By Taylor M. Coffman
Herald Correspondent
Students from all over Seminole County are looking forward to one of the biggest competitions of their lives as nine local teams move on to Odyssey of the Mind Worlds Finals.
Started in 1983, Odyssey of the Mind is an international problem-solving competition aimed at teaching kids from elementary school up to college useful skills like creativity, teamwork, and spontaneous thinking. With such a broad age range of involved students, going to Worlds Finals can sometimes be the result of years of work from students, parents, and their coaches, all of whom sacrifice their time, space, and money to see each Odyssey of the Mind team succeed.
The countdown to Odyssey of the Mind Worlds Finals begins as the school year does, with each schools’ team finalized and registered by August. Each team then chooses a problem to solve, provided with a prompt that includes a character, narrative direction, and requirements to fulfill. Students are tasked with building a set, vehicle, and costumes by themselves, functioning on a limited budget and sourcing most of their materials from garage sales, thrift stores, and donations.
“It really brings the kids out of their shells,” said Natasha Griffin, the mother of an Odyssey of the Mind competitor from Winter Springs High School. “It forces them to interact with the public, which is good, since a lot of these kids tend to be very introverted.”
Everything has to be built before the regional competition in February, which is followed by the state tournament, which took place on Apr. 12 this year. This year, nine local teams from Seminole County have been able to move forward, including teams from Lake Mary Elementary, Woodlands Elementary, Lake Mary Prep, Goldsboro Elementary, two teams from Hamilton Elementary, Tuskawilla Middle, Winter Springs High, and the Rotary Club of Lake Mary, which sponsors students from high schools that don’t have their own Odyssey of the Mind teams.
The Odyssey of the Mind competitors going to Worlds Finals are, understandably, thrilled about being able to move on. Brian LeBlanc, the parent of a Lake Mary Prep team member, recalled the moment their team placed at the state competition:
“They got off the stage and immediately called one of their friends to let her know that they were moving on, but they were so excited and were talking over each other so much that it was almost unintelligible,” he said. “You can tell how much it means to them to see their efforts pay off. That’s the best part for us as parents - yes, you love seeing your kids succeed at something they work so hard for, but more than that, they become so close with their teammates and that is so rewarding too.”
As the countdown gets closer, there’s one more hurdle involved in getting the Odyssey of the Mind competitors to Worlds Finals, and that’s actually getting the students to Worlds Finals. The competition will be taking place on the University of Michigan campus in East Lansing, Mich. at the end of May, and while it is a school-sponsored event, the funds involved–for buses, plane tickets, room and board for students, hotels for parents, and transportation–comes from the pockets of parents and coaches.
According to several parents, the costs of sending a student to Odyssey of the Mind Worlds Finals is upwards of around 1000 dollars per student. Several schools have begun raising funds to send the students to the competition; Tuskawilla Middle has been fundraising through Facebook, while Natasha Griffin has started a GoFundMe campaign to send her son’s Winter Springs High team to the Worlds’ Finals, citing that this year is especially important for the seniors, who are looking at their last chance to compete.
More information on the GoFundMe page can be found here: https://gofund.me/ee5d1184, while those interested in finding out more about Odyssey of the Mind can visit the website here: https://www.floridaodysseyofthemind.com/
