Page 130 - Bugle Autumn 2014

The Cresta Run
Cpl Benavides taking part in Ex SNOW GURU
Two members of the 7th Battalion joined the ranks of daring winter sportsmen by taking on one of the last fully amateur high-speed sport tracks in the world. Competing on the infamous Cresta toboggan run in southern Switzerland, Captain Ben Cooper, and Serjeant Harry Sowerby, Mortar Platoon Serjeant, spent a week hurling themselves down the 1.2 km ice chute at the annual Army Cresta Championships. Run by the St Moritz
Capt Cooper at the top of the Cresta run
week as a whole served as a reminder of the justification and importance of sport and Adventurous Training in the Army;
the logic being that if the soldier can be exposed to risk with a degree of mitigation then he or she will be more likely to be able to harness and control his or her fear on the battlefield. It is with this aim far from their minds that our two intrepid (and foolish in
the same measure!) Riflemen began to throw themselves down the luge. Ultimately, Captain Cooper finished as the fastest Infanteer in the Junction Handicap race and sixth in the Novice Cup competition. It was suggested that his perceived success was, in part, down to body- mass, gravity and inertia and not technical skill and fearless riding. Regrettably, this author is inclined to accept this observation. The pair also
represented The Rifles in the race for the 17th/ 21st Lancers Inter- Regimental Cup coming a credible eighth place...out of nine. Sjt Sowerby, true to form and racing right on the edge of his new found ability, managed to come off on the infamous ‘Shuttlecock’ corner no less than 5 times – earning him the much coveted shuttlecock tie
Tobogganing Club (SMTC), the oldest winter
sports club in the world, the Cresta Run was
first built in 1885 and attracts amateur thrill-
seekers from across the world. The ice run sees
entrants toboggan down the three-quarters-
of-a-mile long track, attempting to tackle the
course’s ten fearsome corners on a large,
ancient sledge. Riders go down alone, lying on
a toboggan head-first, using rakes on the end of special boots to brake and steer. Tradition dictates that riders are clad in protective leather and tweed. Once riders have assumed the correct position, their chins are an inch off the ice that is slipping by at over 65 miles per hour!
their chins are an inch off the ice that is slipping by at over
65 miles per hour!
Both new to the sport, the Riflemen received 5 days instruction and practice before competing in three competitions. The first practice run can be a terrifying, out-of-control experience. The
in the process. A hair-raising week of high-octane thrills that comes thoroughly recommended!
Captain Ben Cooper, Community Engagement Officer
London Reserve Forces 7s Tournament 2014 ...ever the bridesmaid, never the bride!
An hour of warm up and team drills under CSjt Coles (as coach) and Cpl Corby (as Capt.), and confidence was high. Sadly this all went a bit south in our first match vs the HAC. The scoreline (never to be mentioned EVER again) did not reflect the difference between the sides, however the best
team did win. LCpl Dobie’s arrival on the pitch was enough to stem the tide of HAC pressure, but sadly not by enough. Game one under their belts 7 RIFLES showed the kind of attitude you would expect from Riflemen, and came back all guns blazing against the Sailors of RNVR. After chasing down every possible tackle he could make Rifleman Harvey was replaced by Capt
Foulkes-Arnold, and to protect Rifleman Jackson’s ribs, on came Rifleman Paxford. 19-5 winners. Confidence restored and that runners-up spot looking like ours yet again.
256 Bty had obviously not read the script for the final match and had the audacity to take the lead! 7 RIFLES side, now captained
7 RIFLES Rugby 7s team 2014
by Capt Foulkes-Arnold in Cpl Corby’s enforced absence, stepped right up to the challenge. Some big hits by LCpl Dobie, Riflemen Jackson, and Digweed, scrappy work by LCpl Potts and great support play by Capt Foulkes-Arnold, WO2 English and Rifleman Harvey changed that, with scores by the “fat lads” and the flying backs! 25-12 win, which could have been far more. At the end of the day, sunburnt faces, battered bodies and dented pride after the first match could do nothing to dampen the enthusiasm and commitment shown by all Riflemen involved. A thoroughly enjoyable day out, and NEXT year a trophy.
CSjt Coles, RSWO
128 SEVENTH BATTALION
THE RIFLES