Thursday, March 15, 2018

ODYSSEY OF THE MIND TAKES HOME THE GOLD

By SAMANTHA PRYDE
Odyssey of the Mind is an international, creative, problem-solving competition that engages students by allowing their knowledge and ideas to come to life in an exciting, productive environment.  This past weekend, Washingtonville High School’s OM team competed at regionals. That night, they placed first for their skit and are headed to states.

Being a member of Odyssey of the Mind is not simple by any means.  There are five problems that are given to the team in the beginning of the year.  The team then selects one problem, and works all year to make sure they meet all the requirements in their seven minute skit.  The script, storyline, and set must be entirely original and student created.  The coach is only there for guidance, not physical help.  If the team fails to meet all the requirements, or goes over the time limit, they risk being disqualified. 


This year, the high school’s team decided to take on problem 4, “Animal House."  One of the requirements was that the members had to turn their balsa wood structures into animals.  The wooden structure had to have its appearance transformed and explained during the performance.  Since animals must eat, they must feed the structure, and it must hold the team-created food while it supports weights.

Senior and seven year member, Alexandra Completo, explained how this particular competition day was a little different than previous ones.  “Competition day was a little crazy this year, I’d say we were a little more nervous than normal, but our team really came together and overall we did great.  The judges loved our costumes and our set!  It felt so good when we heard our name called for first place!”

Arya Chareonlarp is a ten year member of OM, but this is her first year participating in the Balsa Wood Challenge. “I’ve been on both classical and vehicle problems before, but this is the first year that I’ve participated in a Balsa structure problem.  It was a weird shift from problems that were more script and conceptual based, to structural based problems.  Arya also added, “However, my team made it easier for me to adjust.  We were able to use our strengths together and not only create a great structure, but a great story and characters alongside it.”

Alexandra is going to miss everything about OM.  “As this is my last year, I’m going to miss the competition and the excitement of the whole day.  I'll even miss all the nerves and seeing everyone in their colorful shirts representing their teams.  But what I will miss the most is working with my teammates and being a leader.”

Alexandra went on to discuss, “Odyssey has really brought out my leadership skills and taught me to plan ahead. Plan like crazy, plan for anything, and practice over and over.”  The challenges that Odyssey has put forth, has helped shaped the members of the team into wonderful people. 

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