Stage 3 Marksmanship 2024 – Part 1

I didn’t stay in Arctic Bay for long after returning from Whitehorse.  I was granted leave to attend another out-of-town cadet trip, but this time in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  3045 Army Cadet Corps’ Marksmanship Team of 2024 successfully advanced to the Stage 3 Regional Competition.  This was achieved by accumulating enough points in the Stage 2 Postal Shoot in February.  I travelled with the team as their escort officer, coach, and public relations officers.  I would keep their parents & guardians updated via Facebook. 

The marksmanship team & I arrived at the airport on the afternoon of April 3, packed and ready.  Participating teams are required to bring their own air rifles.  Ours were securely packed in large Pelican cases.  We also brought shooting jackets, safety glasses, gloves, and tools.  The Canadian North plane lifted off into the bright Arctic spring sky and our journey began.

We headed north and landed in Resolute Bay to pick up more passengers.  We left the community after 30 minutes and flew south towards Iqaluit.  The flight lasted 3 hours.  We collected our luggage and took two taxis to our hotel.  I gave the senior cadet in the other taxi enough money to pay the driver.  We checked in and settled into our rooms for the night.

The cadets & I were able to sleep in for an extra hour or two on April 4.  We returned to the Iqaluit Airport just after lunch, again needing two taxis to get everyone there.  The military would reimburse me for taxi expenses.  We boarded the Canadian North plane at 3:30pm and we were in the sky by 4:00pm, heading towards Ottawa.  Warm meals are served on this flight because it’s the most lucrative route for Canadian North.  The meal I selected was alright.  The plane landed in Canada’s capital 3 hours later.  We collected our luggage and took a free shuttle bus to our hotel.  We stayed in Ottawa for the night.

April 5 was the third day of travel.  We boarded the free shuttle bus in the early morning and were dropped off at the airport after a short ride.  We were still tired but there was no time to waste.  We checked in our luggage and ate a quick breakfast at Tim Hortons.  We got through the security checkpoint without hassle and proceeded to our gate.  We boarded the Air Canada plane after waiting and hour and flew to Toronto.  Unfortunately, there weren’t any direct flights to Winnipeg at the time.

Navigating the Toronto Airport can be a challenge for any traveller; frequent or new.  I know the airport works hard to make its layout easy to understand, but for some, the large expansive layout of the terminal can be overwhelming.  Thankfully, it isn’t for me.  I led the cadets through the busy terminal to our next gate.  We spent the remaining time shopping, eating snacks, and waiting.  After some time, we boarded the plane for Winnipeg.

I considered myself lucky to have a window seat on the Winnipeg flight because I got to take many pictures of the city from the sky.  I photographed several cloverleaf interchanges, suburbs, Red River, downtown Winnipeg, farmland, and the airport in the distance.  Cloverleaf interchanges are always impressive from the sky.  One day I need to drive to one and then drive across all four circular loops.  I should end up driving in the same direction if done properly.  From the air, Winnipeg is really spread out because it’s located on the Prairies, a very large area of flat land.

The cadets & I met an officer in the Arrivals Area.  The officer took a group photo of us in front of a large YWG sign.  (It’s the airport code).  We collected our luggage and proceeded to leave the terminal.  On the way I spotted a large banner covered in sunflowers and a sign that said, “Welcome to Manitoba,” in Ukrainian.  Winnipeg has been welcoming Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war.  The officer took my picture.  We loaded our luggage & gear into the military van and were driven to 17 Wing at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Winnipeg.

We were taken to large building where the competition would take place.  It’s a very large gym.  The air rifle range was already set up and there were military officers checking the equipment.  The cadets spent some time working with a punching bag and doing chin-ups.  I managed to do some chin-ups after much coaxing.  The cadets brought the air rifles inside and placed them in a secured area.  All air rifles would be stored in the building because we’re not allowed to keep them in accommodations. 

I was given the keys to the military van because I hold a standard military drivers license.  I drove my cadets to accommodations where they dropped off their luggage and then we proceeded to the mess hall for dinner.

I drove the cadets to CF Polo Mark Mall so they could shop for an hour or two.  The place hasn’t changed much since the last time I was here.  There were a few new stores and restaurants.  One restaurant I was surprised to see was Taste of Ukraine.  I didn’t buy a meal because I was already full.

I photographed several deer grazing on the military base after we returned from CF Polo Park.  They looked at me with curious faces as I photographed them from a distance.  I instructed my cadets to not stay up late and be ready for an early wakeup the following morning.  Tomorrow was going to be a very busy day.                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                   To Be Continued . . . 

