Los Alamos Odyssey of the Mind teams sweep to World Finals qualification

Los Alamos students turned an eight-year extracurricular run into a rare clean sweep: every county Odyssey of the Mind team qualified for world finals just as the local program is ending.

At the Colorado State Competition on April 11 at Thunder Valley K-8 in Frederick, Colorado, Los Alamos Middle School finished first in its division. Aspen Elementary School and Los Alamos High School each placed second, giving Los Alamos County’s elementary, middle and high school teams tickets to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Ames, Iowa.

The timing gives the achievement extra weight. The 2026 World Finals will run May 27-30 at Iowa State University, with opening ceremonies set for Wednesday, May 27 and awards on Saturday, May 30. Odyssey of the Mind says this is the 45th annual World Finals, and Colorado Odyssey says more than 800 teams from around the world are expected to compete, including entries from Germany, Poland, China, Mexico, Hong Kong and South Korea.

Odyssey of the Mind is built around creative problem-solving, engineering thinking, teamwork and improvisation. Official materials describe it as an extracurricular competition modeled on interscholastic sports, with teams choosing problems and advancing through local, state and world-level competition. For Los Alamos, the sweep signals more than a strong tournament day. It shows a small county pipeline producing students who can perform under pressure in a contest that rewards invention as much as execution.

The victory also lands against a bittersweet backdrop. Coaches Vickie Daley and Matt Allen received OMER’s Awards, which Odyssey of the Mind reserves for outstanding sportsmanship, exemplary behavior or exceptional talent. Program materials say the award can go to coaches, team members, parents, officials and others who serve as role models. Allen said the recognition reflected, in part, the work of restarting Odyssey in New Mexico and the time both coaches spent with students and families.

That leadership is now at a turning point. Daley and Allen are moving to China to teach at an international school, meaning the Los Alamos County Odyssey of the Mind program is ending even as its students head to the sport’s biggest stage. The names attached to this year’s teams include Jocelyne Dolejsi, Audrey Thornton, Cate Dallmann, Keiland Kolar, Maverick Hoffer, Kai Bain-ZInk, Ally Mackey, Cora Brown, Kenzie Bain, Idris Ortega, Lydia Condrey, Tehya Thornton, Emi Wilson, Alea Kretz, Sophia Pacheco, Rafa Rocha, Drew Bacrania and Amelia Dolejsi.

For Los Alamos, the question now is not whether the teams can compete. It is what, if anything, will carry forward after this championship-level finish.