Congratulations to all of the teams that competed at our 2016 Regional Tournament! The final results for all problems are listed at the link further down on this page (after the awards). All first-place teams are invited to compete at the Virginia State Tournament in April.
We also presented 4 special awards at the Closing Ceremonies. The Ranatra Fusca Award represents the essence of Odyssey of the Mind and is presented to teams or individuals who exhibit exceptional creativity. The OMER’s Award is presented to teams or individuals who particularly exemplify the spirit and philosophy of the Odyssey program, demonstrate exceptional skill or talent, or exhibit outstanding sportsmanship or teamwork. Here are the full announcements for those awards:
Omer’s award – Spring Hill Elementary School, Furs, Fins, Feathers & Friends Division 2
This award celebrates a team’s performance in spontaneous. Although we cannot give details about the problem, the judging team felt that the team members would serve as great role models for “teamwork” and collaboration. The team tried multiple solutions without showing frustration, politely asked for clarifications, cheered each other on, and generally demonstrated that they truly respected each others’ ideas. All this, while being naturally positive and enthusiastic. Not surprisingly, the team was successful in solving the problem with a totally original approach that astounded the judges.
Omer’s award – Westminster Elementary School, Stack Attack! Division 1
This Division 1 team had a member quit at the very last minute. This team member had a major role in the performance and the team had to rework several aspects of the script and costumes today to cover for his absence. In particular the judges were impressed with the way all of the team members worked together to make the skit funny and a success, including one member who doubled in both roles – his own and the missing team member’s. Another team member’s costume was modified to fill the void — at one point in the skit, he spun around showing both costumes in sequence.
Ranatra Fusca Award – Rachel Carson Middle School Team A, Something Fishy Division 2
For those of you who don’t know, the Ranatra Fusca award originated with the desire to reward teams for displaying outstanding creativity and taking risks, even if they are not successful. This team epitomizes the spirit of the Ranatra. Although none of the technical aspects worked during the performance, their extreme creativity was evident in every aspect of the solution. For example, they built a human-sized Archemedes screw to “catch” Lego “fish” and created a randomly moving robotic “catch.” In addition to the attention that the team spent on the technical aspects, their script and props demonstrated artistry and ingenuity.
Ranatra Fusca Award – Robert Frost Middle School, Furs, Fins, Feathers & Friends Division 2
The team receiving this Ranatra designed and built an ornate set-piece that that was head and shoulders above any props the judging team saw today. The piece was built from balsa wood and rotated on wheels. The engineering and workmanship was extraordinary for students of this age. Each team member used his or her individual talents with power tools, painting and engineering to create four doors that each opened in a unique way and was decorated elaborately to integrate with the different sets in the performance.