Page 43 - QARANC Vol 14 No 7 2013

Championship
climbers led a masterful demonstration of nerves and fingertips of steel as they balanced on tiny ‘hand’ holds and stuck to the wall like dried out gauze pads do to an open wound. The ever supportive and vocal crowd, be it your competition or Unit colleagues would cheer and shout encouragement at everyone who took on the big walls. In fact, ‘supportive’ is an understatement as I’m not aware of any other sport where your rival would offer you advice on the best way to beat them. The biggest gasps, however, were reserved for the elite who would often make breathtaking falls in excess of 8 meters as they made last ditch attempts to leap for just out of reach crimps 15 meters above our heads. Saved by a rope and the perhaps even braver man on belay.
In the semi-finals I managed to hold on to the lead for a surprisingly good while before luck ran out and I was knocked down to just above mid table. Pte Robinson, however, came away with medals for 2nd Female, 2nd overall female and 2nd female in the separate bouldering competition as well as an invitation to train with the Army climbing team. A job well done.
It was a brilliantly organized event and heaps of prizes were given away to almost every competitor. Much fun was had and new contacts forged. Hopefully next year, with a bit more training, we can do even better and represent with even more MDHU(N) competitors to fly the flag for our sporty Unit.
By Cpl John McIntosh
AMS Skiing Serre Chevalier (256 Fd Hosp)
The beginning of the AMS ski exercise started with what we all called ‘an epic’ car journey to the destination Serre Chevalier, France. We took in turns to drive and sleep so the time went fast and only made us more excited as we travelled up the mountains with plenty of snow and spotting people walking around carrying skis!
Boots and skis were fitted and a quick tour of the village was given in preparation for the day of skiing ahead. The non experienced skiers had a week of ‘ski school’, while the slightly more
experienced were able to explore the mountains and find slopes suitable for the beginners with the intention of all of the 256 field hospital team spending the afternoons skiing together. Some afternoons we separated and with the best intentions we tried to lead the beginners and stay on the green and blues but didn’t quite work out. I apologise Cpl Mitchell for laughing but your falls were pretty funny and it wasn’t done on purpose, promise.
The apes ski is always important and Serre Chevalier didn’t disappoint. After full days of skiing we regularly
went out to relax and socialise with the other members of the AMS. All ranks mingled and it was quite normal to find yourself sitting next to a Colonel or two. It also became quite normal to find yourself chatting to a man from the 16 medical regiment dressed as a not so attractive lady.
Some lessons were set up in preparation for our second week, the AMSSC ski championship. Most of the 256 field hospital had never Nordic skied or slalom raced however the lessons did help and it was all taken in good spirits with just a little a touch of competitiveness. I can clearly still remember the nerves at the beginning of the slalom races queuing up and peering down the course hoping to make it down safely, then once at the bottom the sense of achievement. The Nordic skiing races 4 x 5 km, 10km and the Patrol race were slightly different in that they were more challenging however, perseverance and enthusiasm got the teams through the races. With huge smiles on our faces and the huge sense of achievement we felt afterwards made it an amazing experience. We even won a few medals and trophies to take home with us, which was a nice surprise on award night.
The ski exercise was a wonderful experience for improving skiing, learning to race and meeting lots of new friends. The dates have been set for next year and I highly recommend it to both; novice or experienced skier. I for one will defiantly be going!
Pte Heather Roberts
THE GAZETTE QARANC 41