National Marksmanship Competition – Part 3

May 5.  The first official day of the National Marksmanship Competition.

            

Everybody was up and about at 6am.  The cadets were allowed to wear civilian clothing and the officers were required to wear their field dress uniforms.  I put on my CADPATs and met my cadets in front of Rainbow Block.  We proceeded to the mess hall for breakfast.  There was a long line when we got there.  Thankfully, the wait wasn’t long because the staff was working at full capacity.  I asked my cadets how they were feeling and they said they were feeling good & confident. 

We returned to barracks after breakfast, got our air rifles and loaded them into a waiting cube van.  A reservist would deliver all the rifles to the competition venue in Naden.  I told my cadets to make sure they took everything they needed for the day because we wouldn’t be back until the late afternoon.  Everyone waited near the mess hall for the buses to arrive.  The organizers reserved several school buses & hired civilian drivers to act as the transportation link between Work Point & Naden.

The drive to Naden only took a few minutes.  The buses dropped us off in front of the Naden Athletic Centre (NAC).  The NAC is a large building equipped with two gyms, a swimming pool, exercise rooms, and several offices.  The organizers reserved the small gym on the second floor as an open space for cadets to relax and pass the time in between shooting relays. Right now, it would host the opening ceremony. 

Officers and civilian coaches were instructed to gather in the gym.  The cadets outside were organized by provinces & territories.  Fourteen cadets were selected as flag bearers.  One of my cadets was chosen to carry the Nunavut flag.  The parade began with everyone in the audience standing as the cadets marched into the gym.  The Canadian flag came first and the Nunavut flag finished the procession.  Once all the cadets were in position the ceremony continued with the introduction of the Guest Reviewing Officer, Brigadier General Dave Cochrane.  He is the Commander of the National Cadet and Junior Canadian Ranger Support Group.  In short, he is in charge of the entire cadet program.  He assumed command in the summer of 2018, taking over for Brigadier General K. Woiden.  If you recall, General Woiden visited 3045 Army Cadets last year on April 25^th.  The ceremony continued with the singing of the national anthem.  It is here that something unexpected happened.

            

Source: Canada's History.

Over the years, I’ve told my students there is a fierce rivalry between English & French Canadians down south.  This rivalry has a very long history, stemming from the traditional rivalries between Britain & France.  The rivalry is over anything & everything and it surfaced during the anthem.  There was no instrumental music so everyone had to sing O Canada a cappella.  However, no one was told the languages the verses would be sung.  Just a few words in and I could already hear a competition between the Ontario & Quebec cadets over who could sing the loudest.  The Ontario cadets were singing in English & the Quebec cadets were singing in French.  I think most people were singing in English but the French cadets really wanted everyone to hear the French lyrics.  I could see my cadets were confused.  I was standing at attention, saluting, and doing my very best not to grin, smile, or laugh.  I made it to the end.             

Brigadier General D. Cochrane addresses the cadets.

General Cochrane welcomed everyone to CFB Esquimalt and wished all the cadet competitors the best of luck.  He also stressed to be nice and play fair.  He concluded his speech by declaring the 2019 competition officially open.  The audience applauded and stood as the General left the gym.  The parade was dismissed.  The thirteen flags were placed on gold painted pedestals at the back of the gym.  They would be used as the background for team photographs.

            

I asked my cadets if they heard the singing competition during the ceremony?  They said yes.  I explained it was a perfect example of the rivalry between English & French Canada.  I humourously suggested that next year, we sing O Canada in Inuktitut the loudest.  We all laughed.

            

Everyone grabbed their equipment and moved it to the Wurtele Arena where the relays would be held.  The hockey rink was converted into a shooting range, featuring the same SIUS targeting systems I saw in Gimli, Manitoba.  There were 37 lanes.  Spectators could watch the relays from the bleachers.  Shooting results would be instantly shown on two screens at both ends of the rink.  The change rooms were divided up amongst the teams.  The Nunavut & Northwest Territories teams would share one room.

            

Time was given to “zero-in” rifles.  Cadets could shoot as many pellets as they wanted until they felt satisfied their rifles were ready for the competition.  You want to make sure your pellet hits the exact spot where you’re aiming.       

            

When my cadets were leaving the shooting range, I pointed out the presence of the media.  It was easy to spot them with their expensive cameras, microphones, and lights.  I told the cadets to always assume they’re being filmed when in the main arena area and to look important and/or busy.  The cadets had a twenty-minute break before their first relay.  It was actually thirty minutes but I told them to always use the last ten minutes of a break for moving to the waiting area and, well, wait to be called.  I looked at the team, wearing their 3045 shooting jackets, safety goggles, and holding their air rifles.  “Are we ready?” I asked.  They all raised their eyebrows.  “Alright.  Let’s do this!”

            

A section of bleachers was reserved for cadet competitors.  The teams going first sat there and waited until they were called.  When that call came, a door was opened and we all walked onto the rink and towards our assigned lanes.  They were easy to spot because there were pictures of flags taped to foldout chairs behind the shooting mats.  The Chief Range Safety Officer (CRSO) was in charge and gave all the orders & instructions.  They had a team of RSOs to assist the cadets & coaches.  The next thing the cadets new was they had 15 minutes to shoot 10 pellets on target.

