John Turner / Special to The Citizen
Odyssey of the Mind's five annual long-term problems each present participants with their own unique challenges.
One problem concerns itself each year with the building and operating of a vehicle, which puts students' knowledge of engineering and mechanics to a true test.
And Skaneateles Middle School's Division II, Team A has been indeed fortunate to have a mechanical engineer as its coach.
The team, whose skit solved OOTM's “Odyssey Road Rally” problem, showed plenty of collective mechanical wisdom on the way to first-place finishes at both the Region 11 and New York state tournaments, earning them a berth in the OOTM World Finals to be held May 31 through June 3 at the University of Maryland.
Coach Steve Kochan, who has led a team in solving the vehicle problem for the last five years, recently earned his master's degree in creative studies and innovation from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
His engineering knowledge, Kochan said in a telephone interview last week, has come in handy on numerous occasions.
“In the case of the vehicle problem, it's always the engineering of the vehicle itself that's the initial challenge,” he explained.
When the team began creating its skit last October, he continued, Kochan distributed informational handouts to the five team members, one of which is Kochan's son, Nicholas.
“They were more like templates, (describing) ways to store energy, ways to build a framework, things like that,” he said.
Since he has participated in OOTM's vehicle problem before, Nicholas Kochan was instrumental in figuring out how to power the vehicle.
“He's really good with technology, so he explained some things to us about gear ratios, stuff like that,” said fellow team member Thomas Andrews.
With the help of the younger Kochan's knowledge and experience, Andrews said the team figured out a way to power the vehicle using a drill driver and bicycle parts.
The team's skit tells the story of a young man who is never picked to play on sports teams. After finishing school, the boy gets a job driving a Zamboni, a slow-moving machine used to resurface the ice in hockey and figure skating.
“The other 'sports-related' vehicle they came up with was the ultimate sports car - a Lamborghini,” Steve Kochan said.
After winning $13 million in the lottery, the boy quits his job as a Zamboni driver and purchases one of the luxury Italian vehicles.
“The only thing was, he missed his job,” Kochan explained. So the boy gets his job back and returns with a completely new vehicle - a “Zamborghini.”
“He got spoiled driving the sports car, but he loved the Zamboni too, so (team members) decided to combine them into one vehicle.”
By skit's end, the boy is able to participate in sports such as soccer and ping-pong that he was never before allowed to play.
“The whole idea of the skit was an example of how to build self-esteem,” Kochan said.
The problem synopsis states teams must also create a “theme” for their skit.
“They got the idea to do a takeoff on 'The Twilight Zone' ... they called it 'The Headlight Zone,'” Kochan said with a laugh, noting that the students painted the scenery in black and white and wore matching costumes in neutral colors to provide a 1950s-television feel.
Though the team earned a first-place finish at the Region 11 competition in Auburn on March 15, Kochan said he had “mixed feelings” about their performance.
“We have a unique group, who are all excellent in their own ways,” he said. “That doesn't always make for a tight group, but it can produce some amazing results.”
For this team, the amazing results were just beginning.
Kochan said he persuaded team members to watch other competitors at the regional tournament. “I asked them, 'What did you see in the other skits that could've been better?'
“You're always looking toward the next competition. Not to think you'll win, but just to be able to compete,” he continued.
After making a few minor adjustments to its skit, the team competed in excellent fashion at Binghamton on March 29. Its cumulative score put the team more than a dozen points ahead of second-place Algonquin Middle School from Averill Park, landing the group a spot in Maryland May 31.
As his team prepares for worlds, Kochan believes the students' diversity is one reason for their success.
“They've each brought their own strengths to (the competition),” he said proudly.
“It wasn't always the same kid leading the group, either. They've complemented each other really well,” he added.
Skaneateles Middle School Div. II, Team A
Team Members:
Thomas Andrews
Matthew Kallas
Christopher Knupp
Nicholas Kochan
Madison Ruffo
Coach:
Steve Kochan
Problem:
Odyssey Road Rally
Synopsis: This problem combines two popular activities - road rallies and sporting events. Teams will design, build, and operate an original vehicle, which they will drive in a road rally that has four checkpoints. At each checkpoint, the vehicle will compete in a sports-related event. The team will choose three of the events from lists in the problem and will create an original sports-related event for the fourth checkpoint. The team will also develop a theme for its road rally.
