Page 15 - Cadet Review Autumn 2023

Drill and Ceremonial camp 2023
By Pilot Officer Stuart Morris
The Corps camp for me is fully recommended especially for all new officers aspiring to be Squadron OCs in the future. This was my first camp as an officer and I was given the responsibility of looking after and managing a Flight of 32 cadets, one arms instructor Warrant Officer and one female Flt Sgt for the week. The training programme was intense after arriving in Pirbright, Surrey from West Yorkshire on the Saturday and offloading kit, it was a case of meeting my flight and attending the first of bi-daily staff briefings.
On receiving the training programme for my flight I had the responsibility of getting our flight through designated mess times, kit inspections, to the armoury to pick up their rifles and onto
the parade square. The days were long and intense however the enthusiasm to be our best shone through our flight. I commissioned as an officer last September however thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of learning sword drill whilst also managing the flight.
I would highly recommend the camp not just for the Drill and Ceremonial side of it but the actual hands-on opportunity to manage staff and cadets in a "protected environment". Plus the final parade was a special moment as number 3 Squadron 3 Flight (9 Flight) we were last off the parade Square, giving a sword salute to the OC 22 Group along with several other VIPs including Regional Commandants, the Parade Commander of RAF 100 parade, and
an officer from the RAF's Kings Colour Squadron whilst the RAFAC national marching band playing the RAF march past made me feel 10 feet tall . All the cadets really enjoyed their experience and the continuity rifle drill display is incredible. I saw this build over the week, with plenty of breaks in an evening with light-hearted songs to get the feel-good factor and keep up morale. It is an intense camp however if you are keen to learn and put the effort you will reap the rewards.
Regional Athletics
Competition
By Corporal Nate Brady
Following the Wing Athletics Competition, and because of my success, I was selected to represent the Wing at the 400m, the 800m, and the 4x100m relay, and attended the Regional athletics event on the 1st of July at Leeds. Previously, WO Brooker gave me, and a couple of my fellow athletes also picked for this event some training and tactics which would help us understand the sport and what to do at our specific events even better which prepared us significantly for the day.
First up was my 400m race – this was the first event of the day meaning I didn’t have as much time as others to prepare and analyse my surroundings. As I had been told previously, this event was a lot more ‘serious’ than the previous one and
I realised there were many competitors also wearing track spikes. The Wing pulled lane 1 meaning that everyone in our team was going to have to run in lane 1 which is an incredibly unfortunate lane to run in out of a total of six lanes. I started quickly and overtook several of my competitors within the first 200m and by that point I was almost guaranteed a podium finish, however, I wasn’t just going to settle for the podium. With 100m to go, I finally was in first and was sprinting down the final straight for all it was worth with the sounds of screaming from my teammates and especially WO Brooker echoing in my ears, and, with that, I had taken the gold medal.
Between these events I made conversation with many of my fellow athletes which allowed me to make new friends and achieve a closer connection with others from my Wing. However, less than 15 minutes later I was called back onto the track to compete in my 800m, so I quickly headed back to the track. This race was not so easy as, not only am I less accustomed to this distance, but I was also tired from my previous event. This meant that I ran a lot slower than I was hoping however I was still able to achieve a bronze medal which left me feeling pretty good. There was quite a large interval between the 800m and the 4x100m relay, so I just cheered on my fellow athletes enthusiastically with my Wing and enjoyed a free lunch!
Finally, was the 4x100m relay, me and my team did some various change-over preparation beforehand and were ready to race. I ran the second leg of the race and overtook a couple of competitors and we finished in 2nd place. However, we were disqualified because of a dodgy change-over which was a massive shame although we still ran very well which was what mattered most. The atmosphere was incredible and allowed me to make many friends, and the day was only made better when our Wing won overall which allowed us to celebrate and prove we are the best in the region.
CADET REVIEW AUTUMN 2023 15