The Rockin’ Ramsbury‘s; Zeb, Barney, Jude and Jasper took part in last year’s Flight Centre Schools Triathlon at Marlborough College. They were the top fundraising team at Ramsbury going over their target and raising £435 (good work team). Charlotte visited Ramsbury School to speak with the team about their motivations, experience and fundraising tips!
What inspired you to take part?
‘I was the person who went and watched when Reggie did it.’ Zeb told me. Reggie is Zeb’s older brother. Zeb was thrilled he could follow in his brother’s footsteps. And so were the rest of the team. ‘My older brother and sister did it the year before’ declared another.
Finally, after only being able to watch from the sidelines in previous years they were now able take part in this exciting sporting event. The team chatted excitedly about how their siblings were cheering them on ‘Reggie was running across the side telling us things and giving words of encouragement, ‘overtake that person in white t-shirt, GOOOO!!’’
Why did you fundraise and what tips do you have?
The Rocking Ramsbury’s were the top fundraising team at Ramsbury. They were motivated to raise money for Restless Development and ‘support people in other countries’, directly impacting young people around the world who are tackling issues such as gender inequality or the adverse effects of climate change.
Through JustGiving they created a team fundraising page which meant they could support and encourage each other to reach their targets. By personalising their team profile pictures and writing updates from their training sessions they showed their donors the hard work they were putting in, and also sent supporters notifications giving them a gentle reminder that they were still fundraising.
Top tip: On average fundraisers who have profile pictures raise 15% more.
No wonder why the Rockin’ Ramsbury’s had such success in their fundraising. It is just as important to thank donors as it is to ask for their support the team highlighted. They asked lots of family and friends to support them, but said that they would ask more people next time because they wanted to raise more money. Unanimously they agreed they were going to beat their fundraising from last year!
A little bit of healthy competition never hurt anyone.
Did you enjoy the day? What was your favourite part?
‘Yes, it was really fun and lived up to expectations.’ When asked their favourite part, they each gave a different answer, ‘Swimming’. ‘Cycling’,‘Running.’ And the Rockin’ Ramsbury’s discussed their tactics for crossing the endpoint. ‘We dived across the finish – Jasper tripped over so then we all went for the dive.’ Once they had completed the triathlon the team ‘hung around, had ice cream, played cricket and had a picnic’ with their friends and families. Sporting their medals proudly, they told us. ‘We put them on afterwards and showed them off to our families.’ But before they could dive across the finish line they had to put in time training.
Did you do any training?
The Schools Triathlons are great for promoting healthy living, encouraging young people to do more exercise and also take part in something as a team. The Rockin’ Ramsbury’s told us how the triathlons encouraged them to be more active, and described how they trained together; ‘We went biking on a field and did swimming lessons to practise.’ And with their families; ‘Every weekend me and my dad go on a run to train around a park.’ They told me that all that hard work paid off and ‘it made a difference on the day – it’s not easy but it’s not hard.’
The triathlons are accessible for all abilities, so everyone should come along and take part!
Any last bits of advice?
The team were full of top tips for first time triathletes. From the practical; ‘Start the running off slow,’ to the motivational; ‘Really don’t give up and ignore the people watching you,’ ‘Don’t look at the crowd when you are swimming, it’s quite loud because there are lots of people saying ‘come on come on.’’ Ultimately they said the most important thing is to ‘just have fun.’
When asked whether they would take part again this year, they all yelled out ‘YES!’ The team discussed what they were most looking forward to about this year, ‘the activities in between – there was a spy thing at the back’. ‘I’m looking forward to having some fun and all the sweets.’ one member told us. ‘Sweets are the best’ another agreed.
Thank you so much Zeb, Barney, Jude and Jasper for sharing your words of wisdom. We look forward to seeing you and your classmates at this year’s Flight Centre Schools Triathlon!
