As dusk and drizzle set in over Plean Country Park, Stirling on Thursday 5 July, the 32 enthusiastic and excited teams assembled for the start of the Energy Challenge 2007. Having only arrived at Stirling earlier in the day they were informed of the first twilight stage in the event briefing that evening. A team member from XXX said: “We were forewarned about a possible night stage by our team mate who competed last year, but it was still a shock on the first night for it to be such a physical stage. We had hoped that it would be more mentally challenging. We are trying to avoid the temptation to get excited because it's the first event!” At ten o’clock the team captains eagerly lined up ready to launch into action as the starting shot was fired and even a false start could not stop many racing off to collect their information envelopes. Everyone was called back and as the gun fired, the much anticipated first stage was finally underway. With six checkpoints to visit and a total of 12 bonus and question points on offer around the course, the teams grouped together to plan how to efficiently use the 75 minute time allocation. It was not long before the first teams broke away and charged off in search of their first checkpoint. With only the moonlight and their head torches to guide them, the teams navigated their way through undulating woodland and past the ruins of Plean Park House to reach the various check points. Once all the compulsory checkpoints had been visited the majority of teams split into pairs and ran off in search of valuable bonus points. As the night drew on, the teams regrouped near the finish to complete the questions they had collected and with five minutes to go, they began to surge through the finish. A member of Team XXX said: “It was fantastic - I'm tired and a bit dirty but it was a great night out.” Commenting on the stage results, Course Director Marcus X said: “We were very impressed by all the teams in this first stage with one team answering all but one question. However, not all the teams dipped their electronic tags into the receiver at each checkpoint which meant that their hard work was not recorded and their points were not counted.” The teams left Plean Country Park satisfied with their efforts and looking forward to whatever the next two days hold in store. They were all in agreement that if this was the start of things to come, they were in for a tough weekend!
After the adventures of the first night’s challenge, the 32 teams were up bright and early for the long and winding transfer to Achray Forest, the backdrop for the second stage – a 2 hour 30 minute set time, physical and strategic biking challenge. Teams were tasked with flying to 14 destinations (some worth more bonus points than others) based on countries. Firstly the teams had to visit ticket points to collect varying amounts of flight time which would determine how long they had to visit as many destination points as possible per trip. So as not to receive time penalties, teams had to ensure they returned to the Terminal area together before their flight time expired and be aware that destination points were closed at certain times during the stage! The sun came out from behind the clouds as the starting gun fired and the team captains sprinted off to collect their information envelopes and then huddled with their teams to deliberate their individual strategies. Having already taken some key learning’s from the first stage, the teams took longer to plan this stage to ensure they used their time out on the course efficiently, with Team XXX taking as long as 25 minutes before heading off to the ticket points. It was a survival of the fittest in this testing physical stage as teams had to cycle over miles of undulating forest tracks to the destination points. Two members of the team XXX faced particular difficulty running into mechanical problems en route to one of their first destination points, meaning they lost time receiving technical assistance. The steep terrain played a huge part in slowing participants down with some having to push their bikes whilst others including Team XXX demonstrated impressive team work by implementing a buddy system to pull the weaker team members up the hills. By the end of the stage, the majority of teams had visited an average of 9 destinations, with Team XXX and XXX, achieving an extremely impressive 14 destination points each. Alan X said: “It was wet, muddy, hilly and slippery but everyone pulled together, worked well and we all enjoyed every single minute of it. Ultimately the outcome is not about the final positions but how much money we’ve raised along the way and that’s what we think about to get us through stages as tough as this.”
