Page 45 - RADC Bulletin 2021

SPORT & AT
“Dream big and dare to fail”
Great Britain Bobsleigh Team Europa Cup 2021
WO2 Z Beckett
WO2 Zoe Beckett (RADC) made it to the ice for the final event of the European Circuit, Bobsleigh, despite facing the
many obstacles and setbacks of this challenging year. WO2 Zoe Beckett went on to represent Great Britain as a 2-man Bobsleigh brakewoman, at the European Cup, Königssee, Germany, in Feb 2021
with her fellow Army Bobsleigh teammate, Bobsleigh pilot Capt Sarah Smith, AGC (ETS). This was Zoe’s debut event with the GB Team, after only completing her novice training camp with the Army in Dec 2018. She was quickly recognised for her talent in the sprint start and athletic ability, became an Army Brake-Woman at 2 Inter-Services, succeeding to the podium in the individual team event in both 2019 and 2020.
The team travelled to Germany mid Feb to compete against a 22 strong international female competition. The broader event
included 4-man, 2-man, 2-woman and mono-bob races, with an international attendance of 27 Nations, including Australia, Russia, Jamaica, Nigeria and Korea to name a few. After extensive planning, COVID-19 testing and specific IBSF safe training protocols, the team executed a successful week of training and qualifying runs against the other Nations, holding their own against Olympians and World Cup athletes. During the week they reached speeds of up to 110kph on the LOTTO Eisarena Bobsleigh Track located on the border of Austria. Bobsleigh is a dangerous sport, which does not allow brakes to be pulled at any point
on the track other than after the finish line; any small mistake by the pilot can cause a high-speed crash with the travelling sled continuing its momentum with the athletes on the ice. Luckily none of the 5 GB teams in attendance had that misfortune and all
teams finished on a high at the last event
of the season. Sadly, the final race day had to be cancelled due to cooling issues at
the track, but this did not detract from the exhilarating week on ice, against strong international competition in the magnificent backdrop of the Alps. The team, who are self-funded, were extremely grateful for
the amazing support and sponsorship they received which enabled them to continue their journey. This was a huge personal achievement and one WO2 Zoe Beckett is proud of and truly grateful to have had.
If you are interested in getting involved
in the sport of Bobsleigh, please contact WO2 Zoe Beckett Zoe.beckett645@hotmail. co.uk or email: bobsleigh@awsa.org.uk - prerequisites include: having watched Cool Runnings and furthermore... liked it!
Find out more via the Army Team’s social media @britisharmybobsleigh.
RADC BULLETIN 2021 43