Galway’s Odyssey of the Mind team faced some challenges at the NY State Finals when they went from a group of 6 to a group of 5 on Saturday morning due to illness – with a 9:30 am performance time. They had to rework their characters and decide who was completing different aspects of the problem solution. They jumped into the challenge with creativity, humor and ingenuity. The judges comments reflected how much they thought of the resiliency displayed – and how impressed they were with the vehicle engineering. The team is also a model of integrity. A main objective in OM is that team members are the only ones to solve the problem. “Outside Assistance” by anyone else is not allowed. This team sticks to this a matter of honor. The team members are Ailey Nelson, Avery Pasieka, Henry Pasieka, Mari Smith, Mathias Benvenuto and Theo Friedman. The team was coached by Julie Pasieka and Peter Harrison.
The team went to spontaneous and rocked it in their usual style. They had the second highest spontaneous score in their problem/division in the state which is amazing! They came in sixth place overall out of the sixteen teams that they competed against. The number one team was a standout. The teams in the second to sixth place spots were within less than a 15 point range (out of a possible 350 points). The next closest team behind Galway was 18 points behind. Galway was right in the mix with the top tier teams. Making it to the podium after having to pivot after losing their main character the way that they did is incredible. They were up against some very tough competition and held their own in spite of a major setback.
This group of middle school and elementary students were a model of being able to adapt under pressure with tremendous grace and I am so proud. I am also so thankful for the family, friends and to Mr. Miller for cheering them on.