With the 28th Energy Breakthrough fast approaching, it’s time to make sure those tyres are pumped and those steering axles greased. Over 500 students from 40 primary schools have been working hard all year to make sure their pushcarts are looking good and ready to race! The pushcarts is made up of a number of events over 3 days- giving participants the chance to show us what they’re made of.

Category A1 (Schools with less than 200 students)

Last year we saw St Josephs from Rochester take out first place with their team the Rochy Rockets! Not only did they win the overall category, they took out 1st place in the Sprint, Endurance and Obstacle challenge. Definitely the team to be keeping an eye on – and with the new addition of their ‘spinner’ for the sprint event- it will be interesting to see what they can do!

Category A2 (Schools with more than 200 students)

With a much bigger field in category B, it’s always a tough one to call. However, Jells Park, St Augustines and Lloyd st Primary school have consistently worked to be at the top of the field the last few years. 2017 saw Lloyd street’s ‘Team Zero’ take out first place, just 0.2 points behind Jells Parks ‘Vortex’. However, despite winning the overall event, Lloyd st didn’t actually take out any of the individual categories. I’ve got my money on Jells Park this year.

Have fun! Enjoy a few days away from school with your friends getting involved in an awesome program whilst also getting fit and raising awareness for the environment!
Listen carefully: to your teachers, to the volunteers and to the organisers. Your teachers know what’s going on, and so do we, listen up and you’ll know exactly what’s happening.

• Endurance – Take note of where you need to change pushers/steerers, watch out for everyone around you and run fast!
• Obstacle course – slow and steady wins the race! The aim is not to hit anything! So go slow, be careful and put all the skills you’ve learnt this year to good use.
• The Sprint – Stay in your lane, run fast, and remember not to take off your seatbelt until your pushcart is facing the right way!

Pushcarts is made up of a number of different events- all of which contribute to a team’s final score:

On Thursday, students will be involved in Display and Presentations – entertaining judges and spectators with their knowledge of the Energy Breakthrough, the environment and of course, their pushcarts!

On Friday, the action heats up as teams compete in the Endurance event – completing a relay of two laps around the VicRoads track- definitely worth a watch, head on down to the main straight near the stage for the best views.

In the afternoon teams will complete the obstacle course – putting their training to good use as they maneuver all sorts of obstacles set up by our chief obstacle manager; Rob Higgins!

Teams will also present their pushcarts to a panel of judges – discussing the process behind the design and build of their vehicle.

On Saturday morning comes arguably the most exciting event of the pushcart event- the sprint race! Head to main track to experience all the action. Teams will be sprinting it out along the main straight to gain points for their teams in their final event of the weekend. This event always draws a crowd- so get down early for the best views.