North Carolina Odyssey of the Mind
March 2, 2024
Central Region Tournament Program

NORTH CAROLINA ODYSSEY OF THE MIND

NCOM State Officers
Carolyn Braly, Association Director
Randy Burton, Vice Association Director
Tom Bojanski, State Treasurer
Zoe Hansen Burnet, State Secretary
Bart Austin, State IT Manager

NCOM Central Division
Central Regional Tournament Officials
Mitzi Lynch, Regional Director, Tournament Director
Bob Burton, Treasurer, Assistant Tournament Director
Bart Austin, Assistant Tournament Director
Subburaj Narayanasamy, Score Room
Doris Barahona-Burton Problem Captain Spontaneous
Merrie Heilpern, Problem Captain Problem 1
Glenn Baron, Problem Captain Problem 2
Vicki Reich, Problem Captain Problem 3
Glenn Sigmon, Problem Captain Problem 4
Lyn Holt and Scotty Vanhoozier, Problem Captains Problem 5
Karen Austin, Co-Problem Captain Primary
Amy Creswell, Co-Problem Captain Primary
Allan Ross, Sales Manager
Awards Ceremony, Bart and Karen Austin

Central Region Board Members
Ernie Abernethy
Joanie Baker
David Dietrich
Harris Holt
Russell LeDonne
Swapan Nandi
Jeff Newell
John Norman
Richard Raley
Allan Ross
Mark Santo
Shanmugam (Sam) Sundaram

Many thanks to this great bunch of people! They spend their own time to study and become experts in their problems, organize and train the judging teams, and then oversee multiple competition sites on the day of the tournament. Then they help us clean up and see that the scores are correct. Because they volunteer to do this year after year, our students benefit from their experience!

A special thanks to Randolph Middle School for hosting Coaches Training, Irwin Academic Center for hosting our Spontaneous Fair, and Charles H. Parker Academic Center for hosting Judges Training.
 

Welcome to our Tournament!

Wingate University extends a warm welcome to Odyssey of the Mind tournament participants and guests as we return to Wingate for a 23rd year. The University invites you to take this opportunity to explore the campus and its wide variety of programs. If you have visited Wingate in the past, you will note the University’s recent growth and campus enhancements.

For more information about Wingate University, please follow this link to their web site: https://www.wingate.edu/

The North Carolina Odyssey of the Mind Central Region Board members hope you enjoy the 2024 tournament experience. As you know, the Odyssey of the Mind philosophy is based on problem solving by team effort, perseverance, and sportsmanship. Divergent and original thinking is rewarded. Our judges are trained to look for unusual creative ideas in the long-term problem, style elements, and the spontaneous portion of the competition. It is the creativity and risk-taking abilities of our students that we value.

Each Problem Captain is responsible for their respective judging teams. As you can imagine, judging each team’s presentation is a difficult endeavor. We are proud to say that although all of our judges are volunteers, over half of them have judged for us in the past. No matter what their past experience, all judges have attended an extensive judge training session in both the Odyssey of the Mind Program in general, and in the problem they will be judging this year. The training includes long-term judges, style judges, spontaneous judges as well as score room personnel.

North Carolina Odyssey of the Mind would like to offer a special thank you to all the coaches who have dedicated hours to their team’s OM experience. This is just one more way in which you touch and mold the lives of our youth. This program can only make a difference in our youth through your willingness to be a coach.

A special note to coaches and their teams
Please be aware that only the coach may discuss problem-related issues with the tournament officials. Coaches and teams should follow the tournament guidelines outlined in the information packet to resolve issues with rule interpretations. If the need arises, please begin this process with the Head Judge in your problem division.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
Minor emergencies should be taken to the Registration/Information table in the McGee Health Center throughout the tournament. Major emergencies should be reported to Wingate Campus Police, at 911. Look for red light phones around campus.

COACHES OR PARENTS MUST BE WITH THEIR TEAMS AND/OR CHILDREN AT ALL TIMES
Security is difficult when we are dealing with this many people. Please encourage your students to leave valuables, props, and problem solutions locked in your vehicle. We are not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged articles. Because staging area spaces are small, plan to bring in your props and equipment shortly before your competition time and remove them immediately thereafter. NO inline skates, skateboards, bikes, sneaker-skates or scooters are allowed. Stay off statues, art displays, trees, plants, rocks. No swimming or wading in the creek or the lake in the center campus.

