The Bay Haven students now prepare for the World Finals in Iowa.
By Ed James III
Original Air Date: May 6, 2026
Ed James III: It’s often called the “Olympics of the Mind.” Odyssey of the Mind, or OM, challenges students to solve complex problems without any help from adults. For the Division 1 team at Bay Haven, that meant mastering the art of balsa wood engineering. Coach Joyce Barnett says the challenge is a lot more grueling than it sounds.
Joyce Barnett: Odyssey of the Mind is divided into the competition a where we do a long-term [problem] where we work on it for a long time, and then also they have to go into a room with just the judges and do spontaneous, which is given a problem. It could be a verbal problem, like “Name all the things you could do with a golf ball,” or it could say “Get this golf ball to the other side of the room without touching it using these devices, and if it touches certain points it gets points” and stuff, so that’s called spontaneous, and that’s a very difficult part. There’s many types of Oddysey of the Mind problems. We’re actually the only team in Sarasota County that is doing the structure problem and made it to World.
EJ: That structure problem requires the students to build a tower out of balsa wood weighing no more than 18 grams—about the weight of three nickels. The goal? To hold as much weight as possible. Last year, student-builder Hunter Gorsi set a school record by supporting over one thousand pounds. When the team headed to Orlando for the state competition, student Iris Shirley says the tension was high until the very last second.
Hunter Gorsi: I was surprised. Usually, we’re probably second, which—we would still make it—but first is great. We were scared because it always go last. If you’re first place, you get called last, so you don’t know if it’s you or someone else.
Iris Shirley: I was excited because it was my first time, and I wanted to make it to World.
EJ: While the trophies are a point of pride, Coach Barnett says the real value is in the “divergent thinking” the program fosters—a skill that translates directly into high-level careers.
JB: It’s a very important step in education because it goes through all the things that we need to teach children. I have a person who worked on the launchpad for NASA for the recent rocket. He tells me—and I have many of my alumni that tell me—that Odyssey of the Mind really helped them with their life, with their career.
EJ: The road to the World Finals at Iowa State University comes not just with prestige but with a heavy price tag. The team needs to raise $15,000 to cover registration, travel and the transport of their custom-built props.
JB: The prices have gone up each year. It costs $760 for each student to participate, including the coach. We try to fundraise the money for that, but right now, we only have about $1,600. We’re trying to raise—the cost to participate is over $5,000, and then we try to offset other expenses like travel for the students.
EJ: The team will be out in the community fundraising at local grocery stores this weekend.
For these students, the trip to Iowa isn’t just about winning; it’s about meeting “buddies” from teams as far away as Poland and China and proving that Sarasota’s young minds can compete with the best in the world.
Reporting for WSLR News, I’m Ed James III.
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