Something to be Proud of: Galway’s Odyssey of the Mind 2015 Competitors

Throwback to 2015 OM team

It was a fine morning on March 14th at the Glens Falls High School. Galway’s OM team was hopeful they would place. They had to perform their skit at 9:28 am and they were all nervous. The skit had to be finished in under 8 minutes and they finished it in 7 minutes and 58 seconds, just in time! They did great–they won 1st place!

They competed against 3 other teams from different schools in Division 1 who also chose “Experiencing Technical Difficulties.” The team got 42 out of 50 points for style, 163 out of 200 points for their skit and 52 out of 100 points for spontaneous. The judges used the following phrases to describe their work:“fun to watch,” “amazing job,” “good teamwork” and “awesome theme, very inventive.”  Plus, the team didn’t receive any penalty points.

The team consists of Aidan, Eben, Erik, Peregrine, Shamus, Simon and Taylor. This was their first year competing.  The team had a choice of 5 problems to pick from and they chose “Experiencing Technical Difficulties,” which was a problem that you have to solve using contraptions that are powered by rubber bands. All of their scenery, contraptions and other props had to fit in two suitcases.

Preceding the competition, they met every Tuesday and Sunday from November to the day of the competition (March 14). Members of the team describe their coaches,Nichole Evans and Leslie Perkins,  as awesome and very helpful. Most team members have performed before, but at the primary level.

Team member Taylor said, “I love working with my friends on the team and my coaches.”  She also said, “I was nervous but now I’m excited about going to the state finals.

They went on to the State Finals on April 11th in Binghamton but did not place in the top 5. They did, however, get 4th place for their long-term (skit). Their results in the “spontaneous” event brought their overall score down. They got 11th out of 13 overall. They did awesome considering they competed against 13 other schools and were the youngest participants!  They are all winners for going on to the State Finals and should be very proud.