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Cowes High win Inspire Challenge in Round the Island Race

Monday, June 5, 2006

Team Cowes High School is elated after their triumph in winning the Inspire High School Challenge for the second year in a row. The Cowes Team crossed the finish line at 17:36:46, in first position out of the four high schools and the Isle of Wight College teams taking part. Cowes team were in overall 26th position out of the 40 boats taking part in the Sports boat class in the 75th JP Morgan Asset Management – Round the Island Race 2006.

Cowes High School was able to take part in the Round the Island Race through the Isle of Wight Economic Partnership’s Inspire programme. The programme aims to raise aspirations and generate self belief within young people across the Isle of Wight. Through winning the race, the Cowes Team were each awarded a replica of the Inspire Challenge Trophy which was presented to them by double Olympic Gold Medallist, Shirley Robertson OBE. The team were also invited to the official prize giving in the Island Sailing Club and were presented with the Raymarine Round the Island Race Young Sailors Trophy.

The Cowes team had to bring together diverse skills needed put together a successful campaign to compete so well in this prestigious race. This included shore side needs, such as sponsorship, signing Spinlock, the experts in rope holding, as their title sponsor and the Gurnard Sailing Club Youth and Schools Programme as a supporting partner. They have also managed Logistics, Photography, Videography, Budget Management, Media Management and Corporate Hospitality, managing to excel in all these areas.

A new dimension to the project was introduced this year. The Inspire website available at www.inspirehighschoolschallenge.co.uk gives updates to visitors on the project and the teams taking part. Cowes High’s web page is regularly updated giving team information, photographs, team CVs and much more.

Last year the team won the Round the Island Race and with the successes of this year the team feel that they are setting precedents for future years to come. Ben Green, Team Leader said “I can’t believe we won! We had 3 hours sleep on the night of the race and we were up at four in the morning! It was all so exciting; I wish I could do it every weekend! When getting the phone call from Kristian to say we had officially won the Inspire High School Challenge the whole team were overjoyed.”

Not only did the team win the race but Kristian Ward, responsible for the team's Marketing, PR, Sponsorship and Web Development won a work experience placement assisting Jo Rimmer, PR Manager at Skandia Cowes Week this year. His role will involve assisting Jo with day-to-day work to do with the yachting regatta. Kristian said “I am so pleased to win the work experience placement with Skandia during the Cowes Week regatta. The event is huge and with the experience I have got from the Inspire High School Challenge as well as the ones I will get during Skandia Cowes Week, this will well and truly give me vital experience in a PR career that I wish to take up in the future.”

David Snashall, Headteacher at Cowes High School, said “I am pleased to see that the students from Cowes High School have managed to achieve fantastic results from taking part in the Round the Island Race, this year. Sometimes people forget that it is not all about exam results, students need real life experiences and the things that they have learned from this project will live with them for the rest of their lives.”