Sunday, May 27, 2018

Togo - You cannot make this stuff up.

Well if after driving to and from Ames, Iowa with the World Duct Tape collection in my truck and a sign on the tailgate saying, "Om'ers U R following the - World Duct Tape Collection -ducttape2thefuture.blogspot " and only getting 4 hits to the site I guess that I am pretty much blogging this for my own reading and enjoyment. But here goes...

Keep these number in mind, 4 days, 833 (teams of 7) 470 volunteers from 33 states and 15 International countries. That is over 5,000 people at this year 2018 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Ames, Iowa.

Now this is the story of roll number 68 Togo.

Two years ago, 2016, The OM World Finals were held in Ames, Iowa and as usual I looked at the list of visiting countries in the booklet. I circled the ones from which I did not have a roll of Duct Tape. These would be on my radar throughout the competition to "meet" and see if I could obtain a roll of Duct Tape from them for the collection. The night of the Coaches Recovery party things began to look up as I saw two young men dressed in what I will call fine colorful flowing robes. I approached and asked if by any chance they were from Togo? They enthusiastically replied, "Yes!" and the dance was on. Our discussion was problematic as their English was minimal. I showed them the Duct Tape List and roll of Duct Tape I carried with me. Then the Duct Tape Coin. They were getting the jist of it. They were in and would send me a roll of Duct Tape from Togo when they got home. We exchanged email addresses and I was on cloud nine.

When I returned home from Ames in 2016, I fired off an email to Amal Cheero and got a response. He responded and went back to "normal" life. About a month passed and I reached out to Amal again. He said he had the tape but checked into the cost of sending it to US was over $60. We decided that to avoid the cost why not just meet up at World Final in Lansing, Michigan in 2017. I said that would be great. I would bring the World Duct Tape coin I had engraved for him with me. The 2017 OM Finals approached and I contacted Amal. There was a problem with OM funding in Togo and the trip for the team was canceled at the last minute. Togo would not be attending the 2017 OM World Finals. Bummer.

Returning home after the 2017 I reached out to Amal again and he was still hopeful that he would get his role in the collection. I told him that I would be sending him $20 to cover the cost of the tape and the World Duct Tape Coin. I went to Walgreens and learned about sending money by Western Union (another story). Quite a process to say the least and pricey, cost $10 to send $20! Anyway he got it. I kept in touch every couple of months and as this years 2018 OM Finals neared it sounded that the Togo Team might not be funded again this year (I know what some might be thinking). Sure enough when I got to Ames this year Togo was not listed in the program. Bummer. So as per usual I circled the countries I did not have and began my quest.

I rolled out the Duct Tape display and set it up in the center of the area where OM'ers were pin trading and team registration was going on.

I got a few nibbles. Explained theDuct Tape collection and handed out the list of countries and my contact information. After a few hours I folded up the display and later displayed it in the lobby of the hotel that the officials were staying at to spread the word. Went very well.

OK so now it was down to business and down to the judging work that had to be done for the next three days. Fifty - four Problem 1 Division 1 team 8 minute performances later my judging duties were done. I decided to relax by going to the Problem 1 Division 2 performance area and watch their last few teams compete.

I sitting there and an OM'er that competed earlier in the day sat down to watch some fellow performances also. We chatted it up a bit between team performances and talked about the problem. He knew I was a judge because I had on my Officials shirt. We had sat and visited for a good 20 minutes. The subject of Duct Tape never came up. Then I looked down at his wrist. I was dumb founded!

He was wearing a wrist band from Togo! I could not believe it as Togo was not listed in the program. When I asked where he got it he explained that the previous day he and his team were in the student union and this lady was lost and the team helped her find her way. She said she was by herself from Togo to work on getting funding to bring future teams to the OM competitions. She gave a wrist band to each team member. Now I had to fill Spenser, from Atlanta, Georgia in on the Togo story.

Spenser was the nicest of guys. Great guy to talk to about the World Duct Tape Collection and learn about his team and the way they solved the problem at the Division 2 level. During the conversation I met his whole team and their coach Leslie. Spenser made my day so I returned the favor and gave him my Official shirt. Coach Leslie, upon learning about the Duct Tape collection and Duct Tape Coins said that her daughter worked in Sudan in some government capacity and she would contact her. On getting the role signed she thought that her daughter might be able to get some ranking official in the Sudan government to sign it. Leslie and her team get the Duct Tape collection.

So think about it. Remember those numbers I started this blog post with? That's over 5,000 people at this years 2018 OM World Finals. What are the chances of me sitting down at random next to and talking to Spensor who has a bracelet from a person from Togo here with no team and not listed in the program? Pretty sure this is one of those "you cannot make this stuff up" moments.

So it is good news and bad news. The good news is that I have role #68 from Togo in the collection. The bad news is that it is still in Togo with Amal. And what a story it is making. 2019 OM Finals will be held in Lansing, Michigan. Watch for that post.

P.S. Spensors team from, Grace For All in Atlanta, Georgia won 5th place. Congrats!

One of their props used. The team showed me how it worked. Their skit centered around a diner. The cubes were all hinged together and moved at the same time.

When rotated one way it spelled nothing.

When rotated the other way you got this and if you are thinking Diner, Roach, Prez
Very cool.

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Heading to the 2018 OM World Finals

If you are reading this post it is a good bet that you are following a green Dodge Ram pick-up truck with plastic wrapped cargo. The World Duct Tape collection on its way to the Odyssey of the Mind 2018 World Finals in Ames, Iowa May 23 - 26. Where over 40,000 kids from all over the U.S. and many world countries will compete to solve problems and make memories to last a lifetime. They will also be doing some serious pin trading and that is where I in true OM fashion have take the path less traveled. I am collecting rolls of Duct Tape from all 200+ countries of the world. To date I have the rolls from 80 world countries and the stories to go with them.  For the latest list of rolls in the collection just visit the blog  ducttape2thefuturelist.blogspot


There are many stories and pictures about the World Duct Tape collection on this blog read on and enjoy a story or two. Maybe you can get a roll from a country I do not have and send it to me.  If not maybe I'll see you in Ames!