On August 24, 2020, the 9th Asia-Pacific Business School Desert Challenge held in the Tengger Desert of Alashan, Inner Mongolia. After three days of fierce battle, the Southwest Jiaotong University MBA leader team competed with more than 1,000 contestants from more than 70 colleges and universities, and successfully won the highest honor of the event-the Sandgull Award for the first time! From the first time as a viewing institution in the 7th competition, to rank 39th in the 8th official competition, to win the Sandgull Award for the first time and rank 29th in the 9th competition, the MBA leaders of Southwest Jiaotong University continued their hard work and dedication to establish a new milestone.

Go Upstream, Fearlessly Lead the Way

At the beginning of Sandgull 9th's launch in 2019, none of the three captains and team members expected that the road to preparations would be extremely difficult. Although it is easy to give up, but if you don't go upstream, how can you "lead the way"? Because of the epidemic, the students changed from outdoor running to indoor running; when the gym is not open and training sessions are not available, the students use online training software to practice at home; because of work, they cannot exercise at the right time, early in the morning and late at night You can still see the students training.The students trained together, spurred each other, did not fear difficulties, and went against the difficulties. Not only did they lay a good foundation for winning the Sandgull Competition, they also gained a profound friendship.

The light with shadow is the real light, and the sun after the storm is brighter and brighter! On August 21st, 32 wind leaders from Southwest Jiaotong University formed the Sandgull9 team and embarked on a 70km battle in Tengger for 3 days and 2 nights. After staying at the hotel under the left of Alxa League, everyone began to collect equipment, pack and organize, and conduct tactical deployment...

On the First Day of the Game, Resist the Scorching Sun

On August 22, more than 70 colleges and universities gathered in the desert, ready to go. In the first day of the game, even if the players are prepared to face various difficulties, the reality is often more cruel. After the start of the game, the extremely high pace requirement for the first two punching points was like a heavy punch, which gave all participating teams a shocking hit. The team members immediately faced the danger of being eliminated. In order to catch up with the "closing time", the team members have been climbing and sprinting almost non-stop for nearly 2 hours. Some team members have successively experienced symptoms such as cramps, water shortage and heat stroke. After the emergency treatment, everyone did not dare to slack off. They must move on.

In the vast desert, there are endless sand dunes behind the sand dunes. Except for the sparse bushes and the lizards that run occasional by the feet, the air is full of loneliness and despair. But when thay looked back and saw the teammates around them,they could always fill up the faith and hope to stick to it. Sure enough, in the desert, teammates are the only weapons.

The team members of the first echelon charged hard, and the members of the second echelon encouraged each other. At the moment when everyone successfully crossed the 25KM finish line on the first game day, they were dizzy by the scorching sun, pain from leg cramps, dehydration and heatstroke... The suffering all disappeared in an instant.

Walking in the Rain on the Second Day of the Game

The weather in Tengger is as changeable as a child's face. Before he recovered from the first day's exposure, the competitors were awakened by the wind and rain at 3 o'clock in the morning on the 23rd. The tent was tossed violently by the wind, which made people toss and turn. Due to sudden changes in weather, the organizing committee had to delay the departure time, activate alternate routes and adjust check-in points.

After the departure, the rain still did not disappear. Due to water ingress, part of the walkie-talkies also failed and failed to work. In order to prevent the players from becoming information islands, the team's marching tactics were changed to march forward in groups.

The soft fine sand under feet, mixed with rainwater, was swept across the sky by the wind, and hit everyone's face severely.

The clothes soaked from the inside to the outside clung to the body, cold and refreshing. But everyone dared not slow down, because as long as they stoped, the body may face the risk of losing temperature.

The players were speechless all the way, just immersed in their heads. The water dripping from the hat has long been indistinguishable from rain or sweat. Looking forward to the end of the victory, the whole team was determined to move forward with bitter wind and rain and successfully finished the game.

The Third Day of the Game, Extreme Sprint

The last day of the game was a 10KM sprint. The sun became even hotter after the rain, and the players had just eased from the extreme cold, and immediately faced the challenge of the intense heat. After experiencing the scorching sun, the blow of the wind, and the attack of the rainstorm, even with the pain of injury, the leaders of the MBA of Jiaotong University have been fearless.

In the end, AB team members crossed the line one after another, and all members successfully finished the game. Under the scorching sun, in the wind and rain, they tirelessly climbed over, just for the moment they crossed the finish line. They waved their canes and shouted out the joy in their hearts.

In the end, the MBA leader team of Southwest Jiaotong University won the Sandgull Award, the highest honor of the Yasha Championship, with the good results of the team of 29th ! This prize painted a strong stroke for the leader's journey, and also won an extraordinary honor for the MBA of Southwest Jiaotong University.

Yasha Challenge, the full name of "Asia Pacific Business School Desert Challenge", is not only a competitive experiential cultural event launched by the MBA student group of top business schools in the Asia-Pacific region, but also the second classroom of business schools. The first event was held in the Tengger Desert of Inner Mongolia in 2012 and has been successfully held for nine consecutive times. Participating MBA students from various schools have personally experienced and practiced the competition concept of "environmental protection, cooperation, persistence, and responsibility" by walking through more than 70 kilometers of desert competitions. The highest award in Yasha Challenge is the Sandgull Award.