are updated on the website to renew memberships, grant coach access to the school membership. Note: School Coordinators cannot create the teams under their own acccount, because they will be automatically considered the Head Coach.

9/8/25 Reminder for all returning coaches to sign-up for the Coaches newsletters. Anyone who signs up for Coach Training or creates a team in the portal is automatically added to the Coaches Newsletters.

9/9/25 New portal instructions for coaches are updated on the website to create/reset their account, create a team and later add team members.

9/16/25 Updated Team Qualifications are posted. There is a positive change for Houston teams.

9/17/25 Our Coach Training session on 9/27/25 is now full. Please register for the next session on 10/25/25.

9/21/25 We added an updated presentation under our Coach Training page: “Unpacking the 2025-26 long term problems”.

9/24/25 Reminder of our fun Spontaneous Workshop on Nov 1st. Teams are already filling up our slots for practice opportunities (Track B for Teams). Whether you are a new coach looking for new spontaneous strategies or a returning coach/parent interested in a fun morning, Track A for Adults is for you. You will be judging several teams in a setting similar to competition.

9/28/25 At the moment, we are FULL for the Spontaneous Workshop - Track B. We already have some teams on the Waiting List.

9/29/25 Read carefully the updated Team Qualifications for HARO. For 2025-26, we will try a new model to alleviate the extra burden on teams of the hosting site. Subject to review, if we are short of judges at State.

10/1/25 If you are still waiting for access to the Member Area and the long-term problems, and you know that your membership is already active, please contact your Regional Director, specifying your school name.

10/4/25 The system is now open for teams who wish to submit any team clarifications requests. Read about clarifications here. You must have a personal coach account and create your team, before you can submit a team clarification.

10/09/25 Please note that two forms are updated for 2025. If you downloaded your forms early, you may want to download again the Team Contract and TX Medical Release form.

10/12/25 MARK YOUR CALENDARS: HARO competition is now confirmed on February 21st at Springwoods Village Middle School, 1120 Crossgate Blvd, Spring, TX 77373.
Judge Training will be held on Saturday afternoon, January 31st at The Kipling School, 518 Shepherd Drive, Houston, Texas 77007

10/18/25 Reminder that teams should be created in the Portal by end of September. Team rosters should be entered when your team starts discussing the long-term problem. Target date: end of October. These targets are intended for teams who started meeting before Oct 10.

10/25/25 The last Coach Training session was successful! Late starting teams should target to start meeting soon and have their roster registered by mid-November.

What’s Happening in October 2025:

By now most teams are already formed and start meeting. You can conduct team meetings even if you have not attended Coach Training yet. Suggestions are available on the Coach Resources page.

All memberships should be renewed, coordinators grant Portal access to their coaches, so that they can download the full long-term problems.

Coaches must create their team in the OdysseyHQ Portal . As soon as they start discussing the long-term problem, they should register their team roster. Team Registration for competition will open late October, followed by Judge registration soon after.

The HARO official Spontaneous Workshop takes place on Nov 1st. We recommend Track A to all new coaches. Returning coaches are very welcome as well to bring experience on the field. Track B is for all competitive teams who wish to practice different spontaneous problems in a competition-like set-up (sign-up is closed).

Key dates for Houston/South TX season

The list below includes all dates mentioned in newsletters:

Month	Date	Time	Type	Details
August/ September 2025			Key date	Annual membership renewal to access the current year full problems and program guide. Instructions to Purchase/renew your annual membership here.
September to February		Ongoing	Key date	Team meetings under the direction of their coach to create their team solutions, build their own sets and costumes, write their scripts and practice presenting them in an 8-minute skit.
September	Wed 3^rd	7:30 pm - 8:30 pm	Event	Odyssey of the Mind Orientation* for New Parents and Teachers. Live webinar. Sign-up* HERE.
September		Ongoing	Key date	Coaches create their team in the Portal - after your OM Coordinator has confirmed that you are assigned a specific problem
September	Tue 16^th	4:00 pm 5:00 pm	Event	Odyssey of the Mind Orientation* for New Parents and Teachers. Live webinar. Sign-up* HERE.
September	Sat 27^th	8:30 am 1:30 pm	Event	Live Coach Training* session on-site. Presbyterian School, Museum District. Sign-up* HERE.
September to mid-October		Ongoing	Key date	Coaches enter their team roster in the Portal - as soon as you start discussing the long-term problem with the team
October	Sat 25^th	8:30 am 1:30 pm	Event	Live Coach Training* session on-site. Spring ISD Transportation Center, west of IAH. Sign-up* HERE.
October	End of Month		Key date	Competition Registration will open for our Regional Competition (HARO). Registration due by Dec 15^th.
November	Sat 1^st	10:00 pm	Deadline	Last date for Annual Membership Renewal/ Purchase HERE. This date is for late starters. Recommended date is late September to give teams time to build their solution.
November	Sat 1^st	8:30 am 1:30 pm	Event	Spontaneous Workshop: Track A for Coaches to get additional training and judge the teams (all morning). Sign-up HERE.
November	Sat 1^st	10 am OR 12 pm	Event	Spontaneous Workshop: Track B for Teams to practice and learn competition procedure (up to 90 minutes). Sign-up is CLOSED.
November	Fri 7^th		Key date	Judge Registration will open for our Regional Competition (HARO). Registration due by Dec 15^th.
December 2025	Mon 15^th	10:00 pm	Deadline	Deadline for HARO Competition Registration and Judge Registration.
January 2026	Thu 15th	10:00 pm	Deadline	Deadline for payment of regional competition fees
January	Sat 31^st	2 pm to 5 pm	Event	Judges Training: Onsite training. Main session recommended for ALL new judges.
February	Sat 7^th	3 pm to 5 pm	Event	Judges Training: Make-up session with limited scope. Pre-requisites apply.
February	Sat 21^st	8:00 am - 5:00 pm	Competition	HARO Regional Competition, at Springwoods Village Middle School, followed by the Awards ceremony on-site.
March	Sat 28^th	8:00 am - 5:00 pm	Competition	TX State Competition, at San Jacinto College, South Campus, followed by the Awards ceremony on-site. (For advancing teams from Regionals)
May	Wed 27^th evening to Sat 30th	three full days	Competition	World Finals, Iowa State University, in Ames, IA. (For advancing teams from State)