NOTICE ABOUT ON PREMISE PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO RECORDING
When you enter a North Carolina Odyssey of the Mind (NCOM) event or program, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur.
By entering our event premises, you consent to photography, audio recording, or video recording to be used for promotional purposes such as NCOM generated advertizing, websites and social media. You release NCOM, its board members and volunteers from any liability connected with the taking, recording, digitizing, or publication and use of photographs, computer images, video and sound recordings.

LOST AND FOUND:
Take found items to the Registration Table in McGee Health Center. Items not claimed will be taken to the Awards Ceremony. The Tournament Director will take home any items remaining after the ceremony.

Welcome Letter from Carolyn Braly
NCOM Association Director

Central Region Odyssey of the Mind Family:

I join the Central Region Board and Wingate University in welcoming you to the 2024 Central Region Tournament! Students, thank you for your creativity, team work, and persistence. Coaches & School Coordinators, thank you for the time and energy you have poured into teams. Parents and supporters, thanks for letting your kids use your garages, kitchen tables, and floors as creative problem-solving laboratories.

Best wishes to all of you as you present your Long Term and Spontaneous solutions!

Carolyn Braly
Association Director
 

Welcome Letter from Mitzi Lynch
NCOM Central Region Director

After a Final Four win against South Carolina last year, Iowa standout Caitlyn Clark said, “I have all the confidence in this world in this group and they believe right back in me.” That sort of mutual trust is the key to a successful team.

From the first day of practice, you have worked together and separately, challenged, and respected each other, and built on ideas as a team to create extraordinary solutions to your long-term problems. You have kept your technical and improvisational skills sharp and learned from each other through spontaneous practice.

Importantly, you have become confident teams that believe in each other. Like Catilyn Clark, you are all destined for great things. Enjoy this competition day!

Mitzi Lynch
Central Region Director

Special Awards

Ranatra Fusca Creativity Award
  Ranatra Fusca is the term for a classification of water insect. Although this may seem like a remote association to creative thinking, the name has a special meaning in Odyssey of the Mind.
  The Odyssey of the Mind was born from a college class taught by our founder, Dr. Sam Micklus, in which students were given an assignment to create a floatation device to transport them across a pond. One student designed a water strider-like contraption. The device did not solve the problem because of its inability to maintain proper balance; however, if given the time and the opportunity to "go back to the drawing board," the student would have been able to correct this and cross the pond. Even though the device did not work properly, the idea was exceptionally creative.
  The Ranatra Fusca Creativity Award represents the essence of the Odyssey of the Mind program. It is presented to teams or individuals who exhibit exceptional creativity, either through some aspect of their problem solution, their behavior, or an extraordinary idea beyond the problem solution. A successful problem solution is not a criterion for winning the award; rather, the award is a way to acknowledge and encourage creative thinking and risk-taking. All team or individual Ranatra Fusca winners of this award at the Regional level will advance with their teams to state finals.

OMER’S Award
  OMER's Award is not intended to reward creativity; instead, our mascot, OMER, wants to recognize individuals or teams who demonstrate outstanding sportsmanship, exemplary behavior, and exceptional talent. Recipients of this award may be coaches, team members, parents, officials or anyone else whom tournament officials or directors feel exhibit these traits.
  Anyone may inform a judge or tournament official of a possible OMER's Award candidate. That judge or official will then determine if that person should be nominated.  All nominees are reviewed by a panel that determines the final winner. You may pick up a blank form and submit it at the Information/Registration Desk at the McGee Health Center throughout the tournament.
 
Coach of the Year Award
We honor all coaches for their hard work and time commitment. Without volunteer coaches, we could not have a program like Odyssey of the Mind! The Coach of the Year award is selected from nominations from school principals or an organization’s management representative.  
 

