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Bob Muir, (213) 217-6930; (213) 324-5213, mobile
May 15, 2016
TEAMS FROM RIVERSIDE AND KAISER HIGH SCHOOLS EARN TOP SPOTS AT METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT’S 2016 SOLAR CUP™
Nearly 700 students from 38 Southland high schools competed in the nation’s largest solar-powered boat competition
LAKE SKINNER, Calif.— Metropolitan Water District’s 14th annual Solar Cup™ concluded today with boats built and raced by students from Riverside Poly High School and Kaiser High School claiming the top awards at the competition, the largest student-based solar-powered boat race in the nation.
The schools were among 38 teams competing from Metropolitan’s six-county, 5,200 square-mile service area, which includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties. Solar Cup is a school year-long program in which students build, equip and race 16-foot, single-seat boats powered only by the sun.
The Solar Cup program allows students to apply their skills in math, physics, engineering and communications, while learning about Southern California’s water resources, resource management, conservation and alternative energy development.
Riverside Poly High School, in Riverside, won first place in the veteran’s division, while Kaiser High School, in Fontana, took the top prize in the rookie division at the three-day competition at Metropolitan’s Lake Skinner in the Temecula Valley of southwestern Riverside County.
“This has been a great weekend where we’ve seen students at their best – working together as teams to engineer the fastest boats they can, putting to use the math and science skills they’ve been learning all year, and having fun doing it,” said Randy Record, Chairman of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board of Directors. “They’ve also gained a new and valuable appreciation of the state’s natural resources and an understanding of how to live more sustainably. We’re hoping many of these bright young students go on to careers in water or resource management.”
Also at the event were Metropolitan directors Michael Camacho of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, David D. De Jesus of Three Valleys Municipal Water District, John W. Murray Jr. of the city of Los Angeles; Glen Peterson of the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District; Michael Touhey of the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District and Yen C. Tu of the San Diego County Water Authority.
On Friday, teams completed a qualifying event to ensure boats met rules and were safe and seaworthy. Saturday, the teams attached solar-collection panels to the boats for two, 90- minute, 1.6-kilometer endurance races.
Today, the solar-collection panels were removed and boats used solar energy stored in batteries to race down a 200-meter stretch—like drag racing on water.
The 2016 Solar Cup program began last fall when Metropolitan’s member agencies announced their school sponsorships. Teams are sponsored by their local water agencies and other organizations to equip the crafts with solar panels, batteries, steering and related systems.
Metropolitan provided teams with identical kits of marine-grade plywood to build the hull and an advisory team from Occidental College provided technical support for the boats’ engineering and mechanics. While all teams must build a new boat and equip it, returning teams were allowed to use equipment from previous boats.
Following are the trophies and awards presented today. Complete Solar Cup scores will be posted on Metropolitan’s website, mwdh2o.com. You can also follow @mwdh2o on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook to see the results from this weekend’s races and stay abreast of other agency and industry news. Photos and video of this year’s event are available upon request and will be posted on the website in the coming days.
Veteran Teams, Cities, sponsoring member/local agency:
First Place – Riverside Poly High School, Riverside, Western Municipal Water District and Riverside Public Utilities
Hottest-looking Boat – West Covina High School, West Covina, Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District
Rookie Division—Teams and sponsoring member/local agency:
First Place – Kaiser High School, Fontana, Inland Empire Utilities Agency and Fontana Water Company
Hottest-Looking Boat – Alliance Collins Family College Ready High School, Huntington Park, Central Basic Municipal Water District
Bart Bezyack Memorial Spirit of Solar Cup Trophy Sporstmanship Award:
Coast High School, Huntington Beach, for assisting with moving equipment and getting boats of out the water and picking up trash
Teamwork Award:
John Muir High School, Pasadena, for loaning tools and materials
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving nearly 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.
