Kids Battle it out for annual Youthtown Get2Go title

Ninety six school students from all corners of New Zealand have travelled to OPC Great Barrier for the annual Youthtown Get2Go Challenge this week. Here they will be competing against each other for the title of New Zealand's most adventurous young teens.

The twelve mixed gender teams comprise of Year 9 and 10 students who are competing in the annual five-day battle held from 5 - 9 December. The winner will take away the 2011 Youthtown Get2Go championship title.

Each of the eight-person teams qualified for the final by winning their one-day regional Youthtown Get2Go challenge earlier in the year. They had to tackle a range of fun but testing challenges including orienteering, kayaking, rock climbing and mountain biking.

"We like to think of it as an OPC mixture of The Amazing Race, Survivor and Treasure Island," says Darren Ashmore, Events Manager for the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre of New Zealand (OPC).

"We'll be throwing a wide variety of outdoor challenges at these teams, pushing them to excel in activities they might never have tackled before," adds Ashmore. "At the end of the week, the team that displays the most courage, tenacity and skill will take out the winning title."

"It's the country's premier outdoor adventure title for this age group, so these teenagers take it very seriously. The best moments are when these kids successfully overcome not just the competition, but their own perceptions of their limits and that's what the Youthtown Get2Go challenge is all about".

Youthtown CEO Keith Thorpe says, "The Get2Go challenge is a great initiative which fits perfectly with the Youthtown philosophy of enriching the lives of young New Zealanders through physical, social and creative experiences. We are delighted to support OPC with this event for the second year running and help encourage Kiwi kids to get active outdoors."

In its 6th year, this challenge is the junior equivalent to the Genesis Energy Hillary Challenge for senior secondary students also run annually by OPC, at their Tongariro mountain base.