With renewed energy the teams headed back to Stirling to eagerly await the next challenge. After the physically demanding challenge of the morning, teams had only a short break in which to re-group, recover and devour lunch before setting off for the Stirling University sports field, the location for the much anticipated construction stage ‘Get a Move On’. The aim of the stage was to construct a self propelled mechanism which could transfer a log over a minimum of two metres, with teams collecting bonus points for any additional distance achieved and further points available for those teams completing the task inside the maximum time allowance of 2 hours 15 minutes. The approaches to the task were varied, whilst most teams dove straight in and immediately picked up their tools to start work on their build, others took time to discuss design options and formulate a plan before commencing any activity. After almost 60 minutes of stage time had passed, the first teams, lead by Team XXX, nervously began to test their equipment, some heading back to the build bay to make adjustments and improvements to their mechanism whilst others went confidently to the Task Area to trial their equipment. After an initial rush of successfully completed tasks, the remaining teams were beginning to feel the pressure and many of them, including Team XXX, headed off to the information point to collect construction tips whilst incurring time penalties. As the remaining minutes of the stage passed by more than half of the teams were still working to perfect their designs. Unfortunately for many the time ran out too quickly and they were forced to abandon their build, dejectedly rushing off to the finish line within the allocated time to avoid incurring further penalties. It soon became clear the main reason teams did not succeed was over complication which meant there was a greater chance of their design going wrong. The winners were Team XXX who were not only the first team to successfully move their log, but also the team who achieved the most bonus points by travelling an impressive 18 metres in total. A member of their team said: “The key to our mechanism was simplicity. It was light and fast to build which earned us valuable bonus time. Without an engineer in the team, we relied on team work and communication and all contributed ideas for the design. In addition to our second place in this morning’s challenge, we have had a very successful day and hope to build on our lead in final stages.”
With that all the teams headed back to campus for a well deserved break, many under the assumption that having completed two very different but very tough tasks they were finished for the day. Little did they know they were in for a surprise………! After time to relax and enjoy a leisurely dinner, the teams gathered to listen to Steve Backley, keynote speaker for the Energy Challenge 2007. Having won an unprecedented four successive European Championships, three Commonwealth gold medals, two Olympic silvers and one Olympic bronze, Steve gave up his time to offer teams invaluable advice on how to perform under pressure, remain motivated and prepare mentally for challenges such as those participants could likely face on Day Three. On being asked to represent SPARKS as keynote speaker and Leader of the Charity Team, Steve said: “I’m delighted to be involved in the Energy Challenge on behalf of SPARKS. It is a unique sporting event that combines physical challenge, intelligence, strategy and effective team working. It is also going to be great fun. The fact that the Energy Challenge is aiming to raise a lot of money for two great charities makes the challenge extra special.” After an exhausting day with two tough challenges behind them, the teams were left intrigued by Steve’s announcement at the end of his talk that there was still one more stage to complete. Teams were to face three quick fire tests in one hour – a mental conundrum, a number puzzle and a ‘spot the difference’ picture puzzle. Graeme X said of the unexpected stage: “We were very surprised we would be facing another challenge today. I expect and hope it will be a mental challenge after such a tough day out in the field. We didn’t perform particularly well this afternoon so hope this will serve to boost team morale and set the scene for an exciting last day tomorrow. If it’s sociable, mentally taxing and over a beer we’ll be up for it!” The challenge involved memorising problems that were projected on to a screen but with no writing aids allowed, teams had to be creative in the methods they adopted in order to remember their answers. As each section began, the room fell quiet as teams lowered their voices to a whisper to ensure they were not overheard by their neighboring teams. Success in this stage was important for teams who had not performed well in the earlier challenges by providing an opportunity to prove that mental aptitude was equally as important as physical strength. Team XXX emerged as the victors of stage four and improved their position on the scoreboard, whilst Team XXX performed well yet again and increased their substantial lead over the other teams. Once the stage was over and having been assured that this signalled the completion of all stages for Day Two, the mentally and physically exhausted teams finally headed to their rooms for a welcome rest before the next and final day’s challenges.
