Article written by 2Lt Rayan Ezedin (2 Platoon Commander – Alpha Coy)
Westmount, QC – 22 September 2015: On the 12th and 13th of September 2015 the RMR conducted the ARV weekend where members are to sign their yearly PDRs (Performance Development Review), participate in mandated training which consisted of a series of lectures that included topics ranging from Harassment to Ethics, to name a few, as they pertain to the CAF, sort out personal administration, and introduce the newly qualified privates to their respective platoons.
On the first day of the weekend a regimental parade was held after lunch. It was the first time in the training year in which the companies and their platoons within the unit were on parade along with their new leadership. Thanks to the diligent efforts of the recruiting cell, a regimental milestone was reached as there were more than 120 RMR members in uniform on the parade square that day. These numbers have not been seen in recent memory.
The parade was followed by Alpha Company PT. Since many members in A Coy did not have PT gear with them, a PT plan to be conducted in combats was hastily formulated on the parade square. The plan was to use materials and objects found within the unit in order to create an obstacle course that would involve all three platoons of A Coy in a competition. The obstacle course included tables to leopard crawl under, tables to jump over, medicine balls to balance on, and tuck-and-rolls. The obstacle course was concluded by a 2 x jerry can shuttle run. Each jerry can was filled with 20 litres of water, therefore, each soldier was required to run while carrying a load of 40 kilograms between both hands.
This was the most difficult task of the obstacle course requiring the most time and effort and proved to be the deciding factor of which platoon would win. Once the soldier completed the jerry can shuttle, he or she would tag the next one in the line-up. Three identical obstacle courses were created on the parade square with 1, 2, and 3 Pl of A Coy behind their respective start lines in order to create a company competition. In order to maintain fairness, the platoon with the highest number of members present that day dictated how many laps were to be completed, which was 26. The platoons with less than 26 members had to supplement it with some troops completing extra laps. 3 Pl had the greatest challenge as they are in fact a recce section and with the least number of troops. With supplements from the Coy HQ they were able to produce 14 participants.
Therefore, almost every participant had to complete two gruelling laps. A tally was kept on how many laps each platoon completed and throughout the race, the score remained extremely tight. At no point did any of the platoons have a decisive gain. However, against all odds, 3 Pl, with only half the members of the other two platoons had won the company competition. 1 Pl earned second place and 2 Pl came in last. In addition to winning the respect amongst the company, the prize for winning the race was a best two out of three tug-of-war competition with the runner up platoon. 1 Pl was able to assemble their 14 strongest soldiers in order to match the numbers of 3 Pl. 3 Pl won the first round. 1 Pl was able to bring in fresh soldiers for the second round but was no match. 3 Pl proved to be the fittest of the company that day. All in all the obstacle course PT proved to be a great success. It was competitive, energetic, and produced a great feeling of esprit de corp amongst the soldiers.
The day was closed by a ‘Smoker’, which is a regimental BBQ of delicious hamburgers, hot dogs, and refreshments. All ranks enjoyed the chance to eat together in an informal setting. The PT and Smoker was a great opportunity for the newly trained soldiers of B Coy to be introduced to their new company as well as for the leadership to bond with the troops.
