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When I arrived at Leuchars in Sep 22, my predecessor SSgt (SSI) Liam Baldwin had left the Regiment in a fantastic state, which made settling into my new role a lot easier. However, it was clear that the Gymnasium had not received any TLC since the RAF were the building custodians. The priority since my arrival has been to update and bring the modern approach to both the Gymnasium and Physical Training. The improvements made to the Gymnasium began with the Weights Room being completely redecorated, new lighting, an update to the flooring, and all the resistance machines going through a complete service and refurb. Next was the sports hall and functional area, the Gymnasium did not have a pull up rig, so I had designed and installed one in the functional area and the matting had been re-laid professionally. Finally, we transformed 1 of our 3 squash courts into a rehabilitation suite creating a safe area for the Service Personnel (SP) on Level 1 & 2 PT to conduct their individual Pprogrammes.
From a sporting perspective, the unit have been equally active. The Moncrieff Shield was a three-day Inter-Sqn sports competition which involved Golf, e-Sports, Football, Rugby, Hockey, BAWF, and Tug of War. All sports were incredibly competitive with all Sqns fighting for the Moncrieff Shield and associated bragging rights. With an overall win and taking the Competition by storm, A Sqn were victorious. The SCOTS DG BAWF team competed in 4 Regional events, each consisting of 4 team workouts. The team
Leuchars Gymnasium Weights room
Leuchars Station Boxing Event
SSgt (SSI) D Sansom RAPTC
THE ROYAL SCOTS DRAGOON GUARDS
Some old school Battle PT
took 1st place overall throughout the Region, winning 3 of the 4 events. The Station Boxing evening has certainly been the highlight of my time here. I can safely say that I have not been challenged in a while but, converting a REME hangar was challenging to say the least! Although we only had 3 boxers fighting, the support from the Regiment was overwhelming.
Ex MIAMI EAGLE was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of my 16-year career thus far. The Ex saw the SCOTS DG Football Team Deploy to Tampa for 4 days and Miami for 6 days on an overseas sports visit to play against some high level “Soccer” teams. Upon arrival, the team spent the evening conducting a RECCE of the town centre which was followed by an early morning training session. The training began with me taking the team for a swim in the hotel pool and then onto a local park for some drills. The humidity instantly took its toll on the team. The first fixture was against a local team, who we massively underestimated. Playing in 30+ degree heat was hard enough, until
SSgt (SSI) Sansom, Cpl Crawford, and LCpl McCormick representing HQ Sqn at the Moncrieff Shield Inter-Sqn Golf Competition
we figured one of the players was and ex Egyptian international who ran rings around the team. On to Miami and day 1 was training on the beach and in the sea. The second fixture was against Little Haiti FC, who were the current State High School Champions and they certainly put us through our paces. Unfortunately, the third fixture was cancelled; however, the Boss managed to work his magic and we attended the Inter Miami fixture, watching from the VIP box!