Page 64 - Mind, Body & Spirit Number 104 2020/21

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www.raptcassociation.org.uk
Arriving summer 2020 after a delayed start I was very much looking forward to getting to grips with the busy life of the Grenadiers. I received a handover from SSgt Dexter Fox prior to him settling into civilian street and I wish him and his family all the best with the future.
I will be honest, the Grenadiers are different to what I was used to, they have a constant busy schedule and are continually striving for excellence. As they do not abbreviate anything, with different Companies away week to week it took some time familiarising myself but as always adaptability will be key.
The gym setup is essentially in an old Hanger; however, it is kitted out to the max, first impressions were high. Straight away I got to work procuring new S&C equipment and updating the CV equipment which is always a quick win. My main goal was to improve manpower within the gym, with the emphasis being the more AAPTI’s the fitter the Battalion will be. The hierarchy supported me fully, having only 1x dedicated AAPTI within the gym itself. I now have a team of 4x AAPTI’s and 4x potential AAPTI’s to top up the remaining 10x AAPTI’s within the Battalion.
GB Bobsleigh team training
As we all know this year has been testing with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, we have remained busy from a PD perspective. We have now set up a fully functioning Rehab and Reconditioning Platoon, adapted the way we train and also opened up a second training Hanger to utilise during the winter months which has created more in-door training space. We have continued to train the companies in line with the APTS and the AAPTI’s have been more than productive on PT and I even managed to help train the GB Bobsleigh team over a couple of days.
Looking forward to the future, 2021 will be a busy year indeed. Queens Coy remain in the Falklands. The rest of the Battalion continue to train for Kenya which will be going ahead in the summer in preparation for deployment to Iraq in 2022. We have a few charity events lined up for the year and hopefully I can continue to support the FFOS as the secretary pending the forever changing situation with Covid-19. I have very much enjoyed my time here so far and I fully look forward to the future.
Improvising where we can
1ST BATTALION GRENADIER GUARDS
SSgt (SSI) K Boyd RAPTC
PT Covid style
Xmas PT