The penultimate stage of the Energy Challenge 2007 saw teams head to Loch Ard, a freshwater lake nestled in the heart of the beautiful Trossachs region. The stunning surroundings did little to ease tensions as the teams were joined by their Leaders in this set time canoe stage. The Leaders were thrust straight into action and deposited on Loch Ard’s central island whilst their teams waited apprehensively on dry land. When the starting gun was fired the teams raced to the waters edge to collect their canoes and await the return of their team captains from the start wire before entering the dark waters of Loch Ard. Meanwhile on the island in the middle of the loch, the Leaders opened the envelopes containing key information about the stage and began their strategic planning. Team XXX entered the water first, closely followed by others as a flotilla of canoes paddled out to the island to join their Leader and finalise their strategies just as the rain began to fall. The majority of the Leaders chose to join their teams for the arduous part of the stage, paddling and then running down forest paths to collect and distribute tokens at the required points; Team XXX was one of a few teams to encounter problems on the canoe when they suddenly capsized but with steel determination they quickly righted their canoe and paddled on as the rain finally went away and the sun emerged towards the end of the stage. Spurred on by the presence of their Leader and the confidence gained from having the additional member, Team XXX carried off a strategic coup and crossed the finish line first, with half an hour of stage time to spare therefore ensuring they were well rested for the final stage. Nearly all the teams and their Leaders completed the stage within the two and a half hour maximum time, with just Team XXX coming in over the time allocation and incurring penalties. The current leaders, Team XXX, had another successful stage to further increase their lead as they headed into the final challenge. Mark X, Leader of Team XXX said: “That was surprisingly hard but brilliant and great fun. My team members were fantastic, they stayed with me the whole way and kept me going which is what so much of this event is all about. It is about building teams and seeing what great teams can do and that was a great example of teamwork. It is fantastic to see so many people from across the energy industry here, all having a great time and raising such a lot of money for worthy causes.“ This challenge, made critically important by the presence of the Leaders, was a show of team work, strategy and endurance, a great culmination of all the qualities required to compete in the Energy Challenge.
After five gruelling stages and with the finish line now in sight, the 32 teams geared up for the final challenge. The tension was palpable as all the teams were eager to maximise the last opportunity to improve on their scores. Having dropped off their team members at the start line of this fastest to finish bike and run stage, the Leaders were left in the middle of the Devilla Forest to await their teams whilst the substitutes awaited their return under the backdrop of the stunning Tullialan Castle. For the final time the starting gun was fired and the Team Captains, aware this was the last opportunity to move their team up the leaderboard, eagerly raced off across the field to collect the envelope containing the start puzzle. Once solved, they led their teams around the loch and across the Gartmorn Dam to collect their mountain bikes. Leaping onto their bikes after the 800 metre run, the teams headed out into the countryside and cycled along a disused rail track to the first checkpoint, collecting up to three bonus points on the way. They then headed deep into the Devilla Forest, where further invaluable bonus points would be on offer, and reached a disused cottage signalling the end of the bike stage. There teams were joined by their Leader who held the map to the last gruelling phase of the challenge. Most teams took their time to strategically devise their route around the final check points and bonus points to ensure they achieved a high score. Teams were obligated to visit all six check points as complete teams but had the option to split into pairs to maximise their visits to as many of the seven bonus points as time or their strategy would allow. The toll of the physically and mentally draining challenges completed so far was evident, with many participants struggling over the course. Team work was now a key factor as teams charged up the final straight, many arm in arm shouting words of motivation to their weary team mates. As they crossed the finish line, cries of relief and jubilation echoed around the castle grounds, their challenge finally over. Yet another strategically brilliant stage was the crowning glory for overall champions Team XXX. Leader Jim X said: “The team has just been unbelievable; I’m so proud and can’t wait to get back to the office to tell everybody. They’re all incredibly fit, the female influence added so much to the team dynamic and all in all it was an amazing team effort. The event was such good fun and we’ll definitely be back next year, hopefully with other teams from the office for us to beat!” Whether celebrating success, teamwork or just having completed all six challenges, all the teams headed back to the hotel to pop the champagne corks. Whilst another Energy Challenge had come to an end, teams left in the knowledge they had given 100% and most importantly raised vital funds for richly deserving causes.
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