The weekend of the 28th-30th of June saw Air Cadets from across the Oxfordshire area come together to take part in Exercise Tri-Hard, the Oxfordshire Cadet Challenge. Working with cadets from the Sea, Army and Combined Cadet Force, they took part in a range of exciting and challenging activities. The aim of the weekend was to work together in teams to win the Challenge.
Throughout the weekend the cadets took part in water-based activities like kayaking and power boating with the Sea Cadet Corps, the Army Cadet Force provided first aid scenarios to test the cadets and the Air Training Corps challenged the groups to find a downed pilot by completing a number of different leadership exercises.
Saturday‘s events were focussed around the cadets working together to succeed. The aim of the weekend was to promote closer working between the cadet forces, as well as provide a better understanding of what each organisation does. The cadets were faced throughout the day with having to deal with a simulated first aid incident, decoding and transmitting information and working as a co-ordinated team.
After a sunny but very enjoyable day the cadets pitted their wits against each other in a joint services quiz. The winning team would be the one with the most knowledge of all four cadet forces.
Sunday started early and after breakfast it was time to head out for the navigation exercise, assault course and marksmanship challenge. Each group had to navigate a route within a specific time period before selecting cadets from the ATC or ACF to complete a target shoot. Finally, the team moved on to complete the assault course together.
By this stage of the competition there were some great examples of teamwork amongst the groups, yet it was still very hard to pick a clear winner for the weekend. After a fantastic BBQ lunch it was time for the final parade and prize-giving. Every cadet who attended the weekend was presented with a medal; however there could be only one winner. After calculating performance over all the events, Team 1, featuring Cpl Ella Wilkinson of 2121 (Abingdon) Squadron came out as the winners. The winning team were presented with a mag-lite torch and flask by the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire as a prize for showing great team working ability.
Speaking with cadets from all four of the cadet forces, the Challenge was a fantastic event and one that hopefully will be run again next year. Keep an eye out on your local Squadron or unit for more information around next year’s event. More images and information about the cadet forces in Oxfordshire can be found at http://www.oxfordshirecadetchallenge.com
