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Schools

6 Students Take on a World Competition

Four students from Strawberry Crest High School and two from Bloomingdale High were invited to attend the Odyssey of the Mind world competition in Maryland.

Six students -- four from Strawberry Crest and two from Bloomingdale high schools -- who form an Odyssey of the Mind team were invited to go to the World Odyssey of the Mind competition held in College Park, Md., May 27-30. 

On April 9, the team, sponsored by the Campo Family YMCA, placed second in the state competition at the University of Central Florida.

All six ninth-grade students are no strangers to the world of competition. The team was established about three years ago and has been a powerhouse at the challenge. 

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The first year, the Campo Family YMCA team competed for Odyssey of the Mind, it placed high enough at regionals to go to state and the world competition. The second year, it made it to state again, but not world competition. 

“This year, they were invited to worlds again,” stated Laura Alzamora, mom to Jessica and wife of coach Ray Alzamora. “They were able to enjoy it a little more this year and get to know other students from around the world.”

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The Campo Family YMCA “As Good as Gold…berg” Division 3 team includes Sydney Luzier, Jessica Alzamora, Corey Geer, Alex Geer, Larissa Randau, and Victoria Harris. Two of the parents coach the team, Ray Alzamora and Ruth Geer. However, the students do all the work to prepare for competition. They rehearse for months preparing skits for both a long-term problem and a short-term problem they find out about the day of competition.

Before the six were able to make the trip to Maryland, they had to raise about $5,000. The students held yard sales, had a raffle, sold coupon books, and hosted a dinner. 

At the world competition, they met students from as far away as India and were able to talk to the other students to gather their perspective on the Odyssey competition. 

“Last time they didn’t have as much interaction with other teams,” stated Alzamora, “They really got a sense of how many teams there are from around the world.”

Although there are students from around the country, one of the interesting facts about the Odyssey of the Mind competition is they all have the same constraints. The parents are not allowed to help build or construct any of the sets or come up with the ideas, and the teams have a limit on how much money they can spend on the set.

“All the kids really work hard,” mentioned parent Vonia Walther. “They spend all summer coming up with ideas and meeting together to brainstorm. It’s great to see all their hard work pay off.”

While this competition takes about six months of their lives, maybe a little more, they all have good grades in school and are involved in other sports and extracurricular activities. 

“Out of all the activities,” revealed Alzamora, “I think this one sparks their minds a little more. They have to answer questions and solve problems on the spot.”

During closing ceremonies at the world competition, the team learned  the 2012 long-term problems. 

“They literally were walking out of the ceremonies deciding which topic they wanted to start working on,” chuckled Walther. 

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