           

I followed the same routine at Stage III, stepping back and letting the cadets shoot.  I stayed close in case they needed me to replenish their silver bowls with pellets.  The fifteen minutes went by quickly.  The results would be posted on a wall in the arena’s main lobby.

            

3045 Cadet sitting next to General
Cochrane.

Lunch was available at Nelles Block, a large white building where the Naden mess hall is located.  It’s a short walk from the arena but uphill.  We had to be there at 12pm because one of our cadets was selected to sit at the head table with General Cochrane.  One cadet was selected from each province & territory to eat with the General.  The mess hall is big and the menus offer a lot of choices.  We waited until our cadet was dismissed from the head table.  She must have felt like a celebrity, first carrying the Nunavut flag, and now having lunch with the General.

            

I should point out that there would be relays constantly happening throughout the day.  There were only 37 shooting lanes and too many cadets for me to count.  It was the responsibility of the coaches to get their cadets fed, keep them occupied between relays, and get them to their relays on time.

            

Our second relay began at 12:45pm and it followed the same routine as the first one.  The sounds of pellets hitting the SIUS targets echoed throughout the arena.

            

Relay 2

We had quite a bit of time to spare before our third relay so we went to a secluded building where we could enjoy an activity to pass the time.  It’s a simulated C7 trainer where you hold a mock C7 assault rifle that functions as a laser tag gun.  You don't actually play laser tag.  You shoot electronic targets.  Unfortunately, due to national security, I can only show a picture of the gun.  Apparently, our enemies and “half-allies” are interested in the simulator’s setup & technology.  The cadets & I had a lot of fun.

            

Our third & final relay for May 5 occurred at 4:50pm.  It was the same as the first two; the cadets fired in the prone position.  The only difference was the assigned lanes.  You never fire in the same lane throughout the competition.  This is to guarantee fairness.

            

The cadets packed up the rifles & shooting jackets and placed them in the change room.  I reminded them not to leave behind their valuables because the arena was going to be locked overnight.  The buses brought us back to Work Point for dinner.

            

Cadets waiting to enter the Dockyards.

Crane

At 7pm, we were all bused to the Naden Dockyards to get a tour of the HMCS Calgary, a Halifax class frigate.  The ship was undergoing renovations & upgrades but the organizers had secured permission from the captain to let the cadets come onboard for a short visit.  There were other military & coast guard vessels being worked on in the Dockyards but the HMCS Calgary was the only ship open to visitors.    

HMCS Calgary.

The rules being explained.

We got to the large vessel by walking through a security checkpoint and following the officers-in-charge.  This portion of the Dockyards was filled with sea cans, tall cranes, pipes, spare parts, vehicles, and much more.  The cadets were formed up and explained the rules & regulations of being on a naval vessel.  Anyone stepping on or stepping off a vessel had to salute first.  The taking of photos & videos would be severely restricted and/or outright prohibited.  Once all was understood, the cadets walked up the ship plank, saluted, and came onboard, one-by-one.  The officers followed suit.

           

I have to keep the descriptions of the tour to a minimum because I don’t want to get a visit from military police or the RCMP.  Basically, we were shown how the ship operates, its offensive & defensive capabilities, and where the crew eats & sleeps.  The cadets even got to visit the bridge and sit in the Captain’s Chair.  The sun was beginning to set as we made our way to the back of the ship.  Everyone was ordered to attention as the Canadian flag on all the ships in the Dockyards were lowered at 8pm, signalling the end of the working day.  We disembarked, one-by-one.

            

Fast forward to May 6.  The routine was still the same as before.  Wake up at 6am, have breakfast, get your belongings ready, and be ready for the buses.  My cadets & I got driven to Naden in a military coach bus.  Our relay didn’t begin until 10:30am but everyone had to be at the competition venue early.  Thankfully, there were board games and exercise equipment at the NAC to keep my cadets busy.  They also had their mobile phones.

            

Team 3045 passing the time at the NAC.

Watching other teams compete.

Team 3045 being filmed by Media
Relations.

The fourth relay for us came and went.  The only interesting thing that happened was the cadets were filmed by the Media Relations officer.  I stepped back to make sure I wasn’t ruining the shot.  The footage was going to be included in a short compilation video for people watching the competition online. 

            

10.9 - A Perfect Shot.

The fifth relay was the same as the first four relays.  Once that was completed, we were done for the day.  We had plenty of time to kill.  We had our team photo taken at the NAC and then I and two cadets were formally interviewed by the Media Relations team.  I was nervous because the interview was filmed.  I don’t think I do well on tv.  I write better than I speak.  Somehow, I made it through, answering questions about 3045 and life in Arctic Bay.  The two cadets who volunteered answered the same questions but from a cadet’s perspective.  “We’re putting Arctic Bay on the map,” I commented to them.

The cruise ship Star Princess docked in harbour while Team 3045 eats dinner at Work Point. 

To Be Continued . . .