Don't let go - it's cold and wet down there...
While on training camp the junior athletes and Dan Cooper (Lea RC Coach) were lucky enough to be invited to the Royal Marine’s Training base in Lympstone.
We arrived at the base not quite knowing what to expect and after passing many guards with assault rifles (and having the van checked for bombs) were escorted to their “Visibility Unit”. Here we were each issued a pair of boots, a commando rugby jersey and a camouflage jacket and trousers and asked to fall into three ranks. This was a problem, since most of the juniors had no idea what a ‘rank’ was….
assault course
The day started with a practical demonstration of the basic field assault course, with ropes to slide across, walls to jump over, monkey bars to cross and tunnels to crawl through. After this there was a lecture about what the Royal Marines actually do and a question and answer session. After a shy few moments eventually a barrage of questions were asked, some more constructive then others. After lunch we were able to few the marines practice for an unarmed combat demonstration, which was being shown at a local rugby match the following week. The demonstration was really designed for a stadium but was still very impressive close up. It was a great experience for the athletes and all were very impressed with the discipline and the physical ability of the Royal Marines.