Page 60 - AGC-Journal-2016

AGC JOURNAL 2016

Cyprus

Triple Crown Challenge 2016

By Captain Tom Coole

It was inevitable, I was the
new Detachment Commander

on island and there was
a Triple Crown to plan, It
wasn’t rocket science to put
the two together. Fresh on
island and obviously wearing
an enthusiastic face, it didn’t
take long before I was the
proud organiser of the Cyprus
Triple Crown Challenge 2016.
With 1st Battalion The Duke
of Lancaster’s Regiment

assuming the role as Regional
Standby Battalion, it was
tough to find a suitable date
that fitted in around the
training and preparation,
but eventually the 5th of May
2016 was settled on.

15 kg followed by a shoot element. on exercise to Jordan for a month. In my
The Concept Instead of a Military Skills competition, mind the concept was fairly simple, take
I decided to conduct a separate Beach your army bag for a walk, shoot at stuff,
Following on from the success of the Skills competition by way of a knock out play volley ball and eat barbecue on the
inaugural event in 2015, the direction I volleyball tournament. Of course, no beach, how hard can that be?
received was not to reinvent the wheel. Cyprus Triple Crown would be complete
I was fortunate enough to have last without a barbecue on the beach and I Build it and they will come
year’s wheel inventor, Captain Angela wasn’t planning on disappointing anyone.
Caruso still in country and to be able to
pick her brains. The format of the event On the Battalion’s return from Exercise
remained an eight mile march carrying Developing the Plan Shamal Storm, the trickle of teams was
fast turning into a flood and we soon had
12 teams entered, representing most cap
Anyone who has organised an event like badges in the Corps and incorporating
this will probably feel my pain when I all three services. At an early point it was
talk of all the moving parts that constitute decided to not have a veteran’s category, if
a competition like this and without the only just to prevent British Forces Cyprus
help of Corporal Meriva Temo there is no from winning a medal just for being the
way the event could have worked. After oldest people there. With the march route
drafting the initial admin instruction and confirmed and published, the teams set
sending it out I left her with a long list about their preparations in earnest for
of items to do and promptly disappeared the day that was fast approaching. The

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