La Vida Loca De Flores

This weekend Sierra finally had her Odyssey of the Mind competition in Palm Springs. This was a "sport" and experience that was totally new to me. She first became a part of this group a few months ago, which she described to me as a "team"...there are 6 kids and a coach. It is a school team and they represent their school (John Glenn Middle School ). They have a very strict set of rules, regulations, and steps to follow in order to compete in this battle of minds. They are asked to come up with a problem (her team's "problem" was that a star was literally falling and going to hit the earth) and a way...any way...to solve this problem. The solution they come up with has to be neither plausible nor possible. They then have to present their problem and solution in "skit form" in front of judges at this competition, which was held at Palm Springs High School. The catch I guess you could say is that there has to be NO parental or "adult" influences on their ideas, sets, costumes, script, etc. Even the coach is not supposed to influence them, which she says is a really challenge at times, especially when she can see that something they are doing isn't going to work and she just has to sit and watch and let them discover this for themselves. I was definitely for anything that would get Sierra thinking "outside herself," about the world, and how to solve problems, but although I was warned, I wasn't really prepared for the time involved. She has spent day after day, hour after hour, working with her team to get their performance just right, to create all the sets and make all the costumes for their characters. Since this competition was not to have any parental influence, I was really very "out of the loop" so to speak about everything she was doing while at her practices (it's a good thing I trusted and was very comfortable with her coach and the home she was spending time in!). Because I felt that just a look on my face or whether or not I laughed at something she told me might be considered "influence," I tried very hard not to react too much when she did share some of the things they were working on. So Saturday, I finally got to see what she had been spending so much time on. She and her team presented the problem of a star "falling" to earth, and their solution: To disperse so much pollution into the atmosphere that it would create a barrier and force the star to "bounce" off of it! They had a "set" made of PVC pipe with a series of "shower curtain" style sets that would be pulled from side to side creating their scenes, and there was a "Mad Scientist," a Skydiver/News Anchor (he was dressed half and half and would turn from side to side to become each character...so cute!), a "Trash" man, and Sierra played an "on scene" news reporter, who interviewed some of the other characters. Although it was very short, I was glad I got to go over and see her performance. I hung around for a little while, but I ended up heading home before the actual "placing" was announced, which I'm told is a pretty wild experience (similar to a pep rally). She and her team worked VERY hard, and very long and it paid off. Her team took second place in their division, which means now they will be heading to Sacramento for the State Competition! She is SO excited and we are so happy for her! This is going to be such a neat experience for her to be able to be part of!