2009 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals Review

Thirty One teams from Florida spent the last week of May on the Iowa State University campus representing the best solutions the state had to offer. The teams had already been recognized for their great work at Regional and State competitions and were now a part of the 12,000 participants and volunteers from around the world participating in the 30th Anniversary Odyssey of the Mind World Finals.

The festivities started with the opening ceremonies on Wednesday night. Teams representing each state and country at World Finals marched into the Hilton Coliseum waving flags representing their homes. A laser light show excited the crowd as participants cheered for their favorite long term problem.

For the next three days teams would perform their long term and spontaneous problem, but there was more to the week than the competition.

The Creativity Festival held at Memorial Union was always crowded as teams would spend hours participating at the different booths sponsored by each association. Ingenuity was on display in several areas as people could play games, join a drum circle, view pins from Finals past and more. A stage provided an area for DJs and magicians to entertain the crowd. Florida is a frequent winner of the best booth each year and was well received this year, even Dr Sam came by to enjoy it! Additional booth photos.

Thursday night the Float & Banner Parade marched through the Hilton Coliseum, led by Omer! The next night it was time for Graduation, and the chance to recognize some of the students that have participated in Odyssey of the Mind the longest and have reached the culmination of their time at their current school. Omer was there again, looking sharp in a cap and gown.

Pin trading is another popular pastime at World Finals, and it took place right outside of Memorial Union this year. Hundreds of people stretched out their towels full of pins as they surrounded the large fountain in front of the union at all hours each day, meeting others from around the world while searching for the best pins.

The International Fest was held the last day of Finals in the Scheman building. This festival made it easy for participants to trade items from around the world, even when they didn't speak the same language! Early in the day people waited nearly 30 minutes just to access the fest so that they'd be assured of the very best items before the participating countries ran out of the items they brought.

When Saturday night arrived it was time for the Awards Ceremony! The culmination of months of preparation, practice and performance were celebrated with friends and family. As was the case all week long Florida teams were well represented during the ceremony, including a Ranatra Fusca Award for Port St Joe High School and an Omer Award for Holy Family Catholic School. View full Florida results here.

Once the Awards Ceremony was done the fun continued with a series of parties across campus. The Pre-teen party was held at the Lied Rec Center, which had hosted Shock Waves earlier in the day. The Rec Center had been transformed in the intervening hours to include a bungee jump trampoline, rock wall and food. The Teen Party was back at the Memorial Union and included bowling and dancing. Even the Coaches were rewarded for their work at the Coaches Recovery Party where they enjoyed carnival games and fried Oreos.

In addition to the great results from our teams, the Florida Association itself was recognized at the Awards Ceremony with the Max Mansfield Membership Award, given to the association that shows the most year over year growth.

Additional pictures provided by Jim Field, Heather Hanks and Andrew Hoogerhyde.