Teams should report to the spontaneous holding room 10 minutes before the scheduled competition time. If there is no
holding room, teams report to the competition site 10 minutes before the scheduled time and wait quietly for further
instruction. Only one coach may accompany the team into the holding room.
All team members are allowed to enter the spontaneous room. A judge will give the type of problem the team
must solve: verbal, hands-on, or verbal/hands-on. The team members will then have one minute to decide
among themselves which five members will compete. The non-participating members may remain and watch
or they may choose to leave the room. If they remain, they must not talk, signal, or intervene in any way,
otherwise they will be warned and/or asked to leave. The team's competition time will continue. If a
team has five or fewer members at competition, all must participate in spontaneous. Teams with fewer
than five members may be at a disadvantage in the Spontaneous portion of competition.
Teams should listen carefully to the judge's directions, as every spontaneous problem is different
and specific rules for each individual problem may apply.
A judge places a copy of the problem in full view of the participating team members and
reads the problem aloud. The team may refer to its copy of the problem as necessary. Once
the judge finishes reading the problem, he or she will say, "Begin," and time starts. The
team members may ask the judges questions, but time will continue. In some
instances, judges may tell the team that they cannot answer their specific question,
and may refer the team to the problem. Judges will try to clarify the problem so
the team members understand what the problem requires; however, judges will
not give information that helps solve the problem. In verbal and/or verbal/
hands-on problems the judges will use the following language:
Once competition is over the team must leave the
room quietly and meet the coach at the designated
area. Teams must not discuss the spontaneous
problem with anyone until after the competition.
Spontaneous problems are not subject to
the grievance process; 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.
International Spontaneous
Problem Captain
~ Joy Kurtz