RAOC Gazette - page 59
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 | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1981 |
| Late date | 1981 |
| Transcription |
ARMY HANG GLIDING CORPORAL REEBY was our representative at the recent Army Hang Gliding Championships sponsored by Natocars of Bridg- water and was placed fifteenth overall out of forty five com- petitors. This inaugural event was held on the Wiltshire Downs and attracted over fifty competitors from the three Services. Using among others the spectacular Milk Hill near Marlborough, com- petitors were treated to the very worst of British inclement weather. In all over twenty awards were presented by Major General Matthews. The event was organised with the help of the Thames Valley Hang Gliding Club and did much to further the cause of this new sport in the Army. ft 4 ~ - • • — - Up and away at the recent Army Hang Gliding Championship. CORPS ORIENTEERING PROGRESSION in a sport is always relative to the performance of others. Orienteering standards all over UK are rising rapidly and performances within the Army are no exception. It is, there- fore, gratifying to record that during last season the RAOC more than held its own against the opposition. Individual standards improved throughout the year producing increasingly better team results. The season started with a crop of minor events within the South East/South West District League. This league provides most useful training for both novices and regular orienteers alike and were put to good use by Bicester Garrison and the RAOC Training Centre as the results of District Championships revealed. The technically difficult courses of the UKLF Champion- ships helped to put a fine edge on the ability and fitness of personnel in UK. In the meantime members of 49 Company had been working hard in BAOR and qualified as a minor unit to attend the Army Championships, the first time I think, since 12 OFP qualified in 1975. Geriatric Orienteers MOD (GO MOD) won both the UKLF and Army Major Unit Cham- pionships with two members of the team (Major Gilbertson and Major Wallace-Stock) being RAOC Officers on staff tours in Main Building. The next stage in the annual cycle is for the various Corps active in the sport to hold their own championships with an open invitation to other Corps teams. This is the point at which individuals began to compete for their places in the Corps team and this was a marked difference from previous years when the Corps Secretary was more likely to take what was available as opposed to actually having to choose. A very successful RAOC Championships was held at Wendover Woods near Aylesbury in October. Captain Bill Gaskin and his team from Bicester Garrison who organised the event did a marvellous job. Major Wallace-Stock won the individual senior prize, Cap- tain Linda Kerley the ladies prize and Apprentice Thompson the junior prize. The inter-unit competition was won by the Training Centre. Gradually a pattern of performance emerged and from this a team was chosen to represent the Corps in the Inter-Corps Championships in November. This event covered twenty four hours, starting with a 10.5-km night event 6n Salisbury Plain followed the next day by a 10.5-km day event in the New Forest. After the night event, RAOC were lying eighth out of nineteen teams but there was a fair-sized time gap between us and the team from the Swedish Army! The following day's event was extremely tiring and this showed up in the results of the more senior members of the team. Splendid efforts by two (relative) youngsters Captain Ian France and Sergeant Mick Binks prevented too big a slide down the lists and we finished in overall eleventh place beating the Swedish Army team who missed one control. Probably the best measure of progress of RAOC orienteer- ing last year lies in the attitudes of competitors from other Corps. Comments like "How are the RAOC doing?" and "Getting Mick Binks into the RAOC team is not fair—he's too **** fast" reveal that we are starting to be a threat to established com- petitors. What is needed now is a broader base of involved units and younger competitors. Captain Gaskin, DSCS, Graven Hill, Bicester has now taken over as Secretary. Major Gilbertson is posted to 1 ADOC, BFPO 37 and will be pleased to hear from Corps orienteers in BAOR. THE CORPS SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS THE full results of the squash championships held at Black- down are as follows: — Open Championships: Winner Staff Sergeant J. L. Wallis; Runner-up Major J. A. Woodliffe. Novice Championship: Winner Staff Sergeant A. Coulbeck; Runner-up Lieutenant Colonel J. F. Syson. . - Plate Competition: Winner Corporal D. Seton; Runner-up Staff Sergeant A. Coulbeck. Inter-Unit Championship: Winner Training Centre; Runner- up COD Bicester. Entries for these very popular Championships fell drama- tically this year as a direct result of the moratorium on travel. We missed the unit teams from Northern Ireland and BAOR but welcome the lone entry of Lance Corporal Bellerby of 2nd Armoured Division Ordnance Company who was in UK on leave. The resurgence of squash in Bicester brought its rewards. They were amongst the prizes when Corporal Seton won the Plate Competition and were then runners-up in the' Inter- Unit Championship and when Lieutenant Colonel Syson lost the Novice Championship to Staff Sergeant Coulbeck of the Employment Training School. The highlight of the Championships is always the Open and this year was no exception. In the finals we saw the classic example of the excellent tutor who one day is beaten by his dedicated pupil. Staff Sergeant John Wallis did just that when he entertained us to a very polished performance in beating Major John Woodliffe to win the Open for the first time. SQUASH INTER-CORPS CHAMPIONSHIPS 1980 THE Corps Squash Team continued its supremacy in Army Squash by achieving the hat trick in the recent Army Inter- Corps Squash Championships. To win this prestigious event for three consecutive years is no mean feat as Major General — 290 — |
| Book number | R0404a |