 After time to relax and enjoy a leisurely dinner, the teams gathered to listen to Steve Backley, keynote speaker for the BG Energy Challenge 2007 – UK. Having won an unprecedented four successive European Championships, three Commonwealth gold medals, two Olympic silvers and one Olympic bronze, Steve gave up his time to offer teams invaluable advice on how to perform under pressure, remain motivated and prepare mentally for challenges such as those participants could likely face on Day Three.
On being asked to represent Sparks as keynote speaker and Leader of the Charity Team, Steve said: “I’m delighted to be involved in the BG Energy Challenge on behalf of Sparks. It is a unique sporting event that combines physical challenge, intelligence, strategy and effective team working. It is also going to be great fun. The fact that the BG Energy Challenge is aiming to raise a lot of money for two great charities makes the challenge extra special.”
After an exhausting day with two tough challenges behind them, the teams were left intrigued by Steve’s announcement at the end of his talk that there was still one more stage to complete. Teams were to face three quick fire tests in one hour – a mental conundrum, a number puzzle and a ‘spot the difference’ picture puzzle.
Graeme Cook, BG Group Team 6 said of the unexpected stage:
“We were very surprised we would be facing another challenge today. I expect and hope it will be a mental challenge after such a tough day out in the field. We didn’t perform particularly well this afternoon so hope this will serve to boost team morale and set the scene for an exciting last day tomorrow. If it’s sociable, mentally taxing and over a beer we’ll be up for it!”
The challenge involved memorising problems that were projected on to a screen but with no writing aids allowed, teams had to be creative in the methods they adopted in order to remember their answers. As each section began, the room fell quiet as teams lowered their voices to a whisper to ensure they were not overheard by their neighboring teams.
Success in this stage was important for teams who had not performed well in the earlier challenges by providing an opportunity to prove that mental aptitude was equally as important as physical strength. Ernst & Young emerged as the victors of stage four and improved their position on the scoreboard, whilst Western Geco performed well yet again and increased their substantial lead over the other teams.
Once the stage was over and having been assured that this signalled the completion of all stages for Day Two, the mentally and physically exhausted teams finally headed to their rooms for a welcome rest before the next and final day’s challenges.
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