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Students from five schools and colleges were taught the finer points of scaling walls, climbing fences and jumping through windows in Warkworth last month.
The Year 7 and 8s also mastered balance beams, commando crawling and dragging a ‘body’ over several metres, all courtesy of NZ Police.
The session was a local heat of the Fear Factor Programme, a national Blue Light NZ competition that puts intermediate age kids through their paces with a modified version of the Police Competence Test (PCT) obstacle course.
The North Rodney Blue Light heat was organised by Warkworth Senior Constable Katie Hawkins at the Mahurangi Hope Centre on August 19, with help from Wellsford, Orewa and Warkworth police officers and two police trainers.
Teams of four from Horizon School, Mahurangi College, Mangawhai Beach School, Otamatea High School and Wellsford School were drilled on what they needed to do before completing the circuit against the clock.
The course involved running twice around the sports hall perimeter before tackling a balance beam, long jump, agility run and commando crawl. Competitors then had to leap through a one-metre high window, scale a 1.8-metre solid wall, drag a 37kg ‘body’ several metres, scale a 2.2-metre chain link fence and sprint to the finish line.
Any apprehension on display at the start, particularly around the climbing tasks, was soon replaced by smiles and boosted confidence as the trainers and police officers coached and encouraged students over the obstacles.
“This is a modified PCT, which all police officers have to do every two years,” Hawkins said. “Whoever goes quickest will have the opportunity to go to the national championships in Papakura in November.”
Hawkins said North Rodney Blue Light hadn’t entered the competition for 13 years.
“It’s something I feel really passionate about, bridging that gap between police and young people,” she said. “Kids need to know they can come to talk to us, that we’re here to help and assist, and we’re really approachable.”
The challenge was won by the team from Wellsford School, just ahead of Mangawhai Beach School, then Mahurangi College, Horizon School and Otamatea High School.
