Tournament 2013

A record number of 42 teams took part in the seventh annual Technology Tournament for secondary school students run by Rotary Clubs in the Leeds area. It all happened at the John Charles Stadium, South Leeds, on Tuesday 5th March.

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Councillor Anne Castle as well as the Governor of Rotary District 1040 were present, along with the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire - in his dress uniform - who presented the prizes. The best projects in each of the three categories were awarded the trophies : 

Level	Winner
Foundation Group	Farnley Park School
Intermediate Group	South Leeds Academy
Advanced Group	Silcoates School
Innovation	Horsforth School (B2)

(It was Silcoates first appearance in the competition - so very well done).

Congratulations to the winners, and to all the teams taking part - well done!

An enjoyable day was had by the participants and organisers alike. It was a challenge for the students, which tested their knowledge and ingenuity, as well as their manual skills and ability to work in a team. It was generally agreed that the task was difficult but absorbing and enjoyable - even the teachers brave enough to try the task agreed.

The task: Teams had to design, develop, build and test a model ‘eco-vehicle' capable moving along a test track and powered only by a 200 gram weight. The model vehicle had to be made from strip wood, dowel, wire, cardboard, glue, string and so on. It had to display an advert for Green Power, and raise a flag as it moved along. A ‘portfolio' also had to be produced, documenting the ideas, designs, and test results of each team. Rotarians and Industrialists with backgrounds in engineering, technology and education acted as judges of the entries.

      

   

The teams were encouraged to test their models as the construction neared completion, to ensure they were stable and worked (at another competition elsewhere, one model went backwards in the final test!!!!)

The day was possible thanks to the sponsorship from Leeds City Councillors, West Yorkshire Society of Architects, J.H. Shucksmith & Sons Ltd, The University of Leeds, and the 10 Rotary Clubs in the Leeds Group as well as the participation of the schools and academies, their students, and the Rotarians who took part in organising and running the event.

 In the left hand picture below, two of the students pose with the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Rotarian Michael Fox, and on the right we see the two leaders of the Organising Group, Rotarians David and Lesley Hastings.