Thousands of teens take part in Ten Tors Challenge
· Yahoo Sports
Thousands of teenagers are taking part in the Ten Tors Challenge.
Four-hundred-and-forty teams from Devon, Cornwall and further afield arrived at Okehampton Camp, on Dartmoor, on Friday where they pitched tents and finalised their routes.
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Three challenges take place across the weekend, where teams of six self-navigate routes of either 35, 45 or 55 miles, depending on their age, over the northern half of the moor.
Teams left the camp early on Saturday, and director of Ten Tors, Col Jim Bird, wished all of the participants the best of luck and said kit preparation was key to their success.
Bird said many people hold the event "close to their heart" and stressed the importance of training months in advance.
Teams need to be prepared whatever the weather, an organiser said [BBC]Ten Tors organiser Lieutenant Col Tim Gilbert, who has been involved in the event for about seven years, said the challenge was all about teamwork and rising to the challenge.
He said it also offered a "really good lesson and experience" for the young participants as they do it on their own, on the moor and push themselves hour after hour.
"You can't develop that in the classroom or anywhere else," Gilbert said.
He said teams needed to be prepared for whatever the weather was going to be, which is unpredictable on Dartmoor.
The Army's parachute display team, the Red Devils, took to the skies [BBC]Bodmin College student Alfred is taking part in the Jubilee Challenge, a trekking expedition designed specifically for young people with special needs, both physical and educational.
The orange team he is walking with are taking on the 7.8 mile trek and he said it would be the "third and final time" he took part.
"I've been having a lack of sleep this week because of it, so hopefully once I've reached the finish line, that will be my state of relief," he said.
Jen George, head of adventure and outdoor learning at Bodmin College, said the group had been training for eight months.
Jen George said they had been training for months [BBC]"Now they're out on the moor, this is the bit where we step back," she said.
"There will be 400 leaders of Ten Tors and Jubilee Challenge students now sat at the base camp looking at the maps, looking at the trackers and not being able to do anything at all.
"So, there's a lot of people, a lot of nervous people fidgeting around with the base camp," she added.
A family of three generations are also out on Dartmoor with Torpoint Community College.
Dan (L), Katrina and David (R) have all previously taken part in the challenge [BBC]David, who first took part in the challenge in 1967/68, said it had changed a lot over the years.
"It's a lot more regulated now," he said.
"When I first did it you sort of just set off and you were completely on your own," he added.
His daughter Katrina, who is team manager, said the challenge taught young people to be "self sufficient".
"You see them change from when they start, not knowing how to navigate at all, to the end and they feel confident to be able to do it themselves," she said.
David's grandson, Dan, said he trained for his first Ten Tors challenge in 2020, but it got stopped due to Covid.
"I did three 45 miles after that," he added.
Finley, who is doing the 45-mile challenge from Torpoint Community College, has returned to take part for his second year.
"I think I'm more ecstatic than I was last year because last year I kind of wanted to get it done with," he said.
"I'm feeling very happy, very good," he added.
Erin is tackling the 35-mile challenge and is also from Torpoint Community College.
Erin (L) and Ruby (R) are feeling ready for the challenge [BBC]"I'm used to walking around on the moors," she said. "My cousins have done it in previous years and they're coming to watch me cross the finish line."
She said she was most looking forward to "taking the bag off, a weight off the shoulders".
Ruby, who is taking on the 45-mile challenge, said she took on the 35-mile route last year.
"I enjoyed being with the team a lot because I did it with another school last year and I got to know some people I wouldn't ever get to know.
"I loved it so I'm doing it again," she added.
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