Wildwood’s Amazing 2^nd Place Finish in the World

By Larry L. Ruff 

As one drives along the back roads and interstate, all that you see for miles and miles and miles are large farms whose grass is just beginning to turn green and whose crops are just beginning to poke out of the ground.  It seemed as though the drive would never end nor the scenery ever change but finally the sign read “Ames, Iowa 100 miles.”   

Ames, Iowa, the home of Iowa State University, was the location that Wildwood Christian Academy and approximately 800 other teams from throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and other parts of the world would descend upon for the 2009 World Competition of Odyssey of the Mind.  Teams represented at the World Competition would include Russia, China, Cuba, Germany, Poland, Canada and 38 states from the United States, including Georgia.  Representing the state of Georgia in Division II (middle school) would be the 2009 State Champion, Wildwood Christian Academy, and the 2^nd place team from Savannah, Georgia.  The world competition would begin on Wednesday and conclude on Saturday with an awards ceremony that would rival the Olympics ceremony with 30,000 in attendance.   

The Odyssey of the Mind world organization designated the long term problem that teams from throughout the world would compete.  Wildwood Christian Academy’s team began work on their problem in September of 2008.  After 8 months of practice, Wildwood entered the state competition as the returning champions.  After presenting their long term problem and competing in a spontaneous event, Wildwood again was crowned the state of Georgia Odyssey of the Mind champions.  But that was state.  Now the team was competing in the world competition; same long term problem involving Greek mythology and the 12 Labors of Heracles.  Now, however, Wildwood,  with one of the youngest teams in the competition composed of 3 fifth graders, 1 sixth grader and 2 seventh graders would have to compete against students from China, South Korea, Connecticut, Singapore, etc.  Wildwood’s response, “let the games begin!”  

At the end of the World Competition, while Wildwood ended 14^th in the world, the real story was that Wildwood  finished 2^nd in the world in the long term problem, being outscored only by a middle school team from Connecticut.  Wildwood’s reputation quickly spread because Wildwood’s performance was only a handful of performances that the founder of Odyssey of the Mind, Dr. Sam Micklus made special arrangements to watch.   

“We knew that the Asians, including China, South Korea and Singapore, would be extremely difficult again this year however, our students worked hard on their long term problem and presented a solution artistically, creatively and intellectually which placed them 2^nd in the world”, said Lauren Melton, one of the two coaches of the Wildwood Odyssey Team.  “This is a grueling competition which requires students to work for over eight months for a long term performance which cannot exceed 8 minutes in presentation.  The world judges are very tough”, said Melton.   

During the week of competition students were free to use college facilities, trade pins and socialize with other students from around the nation and world.