Spring Thaw 2024 – Part 2

Reveille (Wake up) was at 7am for cadets but adult staff had to be up & ready by 6:45am.  I was up and about at 6:15am.  Time appreciation.  The dress for the weekend was field training uniforms (FTUs), also known as combats in the military.  Senior cadets went from barracks to barracks informing junior cadets that it was time to wake up, get dressed, and be ready for breakfast.

Breakfast was at 8am and catered by a local Subway.  The officers served breakfast to many hungry cadets.  The menu consisted of muffins, fruit, breakfast sandwiches, and granola bars.  Beverage selections were water, juice, hot chocolate, and tea.  Officers had the additional option of coffee.  Breakfast lasted an hour.

The round robin of activities began after cadets were divided into groups and officers had set up their activity stations.  Each group was composed of cadets from all corps.  I was assigned a section of the Mess Hall to run my list of games.  My activity station was called Minute-To-Win-It.  Cadets had a minute to complete a task/game.  The organizers had prepared a box of supplies and written instructions. 

Cadets engaged in four games.  The first one involved paper cups filled with water.  You had a minute to look under the cups and find the ones that had black dots underneath.  The challenge was not to spill water.  The second game involved standing at one end of a table and throwing ping pong balls into a metal bowl at the other end.  Cadets were allowed to bounce the balls.  The third game also included paper cups but this time they were assembled in a pyramid, and you had to knock down as many as you could using rubber bands.  The fourth game had cadets carefully moving metallic nuts from one wooden peg to another but only using chop sticks.  Winter mitts were later added to increase difficulty.

Even though the name of my station implied competition, it wasn’t strictly enforced.  The point was to have fun.  Plus, I wasn’t given prizes to hand out.

In the other section of the Mess Hall, cadets played a collection of three games.  They involved book balancing, coin table hockey, and reeling in rubber chickens attached to fishing lines.

The remaining activity stations were spread out across the camp, in other buildings and outside on the parade square.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t observe these activities because I was running one.

Lunch was provided by a different caterer.  The main course was hamburgers, but there were still leftover Subway sandwiches if anybody wanted them.  Officers still acted as servers.

The round robin of activities continued all afternoon.

One of the main highlights of Saturday was the evening trip to WalMart after dinner.  Going to WalMart for many Nunavut cadets is a big deal because the store has a lot more products on sale.  There’s more choice.  There are stores in Nunavut communities but they’re much smaller and don’t offer as many products.  I suppose the closest you could get to a WalMart in Nunavut would be the NorthMart stores in Iqaluit & Rankin Inlet. 

Cadets excitedly boarded school buses and were driven to WalMart in Whitehorse.  They were given one hour to shop.  Some cadets bought a lot of stuff to bring home.  It’s most likely their families gave them shopping lists.  I only bought a few items.

The second day of Spring Thaw, Sunday, was pretty much a repeat of the first day.  I managed the Minute-To-Win-It station and the cadets had a good time.  Lego pieces were added to the mix of activities.  Cadets had a minute to place as many Lego pieces as possible into plastic cups using chop sticks.  The food was still good with plenty of choices.  Lunch offered hotdogs, spaghetti, stew, and vegetables.  Dinner had chicken, garlic bread, and Caesar salad.  The organizers picked good caterers.

The last day of Spring Thaw 2024, Monday, began in the very early morning.  Cadets & officers from the four Nunavut corps needed to be ready to leave the camp at 8:30am so there wasn’t much time.  The remaining corps from Yukon & Northwest Territories would stay until the afternoon.

The breakfast menu offered muffins, fruit salads, granola, yogurt, and juice boxes.  Once breakfast was done, cadets were instructed to pack their suitcases, remove all garbage from the barracks, sweep the barracks, and return their bedding for cleaning.  Officers were instructed to do the same.  Military personnel & cadets follow the principles of No Trace Camping.  Make it look like you were never there.  Cadets also assisted officers in cleaning the Mess Hall.

All cadets were formed up outside for a final debriefing by the major-in-charge.  She thanked everyone for attending and making Spring Thaw 2024 a success.  She hoped a similar event would be held next year.  We all felt the same.

The coach buses arrived on time to take us to the airport.  We loaded our luggage and boarded our assigned bus.  The buses dropped us off at the Whitehorse Airport about 20 minutes later.  My cadets & I checked in and then proceeded to our gate.  We boarded the same Summit Air charter plane that brought us to Whitehorse on Friday.  We left Whitehorse at around 10:30am.

Cambridge Bay Airport Terminal.

The plane landed in Cambridge Bay to refuel.  This was our first time in Cambridge Bay.  We disembarked and waited inside the terminal.  I passed the time taking pictures of portraits and art pieces inside the terminal.  My cadets bought snacks at a canteen.  Interestingly, another Summit Air charter plane landed carrying cadets from Cambridge Bay & Naujaat.  The Cambridge Bay cadets were home, but the Naujaat cadets had to wait inside the terminal like us because their plane needed to be refueled.  They boarded both charters at the same time.  I made sure my cadets boarded the correct plane.

