This was first Leweston team to compete in the gruelling two-day trek across Dartmoor and Ginny, Henry, Flynn, Bruce, Chloe, Serena and Freddie have been training for the event since September.
The Ten Tors stands alone its scale, ambition and challenge. Organised by the Army’s Headquarters South West with support from the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force it demands commitment, endurance and teamwork.
400 teams of six, navigate routes of 35, 45 or 55 miles through ten check points. Teams must be completely self-sufficient and set off on Saturday morning carrying everything they need to complete the route and stay out overnight safely. They are not allowed any support or contact whilst on route and there is cut off time on Sunday for teams to complete their distance, not all teams make it.
The Leweston team set off at 07.00 on Saturday reaching the final checkpoint of the day at 20.54. Up early on Sunday the team crossed the line at 15.54. The weather over the weekend was mixed with Dartmoor’s famous mist rolling in on Saturday night and heavy rain showers on Sunday. The team faced everything the moor threw at them and still managed to come across the line with smiles on their faces.
Special mention must go to Freddie. Strict rules about numbers meant that he joined the Menheniot Explorer Scouts for the event, meeting his team for the first time on arrival at Dartmoor. He went on to complete the 45 mile challenge and he won high praise for his team work from the Scouts.
Leweston would like to say a huge thank you to the Sherborne Air Cadets who have supported the school’s training regime over the past few months and were on site at the weekend with their own teams. Special mention should also go to Archie Griffiths in his role as team manager, Mr Ryan-East and Mr Paget-Tomlinson who have kept training on track. All of whom camped at Okehampton for the weekend to ensure all went well.
We could not be more proud of all of the students who have been involved in our inaugural Ten Tors year and look forward to many more Leweston teams competing in the future.