Matamoras. DVE-News/TV, WNEP interview Odyssey of the Mind participants

Last week, DVE-News/TV reporters set out to the Delaware Valley High School to interview Odyssey of the Mind participants who will soon be heading to the World Competition in Michigan.

The reporters observed journalist Elizabeth Worthington and the camera man from WNEP at work. Both seasoned professionals, they described what they do daily to the DVE news team. The students discovered that the professionals do some things that are similar, such as coming up with questions for interviews. The students also discovered that there are differences as well, such as the camera being carried on the WNEP camera man’s shoulders which means he can walk around while the students use a tripod to keep the video still. The camera and microphone are also much bigger and WNEP sometimes uses special lighting.

The students also interviewed Ryan Balton, who works with Pennsylvania Odyssey of the Mind teams. He tdiscussed what Odyssey of the Mind is about, describing it as being like a puzzle that is worked on together with a team.

He joined Odyssey of the Mind because he saw the older kids doing it. Once he started, he kept going with it because he loved it - especially working with people and making friends.

According to Balton, the skits are written and solved by teams of students. Adults and coaches cannot intervene which means the students have to come up with their own solution. The performances are timed for eight minutes, a limit that the teams cannot go over. The spontaneous problems vary slightly in time length, but they usually are about 10 minutes long.

Most Odyssey of the Mind students agree that the most important part of the competition is the spontaneity. The team needs to really work together to pull through.