20 Comments
User's avatar
Katharine's avatar

My favorite part of OM was the “spontaneous problem” part of competition day when you and your teammates had to complete a brand new task, timed, with magnificently odd constraints. I remember one of the practice problems was “name as many types of keys as you can” and the example answers ranged from car key to COOKIE. I was never the same.

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Janet's avatar

i LOVE THIS. I just tried it on my brain, like "think of as many types of keys as you can," and my brain went " ... car keys."

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Jackie Noblett's avatar

I did OM in elementary and middle school in the town just north of Coxsackie (would have told you the pizza joint is pretty darn good, even for a NY slice snob.)

highlights were building a derivable frying pan-shaped car with a table saw at the age of 10, firing pottery in a hand made kiln (and the photo of me freezing in my very 1993 Starter jacket) and discovering Shakespeare by comparing different comedies to episodes of Jerry Springer that my mom did not love me watching.

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Janet's avatar

"with a table saw" - see this is why i want to hear from odyssey kids lolol

good to know about the pizza joint - i will say, Casa susanna nearby - amaze!

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Kelly Hoover Greenway's avatar

Just here to show some love for Peely Bone.

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Kelly Hoover Greenway's avatar

Lemme take an edible and get back to you

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Janet's avatar

<3

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Janet's avatar

what is going on w peely bone??? is he taking off the banana skin? is he permanently half-in-half-out? is he eating a relative?

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Kath's avatar

OMer here, gettin’ weird from third to TWELFTH grade. Attended “world” in 2001 and 2003 (but don’t be too impressed, competition really thins out as kids get older and self-consciousness increases).

My favorite skit was an ad agency staffed by animals from Aesop’s fables.

Grateful to have had the space to be loud and try new things and make messes. Creative problem solving can’t be taught. Kudos to the adults who trusted us with power tools, sewing machines, and so much hot glue.

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Janet's avatar

also i don't think you ever get over the allure of a hot glue gun, do you

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Janet's avatar

WORLD'S. I did not realize we were the presence of greatness

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Holly P's avatar

what WERE you doing, Janet

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Janet's avatar

not having a single second to myself, that's for sure! then we went to playground and same kid crashed on rollerblades right after she took her kneepads off, natch

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Holly P's avatar

Never heard of OM before, it is not available here! Figures. Great list. I'm sending the girl weekend list to my girls, the peely picture to my son to ask what the heck, and reading all the links.

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Janet's avatar

the peely picture - pls send update bc i do not know

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Rachael Rejiester's avatar

OM kid here! :) Once an OM kid, always an OM kid. Almost set our coaches' living room on fire constructing an honest to god driveable car AT THE AGE OF 12. Took that one all the way to States.

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Janet's avatar

haaaaaaaaa this is amazing - by all means, let's not have an adult help with that

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April Hussar's avatar

I just realized! Your ability to pay such close attention and then to recreate the important bits reminds me of Helen Garner!

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Janet's avatar

NBD, HELEN GARNER !! I’m afraid I’ll have to ride this compliment for the next week

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April Hussar's avatar

Wait I should say — recreate the important bits and then very subtly murder me with something that makes my heart seize.

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