Page 26 - QARANC Vol 18 No 1 2020

24 The Gazette QARANC Association
Army Medical Services Canoeing/Kayaking
I am the current Army ladies Slalom champion and member of the Inter- corps Championship winning team, the ‘floating Medics’. How did this all start? Well in 2017 I completed my K2F which is the foundation kayak qualification course. Our Instructor (Warrant Officer 1 Jamie Founds) just so happened to be the AMS Paddle sport secretary, and it was under his tutelage and guidance that I found out about the progression through the canoe/kayak scheme as laid out in JSP419.
Upon completion I had ‘the bug’ and not the type that keeps you on the toilet; it’s the bug that makes you spend money and drags you back to play in aerated water. You could say the kayak adrenaline fix had formed.
My introduction to canoe polo was at the Inter-services competition hosted by the Royal Navy at HMS Temeraire. Canoe polo is a fantastic launch pad for individuals thinking of kayaking; its fast, furious, aggressive but played for the most part in warm swimming pools! After training with the team, I was selected to represent the Army. I was a great privilege to do so and we narrowly missed out on winning the championship to a very well organised and experienced Royal Navy Ladies team.
Fast forward to 2019 and after further representing the Army at international competitions such as the Liverpool and
Hull Invitationals, I found my skills in demand by the Army Slalom rep Major Carl Boyden. A trip to South Wales, battling driving winds and teeming rain allowed me to participate in the Inter- services Canoe Slalom Championship. The water was big and bouncy and pretty intimidating. Day one saw me intrepidly float down the slalom course, learning and battling as I went. The next few days I built my confidence and come competition day the training had all paid off and I was crowned Army Ladies Slalom Champion.
I’ve been a member of the Army Medical Services Kayakers group on Facebook for some time now, and it’s a great source of information and communication. It was shortly after the slalom championships that I read on this site about the forthcoming Army Inter Corps Canoe Polo Championships. The calling notice had been published and I had been selected to represent the AMS. My Unit 208 Field Hospital informed me that once again they would support me, and I was authorised to attend. A short trip(!) down to Colchester found me greeting my new team. I was nervous at first, but the friendship, teamwork and camaraderie was phenomenal not to mention the skill within the team. It was evident from the first competitive match we played that the ‘floating Medics’ were the team to beat. Eleven games later and
still undefeated we found ourselves playing the might of the RLC. A strong team with a very experienced captain we found ourselves playing ‘the game of the tournament’. We finished 4-2 winners and overall undefeated champions.
I urge anybody to try the sport; sure it can be cold, but its good fun, testing and challenging and allows you to test all the values, standards expected of a Regular or Reserve Soldier/Officer. I’ve now completed my coaching course, attended expeditions around lochs in Scotland and am looking forward to a new year with the Army paddling team... I dare you to come join us!
Corporal Samantha Crane 208 Field Hospital
Corporal Samantha Crane on the gruelling slalom course