Solar Cup Boat Competition Brings High Schoolers to Lake Skinner

Students from 39 Southern California high schools will be low-speed racing on the waters of Lake Skinner near Murrieta this weekend, in a contest that requires competitors to power their rigs using nothing but solar energy.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's 11th annual Solar Cup Competition will run Saturday and Sunday, featuring teams from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties.

"Solar Cup brings together interdisciplinary student teams that strive to reach specific milestones throughout the school year," event coordinator Julie Miller said. "Students are challenged by activities that complement curriculum in science, technology, engineering and math, as well as the environmental sciences and visual arts programs."

Miller noted that all of the participants start off with the same instructions and operational parameters, "but their experience is as varied as their boats, which they distinguish through innovation and artistry."

"Many students come out of this experience with an increased interest in pursuing engineering and other fields that could lead them to a job in the water industry," she said.

On Friday, MWD officials will be inspecting contestants' 16-foot plywood skiffs to ensure maneuverability and safety during practice runs. A technical advisory team will observe the boats, each of which is outfitted with solar- collection panels that generate the electricity needed to power the rigs.
Riverside County schools entered in the competition are:

-- Hemet Unified School District team;
-- Paloma Valley High School, Menifee;
-- Murrieta-Mesa High School, Murrieta;
-- Nuview-San Jacinto Unified School District team;
-- Perris Union High School, Perris;
-- Arlington High School, Riverside;
-- Temecula Valley High School, Temecula; and
-- Elsinore High School, Wildomar.

Students have spent the last seven months readying their hand-built boats, composing technical reports and putting together a water-conservation presentation -- all of which will be judged and awarded points in the competition.

On Saturday, the single-person rigs will hit the water, motoring through a 1-mile endurance race.

On Sunday, 200-meter sprint races are planned, with the boaters relying on batteries charged by absorbed sunlight to power their rigs, according to the MWD.

An awards ceremony is scheduled after the last race Sunday, during which trophies in the "veteran" and "newcomer" divisions will be handed out, as well as awards for teamwork, sportsmanship and the "hottest-looking boat," according to the MWD.

Since 2002, roughly 9,000 students have taken part in the solar boat races, according to the water agency.

—City News Service