RAOC Gazette - page 253
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1981 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | No |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1981 |
| Late date | 1981 |
| Transcription |
CANNONBALLS GOLD END THE SEASON BY MAJOR J. STEELE THE BAOR contingent of the RAOC Free Fall Parachute Team e Cannonballs,' led by Major Jim Steele, ended the 1981 HS ^on with gold medals galore in the BAOR Parachute Cham- pionships at Bad Lippspringe. The Cannonballs are the BAOR Act-uracy Team Champions with, the five gold medals going to Major Jim Steele, Headquarters RAOC 2 Armoured Division, Captain Geoff Cox Ammunition Inspectorate BAOR, W 2 Bill Rule Headquarters 1 (BR) Corps, Corporal Stevie Slater, Head- quarters. BAOR and Corporal Yorky Nesbitt, 1 Combat Supplies Battalion. Another gold went to Corporal Slater when he destroyed his opponents in the individual Style Event to be- jnme the BAOR Style Champion. He was followed by Captain ( >\ in third place who was also runner-up to the Overall BAOR ! Jividual Champion. Conditions were probably the worst in the memory of most jumpers at the Championships since every day was blighted by gusty conditions, low menacing clouds and rain that verged on the tropical downpours known only in places like Hong Kong. Corporal Stevie Slater started the team off on fine form by scoring 00.00cm (dead centre) on his first jump onto the new electronic disc pad with the centre of the pad measuring only five centimetre in diameter. During the Championships Corporal v orky Nesbitt severely injured his wrist on landing in the tricky md conditions and WOZ Bill Rule took his place. Bill was ansferring from his well known Russian designed UT15 Para Commander to a Strato Cloud (flying matress) and found the transition difficult to achieve. Captain Geoff Cox maintained a steady and reliable score throughout the nine rounds. Captain Gary Hawthorne was also on his first square canopy com- petition and steadily improved along with Sergeant John Frew. There was even a son of a Cannonball jumping in the Novice Cup in the shape of Mark Steele now known as * Sponge- hatl." He was delighted to be included in the manifest for the Hell Huey CHU ID helicopters flown by the German Luftwaffe. le achieved so many parachute firsts that it was his turn to :>uy the beers every night Every night, that is, except when his father and Captain Geoff Cox broke the five hundred jump barrier. The D Z was covered in * Grapeshot' (the nickname for the camp followers) namely Joce Steele, Monica Rule a veteran of two jumps, with Marianne and Benjamin not forgetting two other Rules—Lyn the photographer who has made a super sound film and photographic record of the competition together with his son Nicholas; Pat Cox; Val Hawthorne with Martin ind Robert; Lynda Frew with another Robert and Carol; Jean •later with young David; Elaine Nesbitt and Ann. Lastly 4ichele Steele, two jump daughter of Major Jim, was assisting the judges with the accuracy scoring in the landing pit until one of the Engineer Team collided with her on his landing sending her to BMH Rinteln for five days with a severely bruised Major Jim Steele about to stomp the electronic pad for . 5 c m , Anglo German day and Miss Bielefeld competition, Lubbecke Fete, Mohnne See Fete and many others too numerous to mention. The Team are grateful to receive any donations far dis- plays as the sport is a very expensive pastime. For the fiscally minded it costs about DM5 ? 000 to kit yourself o u t DM1,720 to enter a team into a competition, DM1 ? 000 for training jumps each year, DM500 for maintenance of equipment. The team has had to buy seven new jumpsuits totalling DM850 so smile please when you part with your money. It is all in a good cause. Finally a word to aspiring parachutists* If you want to join the Cannonballs then get on a course at either JSPC Netheravon or JSPC Bad Lippspringe, Sennelager and then contact us if you want to carry on with the sport. It takes dedication to become a Cannonball i.e., a minimum of one hundred jumps, but once you are in, then the world is your oyster, neck! Also competing were five national champions including the world champion and dozens of top teams from countries such as USA, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, United Arab Emirates and several other military teams from the UK. W02 Bill Rule had organised some splendid new T-shirts .nd they were snapped up mostly by the Arabs who produced hree teams all of which wore the WRAC Cannonball Motif at the Prize Giving (orders to W 2 Rule—DM15 each). The com- petition ended with a marvellous party thrown by Major Tom Oxley, the Commandant of the Joint Service Parachute Centre. It also ended a great year for the Cannonballs as they are now internationally recognised as a display and competition team. The Team has jumped into the Berlin Olympic Stadium and had the honour of having individual names up in lights on the Olympic scoreboard, into 17 Juni Strasse Berlin on Allied orces Day Parade where the Team were invited to Charlotten- urg Palace to meet Mayor Dr Von Vogel and the GOCs of the hree Allied Sectors, The Team also jumped in competition with the Golden Knights of America (top US display team) and the French Airborne. Other displays away from Berlin included Dusseldorf Fete, The RAOC Corps Sports, Bielefeld Cold Medallists. The Cannonballs left to right back row: Corporal Yorky Nesbitt, Captain Gary Hawthorne, W O Z Bill Rule, Corporal John Frew. Front row Captain Geoff Cox, Corporal Stevie Slater, Major Jim Steele. — 209 — |
| Book number | R0250 |