Force Skills Competition - Sinai
By PTE Dan Uncles
The Kiwi team
During 6 - 8 October 2008, a team of five Kiwis, with two reserves and a team manager, participated in the Force Skills Competition, Sinai. The Multi-national Force and Observers conduct this competition annually to provide a competitive venue for contingent-based, military skill teams and individuals. This competition allows all contingents to compete against each other in skills relevant to the MFO mission, as well as the profession of arms, and also acts as a significant Force training activity.The team consisted of PTE Pickering, PTE Uncles, PTE Harris, PTE Constable, and LCPL Thorn, as Section Commander. The team had a lot to live up to given our history and reputation in this competition. However, we were all drivers, as has always been the tradition. The competition was made up of five stations. Recognition, Medical, Rules for Use of Force and, finally, the Obstacle Course and a three km run, followed by a range shoot. Not only having to battle the physical and mental challenge that we’re all quite used to, we also had to battle the scalding temperatures of the desert, which was the most demanding aspect of the competition. The lead-up to the competition was, of course, the longest and hardest of all. Over a period of 5 - 6 weeks, we found ourselves conducting a minimum of an hour or two training each afternoon, after getting home from a long day on the road. The last week before the force skills, we were training all day for five days, which gave us two days off for rest.
The teams’ competition was held on 6 October which gave most of us one days rest before the individual competition on 8 October. The individual competition consisted of the Obstacle Course followed, directly after, by the three km run – all with no break. It might sound easy but, with the heat, it was very demanding. There were 14 teams competing in the teams’ competition – Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, Italy, Canada and Hungary (minor units), Colombia (x 2), Fiji (x 2), and USA (x 4 major units). There were about 60 individuals divided into separate age groups/categories for the individual competition – women’s under 30, women’s over 30, men’s under 30, men’s 30 - 40 and men’s 40+. Individual competitors were, WO2 Grace, PTE Harris, PTE Pickering, PTE Uncles, PTE Constable and PTE Lavin. At the end of the competition we were all eager to find out how we did, and couldn’t wait to hear the results. Then they announced, ‘Force skills 2008 competition 2nd place overall goes to New Zealand’! – not quite what we were looking for but good enough. Just knowing that we had beaten 12 other teams, including three Infantry Battalions from the USA, and Colombia and Fiji (which have 420 people to choose from compared to our 26), gave us plenty of bragging rights, we thought. Incidentally, the Australian team consisted of a Captain and five Sergeants. The individual competition was just as exciting, with the following placements:
- PTE Pickering (10 TPT Coy) took out the women’s under 30’s event, placed 1st over-all in the women’s competition, and was awarded the Force Sergeant Majors’ Sportsmanship Award
- PTE Harris (3 District Coy) was awarded 3rd place in the men’s under 30’s competition
- PTE Uncles (10 TPT Coy) was placed 2nd in the men’s under 30’s and 3rd over-all in the men’s competition, (just missing out on first place by 30 sec to a Colombian Commando).
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the event was a great success.