FEATURES
KICKING OFF in I
Donna Richardson reports Camp Bastion Judo Club has opened its doors.
n the dusty environment of Afghanistan it is the first known official British Judo Club to be formed in an operational theatre
and is open to serving personnel, civilians and coalition forces.
Judo was first introduced at Camp Bastion by Tony Higgins from Wales Deeside Judo Club, who coached a class focusing on groundwork. This ended when Tony’s tour finished. The new club, founded by Sqn Ldr Samantha Smithson, is very much a beginners class aimed at introducing judo for all.
Sam is serving as a Personnel Officer on the base and in her role is frequently dealing with the media who visit Afghanistan but she is also Chair of RAF Judo for the British Judo Association.
Sqn Ldr Smithson said: “Judo gives service personnel something to keep their minds active while away from their friends and families.”
“We have over 4,000 British service personnel in Afghanistan at the moment and the idea was to give some the opportunity to try a new sport, one that could be linked to core military skills and also to maintain their fighting fitness. The challenges will be getting people away from their busy schedules to attend the club.”
While on active duty for six months at Camp Bastion, the former GB international player
decided that establishing a club was the best way to introduce the sport to other Service personnel.
While Sam will return to the UK in May, it is her intention to hand the mantle over to another qualified coach, Cpl Charles ‘Chappy’ Chapman who runs the Larkhill Judo Club back home. On Cpl Chapman’s watch the club will continue.
The first session attracted RAF and British Army personnel and also those from the Estonian Army. A UK MoD civilian media adviser also joined in.
Two of the club members are women serving in the British Army, one of them a reservist looking to grade in the couple of weeks up to 6th Kyu. Other personnel are also hoping to achieve, with seven hoping to have attained 5th Kyu before the end of Sam’s tour in May.
Lance Corporal Man Yiu Wong who works as an Air Transport Liaison Officer at Camp Bastion’s airhead said: “I always look for opportunities to try out new sports and luckily judo is not totally alien to me as I met and practised with other judokas through the style of Jiu-Jitsu that I practise.
“It was always in my mind to hone my judo techniques and when the opportunity to do that at Camp Bastion presented itself it was a no-brainer. I am
Bastion
really enjoying the training and gaining a lot from it. Having been told there are opportunities to represent the Army in Tri-Service competitions and even the possibility to travel to foreign countries and competing with other nations it has certainly given me a lot of incentives to carry on with judo when I finish my operational tour!”
Warrant Officer Nev Smith who is a RAF Physical Training Instructor added: “I thought I would give judo a go because learning a martial art is something I have always wanted to do. As you can imagine it’s a tough sport but very rewarding and having the chance to learn whilst in Afghanistan has been excellent. It is yet
14
Envoy Spring 2014
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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