Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 9, 1990 TAG: 9005100474
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MARGARET CAMLIN NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
And this time, the six children can't do it on their own.
The team must raise a whopping $2,500 by next week - the cost of getting to Ames, Iowa, for the world competition May 31-June 2.
The teams needs the money for gas, food and lodging on the 1,000-mile trip to Iowa, for room and board at Iowa State University, and for the long drive back home. The children and their two coaches will travel in a motorhome lent by Robert B. Crouse, owner of Houston Motor Express in Shawsville.
At the world championship, the children will compete against 63 Odyssey of the Mind teams from the United States, China and the Soviet Union.
The Linkous team is the only one from the New River Valley to win the state contest and be eligible for the international competition.
Last month the children charmed judges at the state contest in Williamsburg with a skit starring a "closet monster" made from refrigerator boxes.
They were competing in the "Omitronic Humor" category against other teams of third-, fourth- and fifth-graders. They will perform the same skit in Ames and will also compete in a spontaneous problem-solving event.
The "Omitronic Humor" problem requires children to perform an 8-minute comedy routine or skit featuring an original animated character.
The children were to design, build and operate the character, which had to react and express emotions.
In the Linkous skit, a little girl portrayed by Anne Brinckman hides in a closet while playing "hide and seek" and accidentally locks herself in.
She starts telling jokes to amuse herself. Meanwhile, a sweatshirt and pair of pants slowly metamorphose into a monster. The pockets pop open and become eyes, the zipper pouch becomes a mouth and pants become arms.
The monster likes her jokes, and asks her to tell more. Meanwhile, a football in the closet turns into an eyeball and other objects come to life.
The closet monster starts laughing so hard at the girl's jokes that he cries, and lint balls roll out of his eyes.
Finally, the girl is rescued by her friend, but as soon as the closet door opens, the monster and other objects shrink back to their natural state.
Schweitzer says there were a lot of "oohs" and "aahs" among the judges in Williamsburg when they watched the routine.
The most valuable aspect of the experience for the kids has been learning to think and work as a group.
"In the Omitronic category, the thing you stress the least is winning," Schweitzer said. "You stress teamwork, using everybody's talents on the team."
Aline Brinckman, the head coach, believes equally valuable is the children's practice at divergent thinking. School systems typically teach "convergent" thinking, offering problems that have one solution, she says.
But Odyssey of the Mind problems require "thinking of all the various possibilities," Brinckman says. "We're asking the kids to really reach . . . that's where the creativity comes in."
This Saturday, the children and coaches will be selling raffle tickets at New River Valley Mall to raise money for the trip. A drawing will be held June 8. So far, prizes include brunches for two at Mountain Lake Resort, a Nintendo game and a 10-gallon aquarium.
Contributions can be mailed to Gilbert Linkous Odyssey of the Mind, in care of Woody Schweitzer, 403 Seminole Drive, Blacksburg Va. 24060. Or call 951-7813.
by CNB