Paige LeClairThe Royal Military College successfully completed this year’s Sandhurst Military Skills Competition on April 13.
The international competition was held at the United States Army Military Academy (USMA) in West Point and tests military skills, endurance, and teamwork of 49 teams of cadets across the world.
This year, RMC placed 8th out of 50 teams and was the only Canadian team entered, competing against teams from 14 countries including Japan, Chile, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany.
“This is a testament to the quality of our combat training and reflects the excellence of the young Canadians selected to attend RMC,” said Brigadier-General Sébastien Bouchard, RMC Commandant. “Their effort, sacrifice, and perseverance have been rewarded. Their accomplishment, a top-10 finish against teams from around the world, is one in which all Canadians can take pride.”
During the two-day competition, the teams were required to demonstrate their skills in weapons handling, swimming, first aid among other tasks all while covering 43 kilometers of terrain.
The team from RMC had been training since October with a rigorous week-long selection process to choose the 11-person team. They trained throughout the week and also completed weekend sessions to develop shooting techniques and working on teamwork, team spirit, and rucking ability.
The Sandhurst Military Skills Competition has been an annual event for over 50 years.
RMC has successfully won the competition in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2016.
