Collingswood Odyssey of the Mind, part of the Collingswood Recreation Program, just finished its 11th season. They fielded 12 competitive teams (3rd - 12th grade) and a non-competitive Primary Club (2nd grade). The program serves more than 100 Collingswood kids and is supported by over 25 adult volunteers who serve as coaches, judges, and workshop instructors. All 12 of Collingswood's teams competed in the Coastal Plains Regional Tournament in March at Woodstown High School and 10 qualified for the State Finals at Princeton High School on April 1, 2023. At the State Finals, two Collingswood teams were crowned State Champions in their problem and age divisions, and one received a Ranatra Fusca award for exceptional creativity.
Four Collingswood teams competed in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI. They finished 21st, 14th, 14th and 4th in the world for their respective problems and age divisions. Team Hover Brothers’ 4th place finish was the highest any Collingswood team has scored in Collingswood's 11 years as a program. Over 700 teams from around the world attended including teams from South Korea, Poland, Germany, Singapore, China, and more. The detailed results are shown below.
Our Teams
Division 1 (grades 3-5)
Problem 1 – Pirates and the Treasure
- Coastal Plains Regional: 2nd place
- NJ State Finals: 3rd place
- Coaches: Doug Robbins & Patrick Reidy
Problem 1 – Pirates and the Treasure
- Coastal Plains Regional: 3rd place
- Coach: Kenneth Allendoerfer
Problem 3 – Classics… The Walls of Troy
- Coastal Plains Regional: 1st place
- NJ State Finals: 2nd place
- Coaches: Andrea Haines & Jess Todd
Problem 5 - The Most Dramatic Problem Ever!!!
- Coastal Plains Regional: 1st place
- NJ State Finals: 6th place
- Coaches: Geoff DiMasi & Matt Erdely
Problem 5 – The Most Dramatic Problem Ever!!!
- Coastal Plains Regional: 2nd place
- NJ State Finals: 4th place
- Coaches: Clare Tracy & Ed Beitz
Division 2 (grades 6-8)
Problem 1 – Pirates and the Treasure
- Coastal Plains Regional: 3rd place
- Coaches: Michael Grace & Jonathan Vitale
Problem 2 - Because iCan
- Coastal Plains Regional: 2nd place
- NJ State Finals: 2nd place
- World Finals: 21st place
- Coaches: Emma Slabyk & Jed Morfit
Problem 3 - Classics… The Walls of Troy
- Coastal Plains Regional: 2nd place
- NJ State Finals: 5th place
- Coaches: Regan Kaiden & Stavros Hadjitheocharous
Problem 5 – The Most Dramatic Problem Ever!!!
- Coastal Plains Regional: 2nd place
- NJ State Finals: 4th place
- Coaches: Angie Patterson & Katie McDevitt
Division 3 (grades 9-12)
Problem 1 – Pirates and the Treasure
- Coastal Plains: 1st Place
- NJ State Finals: 1st Place + Ranatra Fusca Award, NJ State Champions
- World Finals: 4th Place
- Coach: Stephen Hwang
Problem 3 - Classics… The Walls of Troy
- Coastal Plains Regional: 1st Place
- NJ State Finals: 1st Place, NJ State Champions
- World Finals: 14th place
- Coaches: Urmila Malvadkar & Dolores Reilly
Problem 5 – The Most Dramatic Problem Ever!!!
- Coastal Plains Regional: 1st place
- NJ State Finals: 2nd place
- World Finals: 14th place
- Coaches: Ben Garvey & Kelly Zenfell
In addition to their amazing 4th place finish at World Finals, the Problem 1, Division 3 team received a Ranatra Fusca Award at the NJ State Finals. This award is given to a team or individual for demonstrating outstanding creativity and it embodies the highest honor in OM. The team produced a drivable hovercraft capable of carrying two teenagers along with a pirate radio themed adventure set to music played on a hurdy gurdy built by the team. Congratulations Quincy Brown, Jack Chunko. Jacob Egerton, Jacob Hwang, Matthew Hwang, Ezra Tapper, and Daniel Wynne for your outstanding creative achievement. And thank you to their longtime and patient coach, Stephen Hwang, who has been an OM coach with the program for the past 10 seasons.
Finally, three of the graduating class of 2023 OMers, Jacob Hwang, Sarah Hewitt, and Michael Diaz, were honored by the New Jersey Odyssey of the Mind organization with the Dr Harold Kurtz Memorial Scholarship for their dedication to the values of OM: teamwork, creativity, and perseverance.
Collingswood Rec OM is one of the largest and most successful OM programs in New Jersey and is made possible by the support they receive from the Collingswood community, especially the Recreation Program headed by Jacob Goodman.
Team “Hover Brothers” placed 4th in the World for their solution to Problem 1 - Pirates and the Treasure