The Royal Military College of Canada places second at Sandhurst Military Skills Competition

Congratulations to the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC)! With 64 teams from 14 different countries, our very own RMC placed second at the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition held at the United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, N.Y., April 13-14, 2018.

“The remarkable young officer cadets representing RMC put in months of demanding training, supported by our dedicated staff. They should be proud of their commitment and perseverance as a team, and I congratulate them on placing second of 64 teams, and first internationally of 14 nations,” Brigadier-General Sébastien Bouchard, Commandant, Royal Military College of Canada said in a press release issued April 16.

Interview by Ken Kraetzer, Sons of the American Legion Radio Youtube page

On top of placing second in the entire competition, RMC also attained the gold standard, which is the highest level of recognition within the tournament. The RMC team was led by OCdt Adam Welsh with second in command, NCdt Gavin Omand and the entire team trained all year. 

The Sandhurst competition started back in 1967, and military academies from around the world are invited to participate. Every team consists of nine officer cadets (plus two alternates that run the entire competition with their team), working together to conquer the various obstacles encountered during the course of the competition.

The skills competition includes such obstacles as; about 43 kilometres of navigation through rough terrain, weapon handling, rifle marksmanship, combat swim in full gear, trauma care/first aid, problem-solving and leadership challenges.

RMC won for the first time in 2005, then again in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2016. 

Last year, they placed ninth.

Feature photo courtesy of Photo taken OCdt Perigo.