Page 54 - RAPTC Number 102 2018/19

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Light Dragoon AAPTI LCpl Appleton fractured his spine playing Regimental rugby and was air lifted to James Cook Hospital but has made a swift recovery and is back working within the gym full time. With this in mind, the Gymnasium held a tough mudder event called ‘Muddy Christmas Dragoon’. All donations were given to The Great North Air Ambulance and we successfully raised £570 towards helping the charity, the event turned out to be a great success.
The Light Dragoons are a proud sporting regiment, with achievements and success in the Hodsons Horse, the Yorkshire Cup and RAC football to name just a few! Boxing, historically has been a large part of the Light Dragoons sporting prowess however, boxing had fallen off the radar for some years. After meetings with the CO and the boxing officer it was decided to put on a boxing event within the Unit. First job was to organise a level one boxing coaching course to get our potential boxers trained on route to the event. The recruitment drive introduced boxing circuits in CO’s PT to identify talent and get soldiers on board. Shortly after we had our team. Six weeks arduous training later with a fair amount of blood, sweat and tears; we were ready to go!! The boxing night was a great success with 12 bouts of quality sportsmanship being displayed. HQ Squadron 2IC Capt Cuthbertson pulled it out the bag to ‘acquire’ a signed and framed golden glove from current
Boxing day
heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. This was awarded to the best boxer on the night, LCpl Hampson.
I look forward with anticipation to the coming years with this fine Regiment. Bring it on!
HQ 7TH INFANTRY BRIGADE AND HQ EAST
WO2 (QMSI) R D HEAD RAPTC
‘The individual who says it is not possible should move out of the way of those doing it.’ Tricia Cunningham
Sitting whilst penning notes for MBS allows individuals to reflect on their previous 12 months. I am sure all will agree that when you look back, you really get to see how far you
have come. This is no exception when it comes to working within 7 Inf Bde. The tempo within 7 Bde as with all establishments is busy but this has been coupled with a complete Brigade move from Chilwell to Kendrew Barracks.
Both the SO3 and I had the opportunity to accept an invite to attend an internal Commander’s Development morning at ATR Grantham in which the theme was ‘Mental Resilience’. The invitation was gladly accepted, especially when the guest speakers were Nikki Bartlett and Tim Don – two professional triathletes.
After the obligatory coffee and biscuits, the morning started with a presentation by Nikki Bartlett. Nikki is a full-time Iron distance triathlete who whilst training for her professional career is also guiding for a Para Triathlete at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics at the much shorter and faster sprint distance. Juggling these two
paths is no mean feat as those who try to excel in more than one sport can vouch for. Listening to the struggles of the life of a professional athlete and how cut throat their world is, allowed listeners to understand the requirement for ‘Mental Resilience’. It was enlightening to hear tales from a civilian that could be directly transferred across to life in the Military.
The second speaker was Tim Don. For those not in the know, Tim Don has been a professional triathlete for over 20 years. Tim is a multiple Olympian, multiple World Champion and held the Ironman Triathlon distance World Record – 07:40:23. In 2017 he was tipped to win the coveted World Ironman Championships but was hit by a vehicle on a training ride 3 days before the race culminating in a broken neck. Within 12 months he not only recovered but ran the Boston Marathon in 2:49:42 and also won his first Ironman 70.3 race – Ironman 70.3 Costa Rico. Tim’s recovery was documented through film and ‘The Man with the Halo’ gives a fascinating insight into his recovery process which gripped and enthralled the audience. The mental resilience that Tim displayed throughout his recovery was inspiring to see, likewise to hear from an individual who was at the top of his game and in the blink of an eye had to start all over was again extremely inspiring.
Tim Don, WO2 (QMSI) Head RAPTC, Capt (MAA) Wilson RAPTC, Nikki Bartlett