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ODYSSEY OF THE MIND CHAMPIONS!
What in the “World” Happened to
Wildwood?
How About 1 st
Place in
The State Championship for Starters!
Some said it would be impossible; others
even snickered at the possibility that Wildwood
Christian Academy would make it past the regional
Odyssey of the Mind competition held in Savannah,
Georgia last March. But they did. At the conclusion of
the Regional competition, Wildwood Christian Academy
placed 2 nd,
just a few percentage points behind the 1st
place team.
2nd
place, however,
permitted Wildwood to move on and compete in the State
of Georgia Championship. The odds of successfully
competing at the State championship grew even greater
considering that Wildwood had never competed in the
prestigious, difficult and mind challenging
international Odyssey of the Mind competition before.
After all, this school is new, has fewer than 100
students and would be competing against some the biggest
and best public and private schools in the State of
Georgia. How much of a chance could they have?
What is “Odyssey of the Mind?” you might
ask. Simply stated, it is an international competition
among private and public schools around the world. Each
school is given a long term problem which must be solved
through the creativity, teamwork and analytical insight
of the members of the solving team (usually 5 to 7
students). While there are different categories for
which a team may compete, each category is judged on its
creativity, technical standards, ability to actually
solve the problem, style, poise and conviction. It
teaches students to “think outside the box” and prepares
them to solve problems in life when there appears to be
no solution. According to the Odyssey of the Mind
organization, this program helps students to improve
their creative problem solving skills, make friends, and
demonstrate learning in their solution.
How did Wildwood do in the State
championship? Their hope was always to win it all, but
realistically, a new school, a small school, was going
to have a tough time. Other schools against which
Wildwood would have to compete included Woodward
Academy, Pinecrest Academy, Mount Paran, Cheatham Hill,
and others. As the grueling day of competition came to a
conclusion and just before the announcement of the
winners, this writer began to remember the 1980 Olympics
when the United States had to play Russia in the final
game for the gold medal in hockey. The Russians could
not be beat, most of them were professionals that had
played together for years. What chance did the USA have
against such odds? But when it was all said and done,
the USA somehow beat Russia to win the gold. I thought
that feeling could never again be felt. I was wrong.
As they began to announce the winners at
the Odyssey of the Mind awards ceremony which had
approximately 10,000 in attendance, the Wildwood Odyssey
of the Mind team coaches and faculty members, Lauren
Melton and Joy Smith and each of the team members,
Alexis Cook, Susannah Melton, Madison Meyer and Billy
Ruff, of Big Canoe, Skyler Denton and Tori Hicks of Bent
Tree and Thomas Hoover, of Marble Hill, stood proud and
vigilant. Third place went to a school that had beaten
Wildwood in the regional competition. They were really
good. When they announced the 2 nd
place
winner, I could see some of the parents’ shoulders droop
a little lower, a bit of twinkle and hope leave their
eyes. Second place would have been good. Even this
writer knew that Wildwood’s chances seemed to dim. Then
the music began to play louder and louder, the lights
dimmed and the moment was so tense I literally could
hear my heart pounding among all of people sitting
around me in auditorium. The delay seemed forever, the
music seemed so loud and the lights so dim. What is
taking so long? Let’s get this over with.
“The winner of 1st
place in
the State of Georgia Championship goes to…………….(long
pause)……….WILDWOOD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY!“ It was and still
is unbelievable to relive that moment. To see the tears
of joy, not just for Wildwood but for every citizen of
this community, of every student who has participated or
will participate in this tournament and would never know
the feeling felt at that moment, of every parent,
grandparent and guardian of students in Georgia that
seek the very best for their children and grandchildren.
It truly was a moment that far exceeded the boundaries
of Wildwood Christian Academy and its students, faculty
and administration.
Is that the end of this wonderful
journey? Not by a long shot. Having won 1st
place in
the State Championship,
Wildwood will be traveling to the World
championship on May 31, 2008 at the University of
Maryland. Wildwood will be competing against the best
teams from each state in the United States, plus teams
from around the world including Russia, China, South
Korea, Poland, Canada and Hungary.
Congratulations, Wildwood
Christian Academy, on this incredible accomplishment and
the best of luck in the Odyssey of the Mind World
Championship!
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