Last Tuesday Year 9 travelled to Gloucester to see Maiden, a film about the struggles of an all woman team to sail in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race. The film was in a documentary style, and featured interviews with each of the women involved. The skipper of Maiden, Tracy Edwards, spoke about her troubled upbringing and how it affected her career.

When watching Maiden I was struck by the brutality and blatant discrimination that the crew  experienced and had to overcome in order to accomplish their dream. For me, the most shocking moment was when a male crew member on a rival team described how people placed bets on how many days Maiden would last in the race before pulling out.   
Flora Y9

I really enjoyed the film, especially the part when they went around Antarctica. They were in very extreme conditions which made many people doubt them. However, the women were very determined and were able to persist through the hardest leg of the race and eventually shocked the world by winning the leg. This movie taught me that you shouldn’t be swayed by people’s doubts and how you need to believe in what you want.
Mary Y9

My favourite part of the movie was near the end, at the point when they were nearing the finish of the race. The crew, who had won two of the five legs of the race, were disappointed that they had not come in first place overall. All of a sudden, boats started to follow Maiden to the finish line. By the end of the race, hundreds of people in boats were cheering and celebrating Maiden’s accomplishment. It was an incredibly emotional scene that symbolised Maiden’s efforts for female empowerment and equality in sport.
Angel Y9