Page 71 - Mercian Eagle 2012

3 MERCIAN Inter-Company Boxing Finals
Boxing is a fantastic sport; a true tradition of the British Army which supports the Army’s core values. Firstly, stepping into the ring in
front of a large crowd is no easy thing; it takes courage, both moral and physical, especially when one is lacking in experience. Secondly, when in the ring one needs discipline; losing one’s cool and lashing out rarely triumphs over controlled, disciplined aggression. And finally, win or lose, everybody likes to see a boxer who is magnanimous
in victory and gracious in defeat. Respect for your opponent is key, one of the tenants of boxing and the sign of a classy fighter. The boxers from The 3rd Battalion The MERCIAN Regiment (STAFFORDS) demonstrated these values in spades throughout training and on the evening itself.
exemplary dedication and determination of every soldier paid dividends. All the early-morning sweat runs, strict diets and hard work had quickly got the competitors into shape. On the night the skill, fitness, and tenacity of every fighter was clear to see. No matter the result, all fighters left the ring thrilled that they had fought; the winners were still buzzing and the runners-up happy that they gave a good account of themselves, thinking up new tactics for next time.
Brigadier Williams addressed the fighters and crowd and applauded their courage and determination, stating, “Tonight we have seen that the traditions of our Regiment hold firm and the fighting spirit of the men of Staffordshire and the West Midlands continues today”.
3 MERCIAN held its annual inter-Company boxing competition in April 2012. Training for this competition was carried out by volunteers from across all three Rifle Companies and
HQ Company with training only starting in January following the Battalion’s post operational tour leave from Operation HERRICK 14. The boxing final consisted of 9 bouts between the Companies and a sterling performance was put in by all.
3 MerciAn held its annual inter-company boxing competition in April 2012
A special mention must go to Pte Pennie and Pte Barton, both from A Coy. Pte Pennie made the greatest improvement across all the boxers during training, by quite some considerable margin. After his first training session I thought putting
him in the ring would be grossly out of order and tantamount to abuse. He entered the ring as the underdog but pulled it out of the bag, winning
in one of the best bouts of the evening showing finesse and skill. On the other end of the scale was
The atmosphere on the night was that of a gladiatorial bear pit. Companies vocally supported their boxers who entered through smoke to their carefully selected entrance music. A remarkably high standard was displayed throughout all 9 bouts, covering all weight categories, belying the fact this was most of the fighters’ first ever time in the ring. Training had been minimal due to the workload
of the Battalion re-rolling to armoured infantry role, however, the
Pte Barton’s fight. That evening, all the fighters showed skill, fitness and tenacity, however, some fighters showed more tenacity than others and, in Pte Barton’s case, intense and steady brutality. He won his fight too. Well done A Coy.
Following the presentations all fighters were drummed into the Warrant Officers, Colour Sergeants and Sergeants’ Mess where they were greeted by all Officers, Warrant Officers and SNCOs and presented with their first drink of the evening by the Commanding Officer.
3 MERCIAN Mountain Biking By T Lambert, OC 2 P
20th August 2012 and my second week
at Battalion, and although being told at RMAS that adventure training doesn’t really exist in the Infantry, 3 MERCIAN must be trying to buck the trend as I am off on a Mountain Biking course to gain my Trail Leaders qualification in the Harz Mountains, Germany, with 11 other soldiers from A Coy. As we boarded the bus to leave I could see my fellow new Platoon Commander’s face pressed against the window of the office wishing he was coming too.
The first day was spent in the classroom learning maintenance, safety aspects and limitations to leading groups on bikes. Towards the end of the day we were finally deemed suitably fit to jump on the bikes and practice our skills ready for our first test. The skills test is set out to assess how much control an individual has over his bike. We had a wide range of ability, some with no problems and those who may not have put foot to pedal in some time. Skills such as the tight slalom, the see-saw, and that of picking up a jerry can of water and putting back down (a staple in the mountain biking world) proved testing at first to most. The see-saw was most people’s nemesis with many a graze and bruise being picked up; bodies and bikes soon becoming a pile of twisted metal at times indistinguishable from each other.
The second day was our first hitting the trails and what had not been apparent previously was the love of lycra and very short shorts worn by many of the group. So
with the sun shining, two gung-ho groups of A Coy bikers set off on different routes as fast as they could. It wasn’t long before the first ascent of about 1km, and being the men we are, we went flat out. When we reached the top many of us were having trouble breathing but as more people made it to the summit, we manned up and spoke of how easy it had been. As our instructor reached the top and told us not to go so fast as we wouldn’t last the day everyone breathed a sigh of relief, our first lesson had been learnt early.
From then on we rode different trails, trying to practice what
we had been taught
as we progressed.
however his repair was done in double quick time and we were soon on the move again. Six hours on the bikes saw everyone a little saddle sore and it was time to be heading home. In the bar that evening there wasn’t
a member of the group who wasn’t either sitting down very tenderly or leaning to one side to ease the pressure.
The second day and the thought of another six hours in the saddle with already bruised behinds was filling a number
of minds with a certain trepidation, but everyone settled in well and headed off on
Simple things such as
how not to fall off whilst
riding over tree roots
and taking corners at
speed were all learnt through, in many cases, painful experience. Our instructor, Karl, informed us after each fall what we had done wrong; a little heads up would have been nice! Practising skills and playing games
on the bikes every time we stopped was
a solid way of learning and saw everyone progress quickly. As we came down through the Bike Park (a downhill course that some were racing down at break neck speed)
our first puncture was experienced. The puncture was picked up by OC A Coy and although no one saw it, he claims it was an impact puncture after getting at least 10 feet of air. No one will ever know the true story,
...our first lesson had been learnt early.
a trip that promised stunning scenery and improved skills. We
also found out that Karl hadn’t eaten any cooked food in 20 years, and
in his opinion meat had a memory so if you ate rump steak I guess
you can figure out where the fat is going
to land. Another enjoyable day came to an end with the group washing down the bikes and completing routine maintenance before heading back to Fallingbostel.
Now that 11 members of the Battalion have a Mountain Bike instructing qualification, numerous Mountain Bike expeditions are planned for the next year. These trips are to be punctuated by one day rides in the Harz Mountains with the Trail Leaders being able to take out non-qualified riders and increase their experience with the aim of progressing to the next level of Technical Trail Leader.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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