2023 State Finals

OMER’s Awards

Problem 3: The Walls of Troy
Division II
Bryan from Spring Grove Area Middle School
Bryan stood out amongst his group for truly embodying the spirit of OMER, by composing and performing absolutely beautiful music. He also engineered and created an amazing moving statue with gears, levers, and rods.

Problem 4: Where’s the Structure?
Division III
Eric from Penndale Middle School
This team member displayed exceptional creativity and talent in his multi-faceted role as the magician and lead character. As this character, his entire performance was in lyrical rhyme, with a charming and unique accent. His character was encompassed in an almost impossibly small box – besides his head, which was thinking outside of the box – and paired with skillful movements and hops across the performance area. He combined a flawless script with excellent improvisation, which blended together perfectly and intensely captivated the audience.

Problem 1: Pirates and the Treasure
Division III
Montgomery Area Public Library
This team showed exceptional creativity in the propulsion system of their vehicle. In order to propel their vehicle, one team member hand-cranked a flywheel using the pedals and gears of an old bicycle. In order to transfer enough energy to the flywheel, it had to be cranked for about 60 seconds. When enough energy had been stored in the flywheel, another team member hand-engaged a system of belts and pulleys to smoothly and quickly maneuver through the course. The once rusty parts, that were salvaged from old cars, were also now cleanly operating a two-person vehicle. This propulsion system showed complexity and obviously required hours of trial and error in order to smoothly perform.

Problem 1: Pirates and the Treasure
Division III
Owen J. Roberts High School

This team showed exceptional creativity in all areas of their solution. This team created a vehicle that propels itself by changing the location of two anchor points on a fulcrum. They did this by creating two homemade “sit and spins,” one near the “bow” and one near the “stern.” The two crew members would transfer their weight from one side to the other in order for the to boat to make a 180 degree rotation. The middle of the boat could never be occupied and also needed to remain sturdy. In order to efficiently travel the course, the boat needed to be oversized, but still fit into the designated space of 4-by-6 feet. This was overcome by creating a hinged bow and stern that moved up and down. The structure of the boat was also innovative because the frame was constructed from PVC “ribs” identical in size. This was made possibly by creating a homemade hotbox and jig/template to hold it in place until cooled, keeping its form. In addition, all props were well constructed and conceived including a monstrous serpent, fish, King Henry with two beheaded wives, and a palm tree that was fixed moments before the team performed. The overall performance was phenomenal, and the way the boat maneuvered the course was visually simple, yet creatively complex.

To apply for the Line Mountain Scholarship, high school seniors must solve a problem. This year’s problem was called O-Memoir. Applicants had to create a cover for a memoir written by the Odyssey of the Mind mascot, OMER.

Here are some photos of Gavin’s winning design.

More info…