Page 44 - QARANC Vol 14 No 8 2014

42 QARANC THE GAZETTE
Army Medical Services (AMS) Ski Championships – Serre Chevalier – RCDM Team – 2013
Two members of the QARANC were selected to join The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) Ski Team to represent the unit at the annual AMS Ski Championships, Captain Stephanie Lea and 2Lt Lesley Rankin. Major Paula Benn, the Secretary of the AMS Ski Club, although did not compete, also presented RCDM at the Meet. A large proportion of the RCDM Team were novices to skiing. Some of us took to it like ducks to water, and others like fish to land but, by the end of the two weeks everyone had entered at least one downhill competition and one cross country without breaking anything!
The Tri service team (Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel, left to right: LNN McMahon (QARNNS), 2Lt Rankin (QARANC), Capt Rowland (RAMC), LNN Rumbold (QARNNS), Capt Lea (QARANC), Lt Birch (RAMC), LNN Williams (QARNNS), Cpl Hulme (PMRAFNS) and Capt Abbott (RAMC).
It was a two week exercise with the first week consisting of lessons on how to ski, how to race and learning to Nordic ski with the second week being the race week. The fancy dress fun race signalised the start of the racing week. It was made up of two elements: skiing downhill in a mini slalom, then running up it on Nordic skis. 2Lt Lesley ‘Nordic Captain 2014’ Rankin was nominated for the uphill part and (with a one hour lesson on how to Nordic ski) put in a sound performance in her Cyclops onesie! Skiing downhill is an achievement in itself, to run up it is quite another. Although the team was made up of two members for the race, it was a team effort to get 2Lt Lesley Rankin to the top of the hill when with twenty metres to go, skis that were going uphill, now decided to go down.
Left to Right: 2Lt Rankin, Capt Rowland, Capt Lea, LNN Rumbold, Lt Birch, Capt Abbott, Lt Col Mountain, LNN McMahon, LNN Williams and Cpl Hulme
The second week was all about managing to stay on your feet in the Grand Slalom (GS), slalom, and 3 Nordic races which everyone managed to achieve. Captain Steph Lea took part in the novice race on the Sunday and was one of the best true novices who competed. The intermediate races consisted of Slalom and Giant Slalom (GS) on the famous ‘Stade’. 2Lt Rankin raced with skill and determination and so placed well in the final list. The novice skiers took the
remaining week to develop their skills, compete in Nordic skiing and help Marshall at the other events.
The first Nordic race was 5km relay of flats and hills, but mostly hills! Two teams of four members entered and both teams finished in good time. The next event was one team of four members who all completed a 10km race. The final Nordic event was a Patrol Race consisting of Lt Birch, Captain Abbott, 2Lt Rankin and LNN Rumbold. The patrol race was 24 Km of Nordic skiing with stations consisting of both physical and mental command tasks. The race took over 3 hours to complete but the team finished in a good time.
Overall the Championships
was a great success, novice skiers learnt to ski and were able to compete in a grand slalom race at the end of their first week of skiing. The advanced skiers were able to develop their piste skills and learn new race skills. The Ski Championships enabled us to develop team building and leadership skills. Capt Lea and 2LT Rankin received funding from the QARANC Association and are hugely grateful for the Association’s support towards this Exercise. Their contribution enabled personnel from RCDM to learn to ski for the first time.
Capt Lea and 2Lt Rankin
Overall it was a fantastic opportunity to learn new skills and develop existing ones and both Capt Lea and 2Lt Rankin have come back to unit and promoted the exercise for future budding skiers to ensure that next years AMS Ski meet can be bigger and better.
2Lt Lesley Rankin