Page 92 - Mind, Body and Spirit 2015-16

90
www.raptcassociation.org.uk
leaders of the army are striving for excellence amongst their peers, so competition for “The Best” exped is erce amongst the troops. As a Summer Mountain Leader the hardest part is choosing which one to go on...!
In December 2015, nine OCdts, a second SML and I deployed to the Torres Del Paine, Patagonia, Chile in order to circumnavigate the fantastic Paine Towers. History was already being made, as this was the furthest and most remote expedition that has ever been organised at RMAS.
The expedition consisted of seven days arduous trekking covering up to 30km per day, with backpacks averaging in at 28kg. Campsites were basic, essentially the only at piece of land in the area, with a stream providing the water source. We were also fortunate enough to experience the infamous “4 seasons in a day” Patagonian weather system. This tested the OCdts admin in each campsite, and also the navigation en-route. At the remotest part of the trek, we were two days away from the nearest road. However, we were rewarded by arguably some of the best sights in the world, from the wild pumas and soaring Condors above, to glaciers, glacial rivers and most importantly the Paine towers. This proved to be the ideal environment for the OCdts to gain their Summer Mountain Foundation Quali cation.
Ex Patagonian Cadet was a rewarding, potentially once in a lifetime experience that formed the foundations on which OCdts were exposed to an AT expedition and have now begun progressing through the JSAT Mountaineering scheme; which will eventually support them in delivering AT for the bene t of the soldiers they will command.
Ex Patagonia Glacier Cadet Grey
with champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Following our 5 star welcome the OCdt’ s from the Breda Academy held an opening ceremony which was followed by a team captains brief for the next day.
The rst sports on the agenda were Football and Basketball. Against a very skilled opposition and a few controversial decisions from the of cials the RMAS unfortunately lost at both sports. When it came to the REAL sports, the RMAS Rugby team beat Breda 93 points to nil. Under the direction of Sgt (SI) Davies RAPTC, the Female speed march team comfortably nished ahead of the Breda Female team whilst the Male Cadets ran away with the competition (excuse the pun), nishing 20 seconds off the track record. The Cadets from Breda again showed off their sporting ability by gaining another 2 victories in the Volleyball and Fencing. With the academy’s level pegging, it all came down to the Superstars competition at the end. With some tailored exercises to suit the host nation, RNMA Breda came away with another victory giving them the win overall.
Overall a very good weekend and an insight to how other nationalities Physical Training departments operate.
Each year the RMAS OCdt’s compete in an event called the Inter Collegiate Games which is against the Royal
Netherlands Military Academy Breda. Cadets from each academy compete against each other in a variety of sports (Rugby Union, Basketball, Football,
Breda Games
Sgt (SI) J Miller RAPTC
Volleyball, Superstars, Speed March & Fencing) over the weekend. Luckily for the PT Wing staff it was our turn to be hosted in Holland.
We arrived at RNMA Breda on the Friday evening and were greeted
Breda OCdts From Both Acadamy’s