I began coaching Odyssey of the Mind
teams in 1995. I am reasonably certain I never will again. Before I
explain, allow me to make a few points.
First, I'm getting old. The time has
come for me to step down.
Second, the young people I have
coached—especially this year—have been delightful. You have given me far more than I
have given you. I have loved working with you. As near as I can
figure I have coached something like 50 of you. Many are Facebook
friends who will read this. You are wonderful. Thank you for
letting me take part in your lives. I mean it.
Finally, this is not sour grapes. By
the grace of God we have met with great success. We have finished
6th, 10th and 24th in the whole,
wild world. We have won four state championships. I am proud of
this. And the reason I write it is not to brag, but to prove that my
point below comes not from envy, but from experience.
Finally to my point: the second reason
for my retirement is the cheating I see condoned by the OM system. I
know these are big, angry words. I have prayed about whether to
convey them. In the end, I believe somebody needs to say it and
there are few people better qualified to do so.
Over the years I have watched certain
teams cheat again and again. I refer not to inadvertent breaking of
the rules. Anybody can make a mistake—especially in an endeavor as
detailed and pressure-packed as OM. Six weeks ago I became aware
that something I had done on behalf of my team might have broken the
rules. I asked the powers that be and learned that indeed I had. I
immediately took action to rectify the situation. No, I refer to
intentional, cynical cheating. And I refer to an organization that
enables it.
This weekend I watched as the coach of
another team tried to rally her kids. She and they (older teens) were crying.
They stood in line behind a team from one of the schools that
repeatedly cheats. Every person in the room—coaches, youth,
parents, judges—could tell at a glance this other team had broken the rules.
To take one of any number of violations, every member of every team
signs a paper that says they have not spent more than a specific
number of dollars on their presentation. The team in question had
obviously spent seven, ten, twelve times more than the limit. They
also employed a technical device explicitly prohibited by the rules.
But because they are very well connected to the OM hierarchy, they
got away with it.
OM is supposed to value creativity.
And it does: it values creative cheating, Again, I know these are
strong words. I do not believe the people in the OM hierarchy mean
for one second to enable cheating. But they do. Their whole
positive-thinking, self-esteem, “It's all about the kids”
mentality blinds them to a fundamental fact: the system they have
created rewards cheating. Uber-competitive people from
uber-competitive places are taking advantage of their naiveté.
Unless they somehow develop the courage to enforce the true spirit of
their rules, this will never change.
And that is really, really sad.
