Armed Forces Excel in Winter Sports

The government of United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence issued the following news release:

In the second of our winter sports specials, we bring you a round up of our Armed Forces’ efforts over the last few weeks at ski, snowboard and bobsleigh competitions.

ROYAL NAVY SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS

Birmingham Royal Naval Reservist Sarah Calhaem took first place in the ‘Beginners’ category at this year’s Royal Navy Ski Championships held in the French resort of Les Menuires from 13 to 27 January 2007.

EXERCISE LIONS CHALLENGE 2007

The British Army Alpine Ski Championships, was held at Serre Chevalier in the Haute Alps region of France from 24 January to 2 February 2007, and tested competitors in the four alpine disciplines of Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super Giant Slalom and the Downhill.

Continuing the dominance they showed at the 1 (UK) Armoured Division ski championships, where they took top place for the third time in a row, Gutersloh’s 1 Logistics Support Regiment repeated this hat-trick at LIONS CHALLENGE by again being named Army Alpine Champions. In fact, the regiment scooped all four top team prizes, coming first in the Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super G and the Downhill.

On the individual front, Captain Stuart Hunt, Queen’s Royal Hussars and Army Team Captain, was named Men’s Army Champion 2007. Major Nicky Porter, from Gutersloh Dental Centre, won the Ladies Championship and a place in the Army team.

EXERCISE SPARTAN HIKE - SERRE CHEVALIER

In Serre Chevalier, two members of the British Adaptive Ski Team, former Naval officer, Talan Skeels-Piggins, a paraplegic sit-skier, and former Army chef, David Tweed, an amputee skier, were invited to use the facilities organised for soldiers taking part in Exercise SPARTAN HIKE, the Army’s UK divisional ski championships.

BRITISH SERVICES INTERNATIONAL ALPINE SKI AND SNOWBOARD CHAMPIONSHIPS - MERIBEL

Elsewhere in the French Alps, the British Services International Alpine Ski and Snowboard Championships have just taken place in Méribel.

Around 150 skiers and boarders from all three Services took part in the Championships which are organised by the Combined Services Winter Sports Association. Each Service provided a men’s and a women’s team to compete for both Alpine and Snowboard disciplines.

The skiing programme included Alpine Ski, Super Giant Slalom and the Giant Slalom and for the boarders the events included the Giant Slalom, Boardercross, Dual Slalom and Snowboard Slope Style.

BOBSLEIGH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - ST MORITZ

At St Moritz in Switzerland (3-4 February 2007), three members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Bobsleigh Team achieved a top ten result in the four-man Bobsleigh World Championship.

Marine Lee Johnston (Captain of the RN/RM Bobsleigh Team) finished in fifth position after four runs. Teammates Captain Karl Johnston (Lee’s brother) and Corporal John Jackson pushed the GB2 sled driven by Corporal Neil Scarisbrick to ninth position out of the 26 teams that entered the race, giving the British Bobsleigh Team its best result for many years.

EXERCISE RUCKSACK

Exercise RUCKSACK, the British National, Inter Service and Army Biathlon and Cross Country Ski Championships, one of the most important events in the Army’s sporting calendar was held for the tenth time at the German National Biathlon Centre in Ruhpolding over the period 26 January to 8 February 2007. The Championships have a long tradition which started 60 years ago in Austria.

With a historical tradition of hunting and fighting in the snow, Biathlon events involve cross country skiing and shooting targets the size of a table tennis ball.

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