Students’ ‘tor’ de force

TRIUMPHANT: Oak Academy's Ten Tors team with teacher Dave Turner, just after they collected their medals for completing the gruelling two-day, 35 mile challenge.

TRIUMPHANT: Oak Academy’s Ten Tors team with teacher Dave Turner, just after they collected their medals for completing the gruelling two-day, 35 mile challenge.

Six Bournemouth students became the first team from their school in four years to successfully complete the gruelling Ten Tors challenge.

The students from Oak Academy walked the arduous 35 mile route across the hills of Dartmoor in just two days and without any adult assistance.

But it was not just two days of hard work and determination that pulled the youngsters through.

The six – Georgina Pocock, Joseph Macken, Alex Benfield, Connor Northbrook, Zack Roberts and Daniel Batchelor from, Years 9 and 10 – have been training hard since last October for the event.

Oak Academy’s Outdoor Education Teacher, Dave Turner, supported the super six’s training from day one. He said: “This fantastic achievement has been borne out by months and months’ worth of training, planning and sheer determination.

“They have put everything into this, including giving up their weekends, and we are so proud of them for completing the Ten Tors, which is no mean feat believe me.”

The Ten Tors challenge is run by the armed forces and invites teams of six teenagers aged 14 to 19 to complete ten routes across Dartmoor.

To be successful every team member must finish the course and within a time limit over the two days.

The course is 35 miles in a straight line but the actual mileage covered is usually longer.

And to prepare for the event the Oak Academy students trained all winter in the New Forest, walking up to 16 miles a day.

More recently they travelled to Dartmoor to test the Ten Tors terrain.

Triumphant Ten Tors’ winner, Georgina said: “From the start line, we felt that unity was paramount, we needed to stay together.

“On the second day, we set off at 6am and people were ready to drop out but we battled through as a team and that strength got us to the finish line.

“This is one of the greatest accomplishments of our lives to date and we will remember it for the rest of our lives.”

Executive principal of the Oak Academy, Paul Holman, commented: “What an amazing achievement, we couldn’t be prouder of our students whose will and determination to succeed has been a privilege to witness.

“I would also like to thank the school staff who have supported and trained them in their own time.”

 

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