Goshen's Odyssey winners tell story of 'perseverance and tenacity'

By Geri Corey
GOSHEN — It’s a year of celebration for participants in Goshen High School’s Odyssey of the Mind Competition. Two teams — The “Wong Team,” named for coach Shannon Wong, and the “Smith Team,” named for coaches Marilyn and Wayne Smith — placed high in both Regional and State competitions, making them eligible for World Competition on May 23-27 at Michigan State University.
“We had a strong team this year — everyone on the team brought something,” said Jamie Wong. The dedication of this team was so high that two members, Sofia Saul and Judy Yim, gave up a trip to Italy with classmates to perform with their team in the State competition on April 8.
There were no regrets: “Winning States made the sacrifice worth it,” said Saul.
Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is based on creative problem solving. According to the coach, participants must come up with a way to reveal the problem, write skits to demonstrate it, and create costumes and props, which includes visual and audible effects. She said that OM is divided into two parts: creation of an eight-minute skit and a spontaneous performance on the day of the competition.
“We’re not allowed any outside assistance,” said team member Andie Wong, who explained, “Coaches keep us on track, help to buy supplies, and teach us skills, but they don’t do any of the actual work.”
For their problem, the Wong team acted as time travelers who had to reveal the inspiration behind two great works of art and then travel to the future to uncover the positive effect of the three works of art. The students chose Vincent Van Gogh and Rachel Ruysch as the classic artists, and, as they discovered, OMer, the Odyssey of the Mind mascot, is the inspiration behind great art. All of the performances have to be spoken in English and translators are provided for the spontaneous event.
The Wong Team has worked together for years, but this is the first year that it qualified for World Competition.
“Last year we thought we had a chance, but we placed second in Regionals so we didn’t go any further,” said Fattum Abbad. In fact, the team placed second in Regionals for five years, but their persistence and hard work has paid off.
Abbad continued, “This is our junior year in high school. We have a lot going on, and to know with all the work, we placed first in Regionals and States. That’s nice.”
“This is a story of perseverance and tenacity. Never give up, keep trying,” said Coach Wong, adding that her team “always worked hard.”
Also on the team are Dempsey McGovern and Amanda Lombardi. With the exception of tenth grader Lombardi, all students are in the eleventh grade.
Smith TeamThe highly accomplished Smith Team placed first in the Regionals, second in the State this year, making them eligible to compete in World Competition. This is their second year competing in World’s, placing second last year. Hopes are high for a first place win this year. In 2016, the team was presented with the Ranatra Fusca Creativity Award for exceptional creativity. Only one award is presented per competition.
The Smith team chose a vehicle problem that illustrated corruption in the media, said Emma Smith, adding, “We had to create three different vehicles on three different tracks at three different levels, meaning heights.”
Using three icons—Dr. Boz (in reality Dr. Oz), uniting Hermit the Frog (of course, Kermit the Frog) and Miss Wiggy (Miss Piggy), and Snooty Palooza (of Jersey Girls fame)—the team creatively reveals the icons loathing of the media because they had been profiting from it. “They now felt they had to reconcile themselves and make amends,” explained Jessica Serna.
For instance, said Jade Romer, “At the beginning of the skit, Snooty Palooza, known for her infamous role on the Jersey Shore program as drinking, tanning, mentions her horrible role model for her daughter and now wants to do better.” The team created a puppet named “Baby” to represent Snooty’s daughter.
According to Serna, “Dr. Boz profited from selling placebo pills and re-enforcing that people needed to be fit. Using a puppet covered with Band-Aids, we showed the abuse of prescription drugs and showed that it’s all about money. It’s better to love the person you are rather than try to create a new image.”
Braden Smith’s episode included Hermit and puppet Miss Wiggy, who played Hermit’s conscience.
"Hermit is on a children’s show that’s environmentally friendly, talking about recycling and going green," he said. "The show is being cut from T.V. and sent to HBO where parents have to pay for it. What’s left?” Braden asks. “Shows like ‘Family Guy’ and ‘South Park’ that are bad influences on children.”
Each of the skits included ingeniously created handmade vehicles that used a variety of materials, like balsa wood, Styrofoam, hand-held fans, 9-volt battery, simple convex motor, and even “smoke,” actually flour, that puffed out to simulate pollen. All the cars actually “ran.”
All teammates agree that they want to compete again next year. “We’re excited to do World’s again,” said Serna. With Emma Smith adding, “We’re all very close and hang out together. We’ll still be friends, win or lose.”
Also on the Smith Team are Sam Meyer and Meaghan Schaumburg. With the exception of ninth-graders Braden Smith and Schaumburg, the rest of the team is in tenth-grade.
Coach Wong sums up the experience, “OM is a wonderful way kids spend time. It allows them a place to learn, problem solving, technical skills, and showcases the importance of creativity and team work.”