Page 88 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2019
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                                REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
  Thrilled to finish! The Nordic Ski team after the final biathlon relay in Hochfilzen, Austria. Top row left to right LCpl Richards, Lt Free, Lt Mackaness, LCpl Fletcher. Bottom row left to right LCpl Sands, LCpl Potter, Trooper Young, LCpl White
has been training the Regiment since the amalgamation, and both antecedent Regiments before that. She has been coaching the Lancers for 15 years and no doubt will continue to do so. The regular format was a 30-minute mobility run in the morning fol- lowed by two 90-minute training sessions and one range session a day. The team of nine included three returners from previous years and six novices, and Capt Gardner (D Squadron) joined the team for the first week to assist with ranges and training. Although the first week was mainly technique sessions, it wasn’t long before Silje started to up the intensity. The team noticed immediately the difficulty of balancing on such thin skis and the struggles of breathing in such cold temperatures.
At the end of the first week the team completed a 20km clas- sic ski and were racing in week two. Lt Free and LCpl Fletcher (both B Squadron) proved to be naturals on skis, whilst LCpls Richards (B Squadron) and Potter (D Squadron) picked up from where they had left off the year before and were quick to help the novices with their technique. LCpl Richards made the Army Championships the year before as an individual, and two years prior with the team. LCpl Potter proved to be one of the team’s best shots and was always present to help with the biathlon ri- fles. The team started to discover how physically demanding the training can be, particularly when the sessions were intervals or racing, and the usual stiffness and niggles started to show. How- ever, there was a positive attitude throughout which was really impressive to see and noted by both coaches.
The second week also saw the team building on their shooting skills under Halvar, a local biathlon coach, and the results were evident. The team worked on their rifle drills each evening in the cabin which meant that they were slick during the sessions. Halvar was excellent at teaching each individual how they could better their technique. Sadly, Halvar was unable to join the team for the Saturday night drinks – next year! With six days of hard skiing a week it was important for the team to have a rest day each week and Sunday was that essential day. Saturday nights
A happy end to the RAC Championships. Left to right Lt Free, Trooper Young, Lt Mackaness, LCpl Potter, LCpl White, LCpl Sands, LCpl Richards
 



























































































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