Graveyard Point (left corner of the mountain).

We landed in Arctic Bay at 5:30pm.  The plane approached the runway from the north. I was able to take pictures of Graveyard Point, Victor Bay, and Arctic Bay before the plane touched down on the runway.  Frank gave me a ride into town.  It felt great to be home.

   End of Spring Thaw 2024 Miniseries.

Spring Thaw 2024 – Part 1

Friday, March 22 began with excitement for the cadets of 3045 Army Cadet Corps.  There were heading to Whitehorse, Yukon, to participate in a weekend activity called Spring Thaw 2024.  Cadets & staff from other cadet corps in the territories would also be attending.  Additionally, I was granted leave from my civilian employer to attend. 

Whitehorse Cadet Training Centre (CTC), also known as Boyle Barracks, named after the late Colonel John Boyle, was chosen as the site of Spring Thaw. 

Everyone in the Northwest Region was glad Spring Thaw was granted the necessary budget & resources to be organized.  I think the last time territorial cadet corps came together was before the COVID-19 pandemic.  The objectives of Spring Thaw 2024 were: bring cadets & staff across the North together for a weekend activity; have everyone participate in variety of indoor & outdoor activities & sports; and promote the goals of the cadet program.

Cadet corps in the Canadian territories can’t come together often to do activities & trips because of isolation, vast distances apart, the high cost of air travel, and lack of roads.  Yukon & the Northwest Territories have highways that connect to the national road network, but Nunavut does not.  Air travel is the main way to get around, and the airlines charge an “arm & a leg” because they hold monopolies.  A huge chunk of money is set aside by the Department of National Defence to transport northern cadets to activities & events all over Canada and beyond.  This must continue so that northern youth have the same opportunities and experiences as southern youth.

The organizers booked a charter plane to pick us up and fly us to Whitehorse.  My cadets & I arrived at the airport at 11:15am.  The Summit charter plane arrived at noon.  The passengers onboard were instructed to disembark and wait inside the terminal while the plane was refueled.  The passengers were cadets & staff from Naujaat.  Introductions and discussions filled the terminal.  A Summit employee manually checked in the Arctic Bay cadets & officer (me).  Finally, we were given permission to board the plane.  Everyone found their seats and the charter took off into the Arctic sky, bound for Whitehorse.

I was surprised the flight was direct.  I thought we would stop somewhere along the way to pick up more cadets, but that wasn’t the case.  The flight was long, but we made it without delay.  The pilots parked the plane on the tarmac near the airport’s fire department building.  We disembarked onto the tarmac and were escorted towards a parking lot on the other side of the security fence.  Our luggage was delivered several minutes later. 

A large black Chrono Aviation plane landed and parked in the same spot the Summit plane used to be.  Many cadets & officers disembarked and made there way to where we were standing.  They had come from the larger communities like Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet, and Yellowknife, because their airports can accommodate jet planes.  A lot of greetings & introductions were made before everyone was instructed to make their way to the main airport terminal to catch the buses.  Everyone carried/pulled their luggage. 

The buses were coach buses.  I thought it would be school buses.  The organizers spared not expense.  We boarded our assigned buses and were driven to Whitehorse CTC.

We removed our luggage from the bus after it arrived at the camp.  I think the last time I was here was in 2019.  One of the administration officers introduced themselves and instructed my cadets to line up inside the Headquarters (HQ) Building for registration.  The major-in-charge greeted each cadet, checked their name on a list, asked them a few questions, and then assigned them accommodations.  She then assigned me a bedroom in the HQ.  All out-of-town adult staff were assigned bedrooms in HQ.  My cadets collected their belongings and proceeded to their assigned barracks.  Male & female cadets sleep in separate barracks.  All participating cadets went through registration and barracks assignment. 

Cadets set up the mess hall with tables and chairs for dinner.  The major-in-charge held a welcome briefing in the mess hall before the food arrived.  Adult staff & senior cadets would receive their schedules and assignments for the weekend after dinner.  Dinner was catered by Domino’s Pizza.  There were a lot of toppings to choose along with a variety of drinks, including pop and Gatorade.  I think everyone enjoyed dinner because there were a lot of empty pizza boxes when it was over.

Cadets enjoyed free time until it was time for lights out.  While that was happening, officers & civilian staff had a meeting with the major.  A round robin of various sports & activities had been organized and cadets would be divided into groups after breakfast the following morning.  We were each assigned a station and would run it for the duration of the weekend.  Senior cadets would assist us.  (More on this in the next post).  The major told us where we would find our supplies.  Despite being a little nervous, I was confident I would run my station without issue.    

                                                                To Be Continued . . .