Cadets Participate in International Women’s Day In Ottawa
Article by 25840 OCdt (III) Tucker Densmore
Wednesday March 7th was international Women’s day. In Ottawa, a special luncheon was held to celebrate Women in Defence, and recognize outstanding individuals in the field. RMC cadets were invited to support RMC’s own outstanding winner S/LT Mary Louise Dahl, who is one of this year’s WiDS Memorial Scholarship Recipients. She is a Logistics Officer in the reserves with HMCS CATARAQUI and is pursuing a Masters Degree at RMC. At the event was a vast cross section of the defence sector, from CF personnel and defence contractors. It was a great opportunity for RMC to show its support for women in defence, along with the Chief of Air Staff, LGen Deschamps. The cadets who attended the event were great ambassadors for RMC, and had an opportunity mingle with this year’s winners, and luncheon guests. The cadets who attended were 25514 OCdt (IV) Alexandre Labelle, 25892 NCdt (III) Meghan Thompson, 25856 OCdt (III) Cody Hansen, 25743 OCdt (III) Stacey Cusan, 26507 OCdt (I) Graham Austin, 25596 OCdt (III) Alida Stockermans, 25840 OCdt (III) Tucker Densmore, and 25981 OCdt (II) Megan Couto.
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II Years March Through the Arch
Article by 25366 NCdt (IV) Mike Shewfelt
On a rainy Wednesday morning, 30 Second Year cadets, new this year to RMC from RMC Saint-Jean, marched through the Memorial Arch. This event, which normally signifies the arrival of a class at the College (and the start of FYOP), was unique for these cadets. They joined the Second Year class a year after its march through the Arch, and arrived at RMCC too late to march through the Arch with the First Year class in the fall. They made up for that this past Wednesday. The 30 cadets marched through the Arch as BGen Eric Tremblay, Commandant, took the salute. They then marched down Valour Drive to the salutes of their fellow Cadets, who lined the route, before arriving at the Parade Square. There, DCWC 25314 NCdt (IV) Jacqueline Forbes, addressed the parade, welcoming the Cadets, even if belatedly, to RMCC. It just goes to show that it’s never too late to observe tradition.
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DRDC Briefing Wraps Up Cmdt Tremblay’s Lecture Series
Article by 25752 OCdt (III) Christopher Lane
On Wednesday, third and fourth year cadets were briefed by Dr Jerry Jarmasz (photo left) from the Toronto branch of Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC).
DRDC is an agency of the Department of Defence, researching developments in science to increase the effectiveness of the Canadian Forces. Dr. Jarmasz explained the importance of DRDC to the CF: “A major factor contributing to military effectiveness is the timely application of scientific and technical knowledge in policy, strategy, planning, training, intelligence, operations and the development of equipment and systems.” He described the range of applications of DRDC’s in three elements: the individual, the collective and the systems. Dr, Jarmasz gave an example of DRDC’s work, presenting a series of simulations to the audience designed to increase the awareness of the trainee to the threats posed by IEDs, and to increase the trainee’s effectiveness in spotting and avoiding such threats.
Wednesday’s lecture marked the final lecture of the Commandant’s Professional Development Series, an initiative BGen Eric Tremblay implemented during PMT hours for this academic year. The lectures have been beneficial and popular amongst cadets, giving us insights into elements of the CF we may otherwise not be exposed to while at RMC.
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Second Year Class Gets Conflict Resolution Brief
Article by 25985 OCdt (II) K.F. D’Souza
This past Wednesday during PMT, while the 3rd and 4th Years had their briefing and the 1st Years did Personal Admin., the Second Year class had a presentation on conflict resolution. The presenter, 7660 Martin Hankes Drielsma, (Conflict Management Practitioner at Dispute Resolution Centre Kingston) was very informative on methods for dealing with interpersonal conflict, whether it is in the work place or within the individual’s personal life. He was an engaging speaker constantly involving the audience in his presentation.
Mr. Hankes Drielsma’s personal experience with dealing with conflicted parties provided the cadets in attendance with situations they may possibly face in their future workplaces. Concluding his presentation he provided cadets with resources they would be able to access to help their future subordinates deal with related conflicts, along with how to receive training for conflict management. This is all relevant to cadets at RMC, because as future leaders in the CF it is our duty as officers to take care of our subordinates.
RMC Rowing Club: A Novice Rower’s Outlook
By: OCdt (III) Gillian Rideout
In January, I decided to venture in new and uncharted waters and join the RMC Rowing Club. From the very beginning, I knew I was in for a new adventure that would be harder and more rewarding than I could ever imagine.
As soon as the Wing returned from Christmas holidays, the club started right away with their winter training program. Every morning the club met for training at 0545; I learned very quickly to function on little sleep. The training over the winter was on rowing machines (commonly called ergs) and also consisted on several indoor tank sessions in Belleville.
During the winter training, the most commonly uttered phrase by more experienced club members was “I can’t wait to get back on the water!” I also head that rowing on the water was nothing like that on the erg, but I couldn’t imagine how different it would really be. After two and a half months of indoor practice, the conditions on the bay had finally improved enough that the club could start rowing on the water. As soon as I got in the boat, I realized just how different it was than an erg- in the boat you have to worry about timing, feathering, balance, etc.
That first stroke on the water- even if it wasn’t a very good one- had me hooked. I wanted to row all the time, and with each session on the water I can feel myself getting so much better at all the different elements that are essential to a good stroke, a good rower, and a good crew. During one such practice, it was bitterly cold and the water was full of waves; before even launching from the dock, I was completely soaked. That row was a great experience; it showed me just how dedicated rowers must be- no matter the conditions or personal problems or commitments, you must show up and be there for your crew- no exceptions. One of the main points enforced was that if one person from your crew is missing, the whole crew doesn’t row.
Your crew is like your family and if you miss practice, you are not only letting yourself down, you are letting down your entire crew and the club itself- dedication to the club is not only expected, but necessary.
Rowing has taught me so much in a mere 4 months. It improved my time management skills by forcing me to juggle sleep, an engineering course load, a bar position, intramurals, and rowing commitments. I have also seem firsthand how dedicated everyone in the club is- we have all sacrificed free mornings, study time, meetings with friends, and sometimes school work in order be present and to ensure we don’t let the entire crew and club down. Rowing is possibly the hardest, most difficult thing I have ever tried, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Without hard work and dedication, there can be no success. And with all the hard work and dedication the club has demonstrated over the last 4 months (and continues to show), there will be great success in the near future.
