Odyssey of the Mind Competitor Ready for State Tournament

After months of practicing four hours per week, Payton Loftis is ready to put her creative problem solving ideas to the test, at this Saturday’s Odyssey of the Mind competition in Madison. The fourth grader at Lakeview Elementary said this year, her second in the contest, she’s part of a team that will focus on performing a skit that conveys time travel and cartoon spoofing.

“The first thing we do (at the competition) is Spontaneous,” said Payton. “They give us a problem, and we have to solve it on the spot. We have to try to think of creative answers but if you’re stuck then you just think of a common answer.”

Creativity is the essence of Odyssey of the Mind, which is aimed at teaching students to employ creative problem-solving methods and have fun at the same time, according to the organization’s website. To tap into students’ creativity, Odyssey of the Mind competitions present students with open-ended problems, for which they are encouraged to express their ideas and suggestions without criticism from the coaches, their peers, or the judges. Odyssey of the Mind also fosters, team work, to give students opportunities to respect and embrace each other’s ideas. Payton’s Lakeview teammates are third graders Kyle Jain, Grace Roter and Alex Tolentino; and fourth graders Ellie Olson and Scott
Fischer.

Payton said their skit also features a backdrop for scenery, and props, to signal time and place.

“We’re changing it from the kitchen, then the Renaissance, and then it goes to Laraland,” Payton said. “For the Renaissance, someone is holding a dragon, and for Laraland, someone is holding a backpack. That’s a spoof on Dora the Explorer. Ours is Lara the Exterminator.”

Her father Pat said he has noticed a difference in her participation from her first year in Odyssey of the Mind. “She has a lot more confidence in her abilities this year. Last year she kind of watched the older kids and this year she is one of the older kids, so she can take on more of a leadership role and help the younger kids gets ready.”

The team’s first round of competition will be held Saturday at Madison Area Technical College. They will compete against other Wisconsin students in their age division, kindergarten through grade five. World Finals will be held at the University of Maryland in College Park, May 27-30.

More information about Odyssey of the Mind is available at www.odysseyofthemind.com.