Next week is the annual Army Sports Control Board Army Sports Awards. The Sports Awards celebrate sporting excellence and sporting achievements made by serving members across the army. This year the RLC has three people nominated for key sporting achievements.
Private Kyle Morrison of 27 Regiment RLC has been nominated for Sportsman of the Year for his achievements in boxing. Private Fern Davies of 9 Regiment RLC has been nominated for Rising Star of the Year, because of her netball performances. And last but definitely not least Colonel Adrian Thurgood, Defence College of Logistics, Policing and Administration has been nominated for Official of the Year, because of his work in Nordic Skiing.
Corps Regimental Sergeant Major Andy Meek said “It’s fantastic to see the sporting achievements of those in the Corps being celebrated. Sports is something which is really important to the RLC, it encourages team work and camaraderie, and teaches people self-discipline through the rigorous training regimes they have to motivate themselves to pursue in their downtime.â€
Pte Kyle Morrison of 27 Regiment RLC has had an impressive 12 months of sporting success; competing for the Army, Combined Services and Wales, he has also now been recognised as one of the top Welsh fighters in the country.
Pte Morrison entered the Senior Male Welsh Championships as the number two seed; where he out-boxed all of his opponents, winning every bout unanimously. This ultimately led to his selection for the Welsh Boxing Team, and the opportunity to compete in a variety of international tournaments. Of note were his performances at the Belgrade Winners Cup (Serbia), Boxam Cup (Spain) and the Senior Elite British Championships (Sheffield) where his performance, attitude and determination resulted in two Bronze medals for his performance in Serbia and Sheffield, and the gaining of an immense amount of experience during the competition in Spain.
Private Morrison’s latest achievement of 2015 was the presentation of his Army Colours and being awarded the prestigious Hemming Belt as RLC Boxer of the Year.
Pte Fern Davies of 9 Regiment RLC is an incredibly enthusiastic young soldier whose flair and passion for netball is immediately evident. After passing out of Phase 2 training as Logistic Specialist (Supplier) she instantly committed herself to the RLC Netball Squad training season.
At the Army Inter-Unit Championships she earned the title of ‘Player of the Tournament’ and she was awarded the Young Player of the Tournament title at the Inter-Corps Championships. Most recently she successfully represented the Army at the Inter-Service Championships, where she was awarded the accolade of Inter-Services Player of the Tournament (voted on by independent selectors), selected for the Combined Services Team and again due to her great personality, likeability and skill, was awarded Open Player of the Tournament by her squad. Pte Davies is also pursuing a successful civilian netball career. She is currently on the Welsh U21 squad, and has played for both the Welsh Open and the Celtic Dragons Super League teams. She is doing all this whilst successfully learning her trade.
Col Adrian Thurgood of DCLPA has for the past 5 years, and in addition to the significant responsibilities and commitments of unit command and 2 demanding staff appointments, held the crucial appointment of Vice Chairman Army Nordic. The appointment also encompasses Combined Services responsibilities and Director of Ex RUCKSACK: the Army, Inter Services and British National Nordic Ski Championships held annually in Ruhpolding, Bavaria.
In 2010, Colonel Thurgood reinvigorated the British Army Nordic Ski Committee (BANSC) to take responsibility for the oversight and conduct of the sport, engaged the Army chain of command in all aspects of its delivery and reinforced the sport’s status as individual military training.
By 2014, and just as combat operations in Afghanistan were drawing to a close and demand to compete in Nordic events was increasing, Colonel Thurgood had set the conditions for long term success. His active engagement in supporting 2 x Army athletes (LBdr Jackson RA and Cpl Amanda Lightfoot AGC) to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi is another example of his ‘over and above’ contribution to the sport. Every season he has led the team of volunteer officials that delivers Ex RUCKSACK against a backdrop of resource pressure, increased scrutiny and contractual negotiation. He has gone to great lengths to nurture and develop his junior officials and places great emphasis upon encouraging athletes to transition from competitor to official for the greater good of the sport.
The Corps wishes all three the best of luck at next week’s Award Ceremony! And we look forward to hearing more about their sporting achievements in the future.
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