Your right Neal...its not the long way around.
I would love to join you in Kiel, but considering im the host, I think I will be very busy the day before the meet.
The cheapest ( if you dont already have a car) would probably be to use the trains to Copenhagen.
The cheapest flights accros the atlantic will probably hold a stop in Frankfurt, Holland or UK depending on what airline you use.
Heres some pointers:
KLM (Holland)
www.klm.com
Lufthansa (German)
www.lufthansa.com
SAS (Scandinavian)
www.sas.dk This airline will have direct flights to Copenhagen from some US Airports including Dulles and New York.
Furthermore SAS, Lufthansa and United are in a group called Star Alliance (
http://www.staralliance.com/baseAction.do?language=) where you can earn a great deal of flyer miles.