One problem concerns itself each year with the building and operating of a vehicle, which puts students' knowledge of engineering and mechanics to a true test.
And Skaneateles Middle School's Division II, Team A has been indeed fortunate to have a mechanical engineer as its coach.
The team, whose skit solved OOTM's “Odyssey Road Rally” problem, showed plenty of collective mechanical wisdom on the way to first-place finishes at both the Region 11 and New York state tournaments, earning them a berth in the OOTM World Finals to be held May 31 through June 3 at the University of Maryland.
Coach Steve Kochan, who has led a team in solving the vehicle problem for the last five years, recently earned his master's degree in creative studies and innovation from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
His engineering knowledge, Kochan said in a telephone interview last week, has come in handy on numerous occasions.
“In the case of the vehicle problem, it's always the engineering of the vehicle itself that's the initial challenge,” he explained.
When the team began creating its skit last October, he continued, Kochan distributed informational handouts to the five team members, one of which is Kochan's son, Nicholas.
“They were more like templates, (describing) ways to store energy, ways to build a framework, things like that,” he said.
Since he has participated in OOTM's vehicle problem before, Nicholas Kochan was instrumental in figuring out how to power the vehicle.
“He's really good with technology, so he explained some things to us about gear ratios, stuff like that,” said fellow team member Thomas Andrews.
With the help of the younger Kochan's knowledge and experience, Andrews said the team figured out a way to power the vehicle using a drill driver and bicycle parts.
The team's skit tells the story of a young man who is never picked to play on sports teams. After finishing school, the boy gets a job driving a Zamboni, a slow-moving machine used to resurface the ice in hockey and figure skating.
“The other 'sports-related' vehicle they came up with was the ultimate sports car - a Lamborghini,” Steve Kochan said.
After winning $13 million in the lottery, the boy quits his job as a Zamboni driver and purchases one of the luxury Italian vehicles.
“The only thing was, he missed his job,” Kochan explained. So the boy gets his job back and returns with a completely new vehicle - a “Zamborghini.”
“He got spoiled driving the sports car, but he loved the Zamboni too, so (team members) decided to combine them into one vehicle.”
By skit's end, the boy is able to participate in sports such as soccer and ping-pong that he was never before allowed to play.
“The whole idea of the skit was an example of how to build self-esteem,” Kochan said.
The problem synopsis states teams must also create a “theme” for their skit.
“They got the idea to do a takeoff on 'The Twilight Zone' ... they called it 'The Headlight Zone,'” Kochan said with a laugh, noting that the students painted the scenery in black and white and wore matching costumes in neutral colors to provide a 1950s-television feel.
Though the team earned a first-place finish at the Region 11 competition in Auburn on March 15, Kochan said he had “mixed feelings” about their performance.
“We have a unique group, who are all excellent in their own ways,” he said. “That doesn't always make for a tight group, but it can produce some amazing results.”
For this team, the amazing results were just beginning.
Kochan said he persuaded team members to watch other competitors at the regional tournament. “I asked them, 'What did you see in the other skits that could've been better?'
“You're always looking toward the next competition. Not to think you'll win, but just to be able to compete,” he continued.
After making a few minor adjustments to its skit, the team competed in excellent fashion at Binghamton on March 29. Its cumulative score put the team more than a dozen points ahead of second-place Algonquin Middle School from Averill Park, landing the group a spot in Maryland May 31.
As his team prepares for worlds, Kochan believes the students' diversity is one reason for their success.
“They've each brought their own strengths to (the competition),” he said proudly.
“It wasn't always the same kid leading the group, either. They've complemented each other really well,” he added.
Skaneateles Middle School Div. II, Team A
Team Members:
Thomas Andrews
Matthew Kallas
Christopher Knupp
Nicholas Kochan
Madison Ruffo
Coach:
Steve Kochan
Problem:
Odyssey Road Rally
Synopsis: This problem combines two popular activities - road rallies and sporting events. Teams will design, build, and operate an original vehicle, which they will drive in a road rally that has four checkpoints. At each checkpoint, the vehicle will compete in a sports-related event. The team will choose three of the events from lists in the problem and will create an original sports-related event for the fourth checkpoint. The team will also develop a theme for its road rally.
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