NC Odyssey of the Mind
CENTRAL REGION COMPETITION

Wingate University
Saturday, March 2, 2024

Registration & Souvenir Sales (Pins & T-Shirts)
McGee Health Center Lobby 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

Competitions:
8:00 am - 3:00 pm

Problem 1 – Drive-In Movie
McGee Health & Wellness Center MAC Gym- All Divisions

Problem 2 – AI Tech-No-Art
LaVerne Banquet Hall - All Divisions

Problem 3 – Classics... Opening Night Antics
LaVerne Banquet Hall - All Divisions

Problem 4 – Deep Space Structure
McGee Health & Wellness Center - All Divisions

Problem 5 – Rocking World Detour
Austin Auditorium – All Divisions

Primary - The Night Life
LaVerne Banquet Hall

Spontaneous
Burris Hall

Closing Ceremony
Austin Auditorium
Pre-Awards 3:30 – 4:00 pm
Trophy and Ribbon Presentation 4:00 – 5:00 pm


Teams and their coaches should sit together. All others should find a seat in areas not designated for teams. We ask teams and spectators alike to stay for the entire ceremony so those that are called last will receive the same accolades as those that were called first.

LOST AND FOUND:
Take found items to the Registration Table in McGee Health Center. Items not claimed will be taken to the Awards Ceremony. The Tournament Director will take home any items remaining after the ceremony.

Pre-Awards Ceremony
NCOM Central Slide Show!

Coaches Only!
Please text pictures of your team's activities
during the competition day.

Limit 6 photos please.

We will include your photos in a slide show
presented at Pre-Awards (time permitting).

Some photos may be selected to be displayed
in the NCOM web site also!

Text to 704-534-4197

Deadline for submission is 1:00 pm

Pre-Awards Ceremony
NCOM Central Hat Parade!

PRIZES AWARDED!

Here are the official rules:

1. There is no limit on outside assistance so team members, coaches, parents, and advisors can help with creative ideas and construction. Contestants wearing Wingate school colors may have a slight advantage.
2. Winners are selected by the appointed judges who are solely responsible for their decisions and will most likely be influenced by cheering and general team spirit and enthusiasm.
3. Contest is open to anyone who attends the 2024 Central Region Tournament Pre-Awards ceremony at Wingate University including team members, coaches, parents, siblings, Wingate physics professors, mayors, kazoo players, sword swallowers, and astronauts.
4. Hats may not be made of dangerous radioactive substances such as plutonium or uranium but may glow from other nonthreatening and safe substances or energy.
5. Hats may not be made of anti-gravitational material, and for safety, under no circumstances may the hat lift the contestant above the floor.
6. Hats may not enable wearer to time travel into the future to see the results of the contest in order to facilitate an unfair advantage over other contestants. Time travel into the past, however, is acceptable.
7. All other rules not stated above are governed by the 2024 Odyssey of the Mind Program Guide.
 

Trophy Sponsors

Sundaram Family (1st Place, Problem 1, Division 1)

Arun and Smitha (1st Place, Problem 4, Division 2)

Studio H (1st Place, Problem 2, Division 1)

Studio H (1st Place, Problem 3, Division 1)

Studio H (1st Place, Problem 4, Division 1)

Studio H (1st Place, Problem 5, Division 1)

Trophies and medals provided by
 Lake Norman Awards and Engraving
 Mooresville, NC
 

ABOUT OM

Odyssey of the Mind (OM) teaches students how to develop and use their natural creativity to become problem-solvers. Imagine being faced with a problem that requires an original solution. It can be frightening. Now imagine not being afraid to solve that problem. That is what OM members learn. This skill and self-confidence will carry over to all areas of their lives. OM brings the classroom to life as students apply what they learn and combine it with their interests and passions to solve our unique open-ended problems. OM also emphasizes teamwork, budgeting, time management, public speaking, and so much more. This international program is designed to help students at all learning levels grow as individual learners, grow as team members, and to reach their full potential.
The NCOM Central Region is one of five regions in the state of North Carolina. All OM activities are governed by the State Board of Directors but most of the regional functions are planned and implemented by our Central Region Board, headed by our Regional Director Mitzi Lynch. We are happy to answer all questions (see contact info below). 
 

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