Rugby Royal Marines Cadets

Two Cadets from Rugby and Two Cadets from Redditch Sea Cadet Units made up the Warwickshire District Sea Cadet Team for the Inter-Service Cadet Rifle Meeting held at Bisley in Surrey this weekend. Lance Corporal Ryan Bott and Marine Cadet 2nd Class Ted Spiby represented the district with the two Redditch cadets, gaining 7th place out of 18 Sea Cadet Team. This is the highest position the Warwickshire District Team has gained in the Watts Bowl Competition, shot at 600 metres. The competition saw 125 cadet teams take part from the Sea Cadets, Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps, with teams from Canda also competing. Sergeant (SCC) Alison Scholes coached the Warwickshire Team during the 6 month selection process, which picked four, 4 person teams from the South West Area of the Sea Cadets.

Way back in May 2008 I put up a post about the Expedition Training Team taking 2nd Place at the Warwickshire District Expedition Challenge held at Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. Well, as you will remember the team from Rugby Sea Cadets came 2nd to Sutton Coldfield Sea Cadet team, but were selected to represent the Warwickshire District at the Area Expedition Challenge, held last weekend.  Teams from the South West Area of England and Wales entered teams of six cadets to compete in various expedition disciplines over the weekend. At the end of a very long and tiring weekend the team from Rugby finished 3rd, which is very commendable.  Well done to the team, which consisted of: Petty Officer Cadet Alice Spiby, Ordinary Cadet Danielle Parker, Cadet Sarah Parsons, Ordinary Cadet Declan McKenna, Marine Cadet 2nd Class Jakk Cope and Cadet Elizabeth Barnes.

On the 4th September I wrote about Marine Cadet 2nd Class Jakk Cope and Cadet Sarah Parsons and how they would represent the South West Area Sea Cadets at the National Combined Regatta 2008, taking part in the Yole, a two person sculling boat.  The pair from Rugby Sea Cadets have done the South West Area Sea Cadets proud by emerging from the competition in 2nd place, against teams from Northern, Eastern, Southern, London and the North West Area Sea Cadets.  Cadets from literally all over the United Kingdom have competed this weekend for various accolades in kayaking, sail, power and pulling boat handling, pulling racing and of course the Yole that Jakk and Sarah won the Silver Medal in.  Jakk and Sarah’s Silver medals helped in securing an overall victory for the South West Area Sea Cadets in the whole Regatta.

Jakk commented on their performance by saying “We competed in a number of races this weekend against the other teams, to decide who would be the winner.  The team from Southern Area Sea Cadets just pipped us to the post, and I’m gutted we didn’t come first, but a Silver Medal is still a great achievement, considering there are around 400 Sea Cadet units in the Country.”

Jakk and Sarah are both looking forward to competing at District level again next June where they will compete against cadet units locally, with the hope of getting through to the National Competition again.

Pictured: MC2 Jakk Cope, Commander N. Hinch RN (South West Area Officer) and CDT Sarah Parsons

Marine Cadet 2nd Class Jakk Cope and Cadet Sarah Parsons will travel down to London, Victoria Docks this weekend to compete in the National Combined Regatta, against cadets from all over the UK.  Jakk and Sarah earned the right to represent the South West Area having beaten off competition at the Area Combined Regatta in July, down in Bristol.  They will be competing against 5 other teams in the Yole competition.  The Yole is a small 2 person sculling boat, fairly new to the Sea Cadet Corps.  As well as the yole, cadets from all over the South West of England and Wales will be competing in Kayaking, Sail, Pulling and Power Boat Handling and the ever popular Pulling Races.  Everyone wishes Jakk, Sarah and the rest of the South West Area the best of luck.

The Yole

Tomorrow, seven cadets from Rugby Sea Cadet Unit will travel down to Bristol to represent Warwickshire District in the South West Area Combined Regatta 2008.  Having successfully beaten five others teams at the Warwickshire District Combined Regatta the Sail Boat Handling Team will compete against teams from Avon, Mercia, West Wales, Cornwall, Devon, South Wales, Severn and Somerset & Dorset.  The team comprising of Petty Officer Cadet Alice Spiby (Team Captain), Leading Cadet Amy Suddens, Ordinary Cadets Danielle Parker, Matthew Moseley and Henry Spiby have been training hard for the competition and everyone wishes them luck!

Warwickshire District will also be represented by another two Rugby Cadets. Cadet Sarah Parsons and Marine Cadet 2nd Class Jakk Cope in the Yole, a two person sculling boat.  Having originally finished 3rd in the Warwickshire District Regatta, Sarah and Jakk were asked to represent the District and compete against cadets from all over the South West of England, including Wales.

Rugby SCC ET Team

Six cadets, led by Leading Cadet Alice Spiby competed at the Warwickshire District Expedition Training Challenge 2008, held in Cannock from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th May.  The challenge tested the team’s ability to navigate and work together in a series of stances to include First Aid, Lightening Strike and a Micro Navigational Exercise.  The team consisting of Leading Cadet Alice Spiby, Ordinary Cadet Danielle Parker, Cadet Sarah Parsons, Cadet Maddie Biddell, Ordinary Cadet Declan McKenna and Marine Cadet 2nd Class Jakk Cope, came 2nd to the team from Sutton Coldfield SCC. Our team, will go through to represent Warwickshire District at the South West Area Expedition Challenge in September 2008.