Kingsway High School was invited by the TV show SOS (Sink or Swim) to send a team of two girls and two boys all under the age of 16 for various challenges in the Midlands.
Eight KZN schools were pitted against each other in four challenges over four days.
In an ironic twist of fate, Kingsway drew Amanzimtoti High as its opponent.
Eight pupils were selected to be interviewed to fill the four spots and grade 8 pupils, Berry-Maya Konig and Creighton Corris joined grade 10’s Xola Bengani and grade 9’s Arlaicia Zondo.
The programme will be aired on SABC 3 on 5 November.
Rishen Archary was initially selected but had to be replaced by Xola after he injured himself in a fall a week before the team left on Tuesday, 13 September.
“Team members’ grades were important, as they would miss so much school, as were their characteristics,” said accompanying grade 8 and physical education head of department, Jo Hales.
“Xola is charismatic, Arlaicia is is extremely bright and a top sprinter, Berry-Maya is a strong swimmer, team player and motivator, and Creighton is athletic and a top rugby player.”
In the first challenge, which was to build a raft out of four poles and four tubes using no rope, Kingsway failed dismally by 30 minutes to Amanzimtoti High.
“Toti were superb in their support,” said Jo. “They cheered us on after they finished and that helped us not give up. We had a healthy competition with them but no rivalry. After the challenges, the pupils mingled with each other and ate together. It was fantastic to have them there, even if they were our opponents.”
Kingsway picked themselves up for the remaining challenges of abseiling, obstacle course, zipline and orientering.
“The last challenge was tough,” said Creighton. The first task was to make a fire using a flint to burn through a rope. Creighton nailed it with his fire-making skills. “We then had to find compass directions and we got lost a few times to get to our third task, a marble maze, before building a puzzle in a dark cave and hitting tins with tennis balls.”
Teams then had to run back to the start via a different route.
Kingsway clinched it in 47 minutes, while the next best team out of the eight competing was back in over an hour.
The team will now go to the next round, which will be in the Berg during the school holidays on 2 and 3 October where they will compete in archery, zipline, mountain boarding, bridge and puzzle building.
The programme will be aired on SABC 3 on 5 November.
