Teams from Moreno Valley and Oxford Academy High Schools Earn Top Spots at Metropolitan’s 2015 Solar Cup™

About 1,000 students on 41 Southland high school teams competed in nation’s largest solar-boat competition

TEMECULA, Calif.--()--The nation’s largest solar-powered boat competition concluded today with boats built and raced by students from Canyon Springs and Oxford Academy high schools claiming the top awards at Metropolitan Water District’s 13th annual Solar Cup™.

The schools were among the 41 teams representing Metropolitan’s six-county, 5,200 square-mile service area that 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 is a team-based educational competition that 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.

Canyon Springs High School, located in Moreno Valley, won first place in the veteran’s division, while Oxford Academy, located in Cypress, 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.

“Solar Cup is a program that teaches our future generations about the importance of California’s natural resources as they apply their knowledge in math, science, technology and engineering,” said Randy Record, Chairman of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board of Directors. “By engaging these bright students with this fun, educational challenge, we hope to usher in a new normal for sustainable living in Southern California and give these students an appreciation for the state’s natural resources that might lead them to pursue a career in the water industry.

“Friday’s much-needed rain was a welcome surprise, but we are thankful the weather system passed in time for the students to enjoy a full weekend of comradery and competition.”

Also at the event were Metropolitan directors John Morris of the City of San Marino, David De Jesus of Three Valleys Municipal Water District and Glen Peterson of Las Virgenes Municipal Water District.

On Friday (May 15), teams completed a qualifying event to ensure boats met rules and were safe and seaworthy. Saturday (May 16) the teams attached solar-collection panels to the boats for two, 90-minute, 1-kilometer endurance races.

Today, the heavy 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 2015 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. 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, www.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.

Veteran Teams, Cities, sponsoring member/local agency:

First Place – Moreno Valley Unified School District, sponsored by Eastern Municipal Water District and Rancho California Water District.

Hottest-looking Boat – Calabasas High School, sponsored by Las Virgenes Municipal Water District.

Rookie Division—Teams and sponsoring member/local agency:

First Place – Oxford Academy, sponsored by Municipal Water District of Orange County.

Hottest-Looking Boat – Riverside Poly High School, sponsored by Western Municipal Water District and Riverside Public Utilities.

Bart Bezyack Memorial Spirit of Solar Cup Trophy (sportsmanship) Teamwork Award:

Coast High School, which had mechanical issues during Saturday’s endurance event but returned to race on Sunday.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a 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.

Contacts

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Sherita Coffelt, 214-477-6999, mobile

Contacts

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Sherita Coffelt, 214-477-6999, mobile