OM Association severed its relationship with Odyssey of the Mind as it is known today and legally absorbed Destination ImagiNation. While the specifics of the battle are kept behind closed doors, the assumption is that those behind OM and DI had differing opinions about how the competition should play out. Today, Destination ImagiNation is another creative competition, similar to Odyssey of the Mind, in which young people can participate, think creatively, build teams and compete. DI teams can be a minimum of two members and there are also "team managers."
In Odyssey of the Mind, a handful of the long-term problems involve building and mechanical creations, such as cars that are required to pop balloons or complete an obstacle course, or balsa wood structures that are challenged to hold a significant amount of weight. Science Olympiad competitions are similar to Odyssey of the Mind in that they encourage critical and creative thinking. Competitors are students who range from elementary school through high school. There are a series of 23 team events in areas such as chemistry, mechanical engineering and genetics.
Some of the Odyssey of the Mind long-term problems involve creative performance. Students are encouraged to create a skit (eight minutes or less) that reflects their solution to their given problem. During this skit, students use props, sets, costumes and scripts, all of which they have created themselves. For an OMer who enjoys this portion of OM, a school theater class or the drama club is a good option. Many drama clubs encourage students to participate not only in the acting element of the performance but also in assisting with things such as set design, costuming and lighting.
While Odyssey of the Mind doesn't require a great deal of intricate math, one could argue that math is involved in building cars and structures that many of the OM problems require. Additionally, strong math skills can help a person competing in the spontaneous portion of the OM competition. Math Olympiads are similar to Science Olympiads but focus on challenging mathematical problems during their competitions.