Page 72 - MBS 2022/23

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The 1st The Queens Dragoon Guards (QDG) Light Cav Recce Gymnasium has had a good year in 2022-2023, 4 PTIs have departed and 4 have been qualified. A Sqn and RHQ had completed pre deployment training and took over C Sqn on Op NEWCOMBE and the regiment has had a change of CO and RSM. The Gym has taken beach runs, obstacle courses, PNCO Cadres, Recce Cadres, conducted charity events, AT, hosted sporting events plus many other things this year as well as the normal day- to-day PT programme and fitness testing.
Norfolk is flat, so not good for hill sprints.... but we are surrounded by beaches! We headed to Well-next-the-Sea in January and the weather didn’t disappoint, there was rain and a cold wind for the whole session. The session started with a run through the wooded area where we could explore the sand dunes with partner sprints. After the first phase we moved onto the games phase, this was to challenge teams through a series of different games; we played bulldog’s charge then onto casualty evacuation relays and we finished with a finale of combat conditioning. For the final phase we headed back out for an equipment run through the dunes and pools of water on the beach.
The Gym always looks forward to the PNCO courses, as its always good hard Phys! Obstacle courses, logs and stretchers, teamwork or the importance of good communication and leadership training and maybe the most important part, mental resilience training.
The Recce Cadre was introduced this year to help the new soldiers that had just left training to understand how the Regiment works on operations and exercises. So,
SSgt (SSI) C Ellis RAPTC
1ST THE QUEENS DRAGOONS GUARDS
naturally, there has got to be a PT element to this Cadre. The PT is focused on working as a team rather than an individual, the PT is set in a way that is challenging but as a team many hands make light work but only with good communication.
I also managed to support 2 Adventurous Training exercises this year, the first trip was to Slovenia on Ex EAGLES PADDLE. This was a 2-week package with kayaking and mountain biking. The second was with the REME LAD, who had an AT trip to Aviemore, Scotland, but this was a winter trip not a summer trip and the conditions were the complete opposite.
Ex EAGLES RECOVERY was an idea for an event for the Rehabilitation and the Reconditioning PT groups to complete a challenge in line with Op TEAMWORK. This was to be an all-inclusive event for those not able to challenge themselves on normal PT due to injury. The challenge
was to complete the Peddars Way trail which is 46-miles in length and mostly cross country. The walking group made it to the first checkpoint, this was at the 10 mile point and all the bike riders (12 in total), made it to the end of the 46-mile trail.
The Gym held a charity day for the local Swanton Morley Village food bank starting with Tin Phys and then washing cars. Nearly 200 items of food and £200 were collected. However, it’s not all work, the Gym staff also managed to get to the Norfolk Snowsport dry ski slope for team building.
C Sqn during the Beach Run
QDG personnel on AT in Slovenia
SSgt (SSI) Ellis mountain biking in Slovenia