the Infantry Teams entered. Unfortunately, the weather played havoc with the final days’ racing, and the Downhill results were taken from a training run, with a Slalom being run in place for seeding points for those competitors going on to race at the Divs. 1 MERCIAN had suddenly found itself 5th out of the Infantry teams, and 8th overall, with Capt Thompson finishing 2nd overall in the Novice Category, and in a fantastic result, Lt Payne finishing 17th overall (in only his first season of racing).
I strongly recommend Ex FROSTED BLADE to the other Battalions, and believe that with the currently operational tempo, it could be an event sponsored by one of the Battalions each year, with the other three contributing a handful of competitors. Looking at the Duke of Lancasters’ and The Yorkshire Regiments in particular, it has taken them considerable time to build up their skiing experience, and with the 3rd Battalion moving to Germany, the Mercian Regiment will be well placed to feature strongly in future competitions.
1 MERCIAN Rugby Club Maj Chris Wood, OIC Rugby
1 Mercian Rugby Club has had a far more successful season than was first envisaged back in September when we had our first training match against 5th Regiment Royal Artillery. Unfortunately, there is not a great deal to write as our success has been spread over 5 matches shoe horned into the inevitably busy Battalion schedule.
We have played 2 friendly matches within Catterick Garrison; the first against 5th Regiment RA as already mentioned which we won and the second, against ITC Catterick, which we lost. Our greatest success came in the Army Community Cup. We reached the quarter final against Tps Hereford before the Battalion commitment to the
Falkland Islands Roulement Infantry Company (FIRIC) meant we were unable to raise a team.
It is likely that the impact of the FIRIC tour and future commitments such as Ex GRAND PRIX will mean we will not compete at the 15 a-side game until late 2010. We will, however, continue the Battalion’s affiliation with the Caldy Seven’s this year and also look to enter a rugby league side into the local summer league. Hopefully, this will keep us sufficiently match fit and continue to encourage a flow of new players into the team in preparation for our next run at the Army Community Cup.
Basic Freefall Parachute Course
LCpl Karl Rixham, Recce Pl, 1 MERCIAN
Since I have always been interested in adrenaline sports and Skydiving in particular, I took the chance to complete the Basic Freefall Parachuting Course at Netheravon. When I arrived I was extremely excited knowing that I would soon be jumping out of an aeroplane, as long as the weather was ok.
The first two days we conducted ground training, including demonstrations and practice sessions of the drills we would use. I knew this was very important so paying attention wasn’t a problem and the instructors are very professional.
From the start of the third day we were told the jumps were on and we got straight into it. We also learnt the procedure for packing the parachute itself, as it is essential to know the state of it and that it has been packed correctly. A few people were concerned because they
24 October 2009
might not have packed it correctly and the chances were that they would only find their error a few thousand feet above ground!
From feeling the plane taking off, my nerves were shaking with excitement and I could hear others talk about how exciting it was and but also how scared they were. Once we had reached 3500 ft the doors opened and I felt the air gust across my face, making the adrenaline rush even greater. I then had to position myself ready to jump using the drills taught during the ground phase. Feeling very scared and excited, it was an experience I will never forget.
Going on the course was the best experience I have ever had, and I would encourage others to do the same. I’m definitely going to look for ways to do it again, either through the military or a civilian club. I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience it.
The Mercian Eagle
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