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Women in Defense and Security visit RMCC
RMC War Studies students earning kudos
“Light Up Tomorrow in the City of Light”
Cadets Off to Nijmegen
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MORE…
Women in Defense and Security visit RMCC
Article by: Mada
On 14 July 2015, RMC had the privilege of hosting a tour for the Women in Defense and Security (WiDS).
WiDS is a volunteer organization that provides its members with opportunities for professional development and networking in order to foster the involvement and advancement of women in defence and security careers across Canada. It is affiliated with the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries, and encourages the involvement of both men (as mentors) and women (as mentors and mentees) to increase networking potential in these sectors.
“WiDS wanted to know more about RMC and what it is that we do here and how we do it. It was felt that the best way to demonstrate that to the WiDS organization was to show them the four pillars (Military, Academics, Bilingualism and Athletics) that are the key components that make up the RMC ROTP Program as well as show the strong history and historical significance of RMC”, said the tour organizer,Maj Adam Bradley.
WiDS had the opportunity to learn about the Academic and Bilingualism pillars from Vice Principal Dr. Phil Bates and Maj Cindy Suurd Ralph, which included a visit to the several labs here on campus courtesy of Dr. Paul Chan and Dr. Marc LaViolette.
The group also had the opportunity to do some hands on training in the Small Arms 
Trainer (SAT) as Maj Adam Bradley and WO Dave Stewart instructed them on the Military pillar at RMC. Following the SAT, the group met with the Physical Education Manager, Stephane Robert, who explained the Athletics Pillar and spoke about the amazing resources and support the Athletic Dept has for the RMC community.
No tour of RMC would be complete without having the opportunity to speak to the cadets themselves so a special thank you to Cadet Jinsu Yang (26948) and Cadet Andrew Kerr (27070) who volunteered their time to speak about life at RMC.
The tour concluded with a round table visit with the Commandant, BGen Sean Friday in the Senate Chamber where the group was able to speak to the Cmdt about building a stronger relationship with RMC and foster stronger ties to further benefit the cadets as they progress throughout their careers.
WiDS VP Marketing and Affiliation, Astrid Neuland, was very happy with the tour pointing out that the tour was exceptional and eye opening, and the SAT was a lot of fun! (A special thank you to Mr. Ross Lambert who is both an ex-cadet and retired staff member at RMC for providing a wonderful and insightful tour of the grounds, buildings and history of RMC).
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RMC War Studies students earning kudos
During the quiet days of the Summer of 2015 RMC War Studies students have been earning kudos. In particular, three national awards have come to graduates and current students.
In the Summer 2015 edition of the RCMI SITREP 2Lt Krystel Chapman, currently completing her PhD, was announced as the winner of the 2014 Boulter Award for the best article in 2014. Her paper was titled: “The Unjustifiable Aspiration of the Canadian Parliament to Vote on Military Missions” and can be found at this link: http://www.rcmi.org/archives/SITREP/14/14-1%20Sitrep.pdf Unfortunately the e copy of the 2015 Summer edition in which the award is announced is not yet available.
And in the Journal of Military and Strategic Studies from the University of Calgary we receive notice that WS students have taken first and third place in the 2015 JMSS Award of Excellence, the journal’s national student award: http://www.jmss.org/jmss/index.php/jmss First prize went to Shaohan Lin for his paper “After the Pivot to the Asia-Pacific: Now what?” Third prize went to 25824 2Lt Michael Findlay for his paper “The Cost of Admiralty: The development and condition of Britain’s modern naval shipbuilding programme, 1832-2015”. Mike graduated with his MA in May and is awaiting a posting in the coming weeks.
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“Light Up Tomorrow in the City of Light” – FISU GAMES 2015 Gwangju, South Korea
Article by: Patricia Howes Ch.P.C. – CMRC Maître d’armes/RMCC Fencing Master
One of the highlights for any professional coach is the opportunity to represent and work for Team Canada on the international stage. I have been very fortunate to enjoy several opportunities this season to do just that, with the most recent event being the FISU Games, where I took on the multi-role of Head Coach, Team Manager and Team Leader for fencing. The 2015 Universiade, the pinnacle of CIS competition, took place this July from the 3-14th in Gwangju, South Korea. Highlighting some of the best university student-athletes from around the world, the FISU Games is an outstanding showcase of sport, culture, art and tourism and is a true celebration of youth. To quote the official guidebook “The Universiade is an international multi-sport event pursuing the development of education and culture of university athletes. It is the second biggest sporting event after the Olympics.” The theme of this Universiade was “Light up Tomorrow” meaning that this generation is the one that will bring the best to the future, to our world, not just through sport but through their education, future careers, and their lives.
The 2015 Team Canada was comprised of 381 members including 283 athletes and 98 staff/officials. Members of Team Canada Fencing hailed from BC, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec. Athlete qualification was achieved through finishing in the Top 8 at the Canadian National University Championships, held at the Canada Cup in Kitchener in March, as well as international experience. RMCC fencers participated in several of the new Canada Cup National University events this season, finishing second in the country to U of T, in the overall banner standings. While RMC does have some top athletes that could qualify for FISU it is challenging due to funding and summer military training courses. Although a full fencing team has a roster of 18 athletes, this year’s FISU team only had 8 athletes, as many top Canadian fencers were busy at training camps preparing for the 2015 World Fencing Championships in Moscow, and the Toronto Pan Am Games.
The host location was the Metropolitan City of Gwangju, in South Korea. Organizers did an amazing job of not only hosting the games but doing so in a green manner. The new Athletes Village was an urban restoration project that will be used now as apartments for the urban residents now that the games are over. Many of the venues were upgraded, rather than built from scratch, in order to reduce cost and cut down on waste. The Universiade also offered educational opportunities such as the FISU Conference that addressed “The Impact of University Sport on the Global Community”. Seminars for athletes, coaches and staff included “How to Behave Toward Media”, “How to Build Your Personal Branding-Personality PR” and “FISU –GUOC-WADA Anti-Doping Program”. As well there were many cultural, music (K-pop), and art presentations highlighting the spread of Korean culture known as the Korean Wave; all very interesting, entertaining and visually stimulating.
From the outstanding Opening Ceremonies, eating Korean food, life in the Athletes Village, colourful track suits and multi-lingual encounters, heated competition at the Kimdaejung Convention Centre and cultural visits to beautiful tranquil ancient temples, pagodas and villages, the FISU Games was a fantastic professional development experience. My sincere thanks go to the Canadian Fencing Federation, for my selection as Head Coach, and the RMCC Athletic Department for approving my participation. The best part of the my sport experience is that I can take all the lessons learned and put it to good use for my next CISM trip to Korea, for the 2015 World Military Games, this coming October. Once again, it has been a true pleasure to represent Canada, the CAF and RMC in the international sport arena.
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Cadets Off to Nijmegen
By OCdt Harrison Kelertas
Despite missing last year’s Nijmegen event, Royal Military College officer cadets and staff will once again be participating in the grueling 168-kilometer march that has taken place since 1909 annually in the Netherlands, in the town of Nijmegen from the 21st to the 24th of July, to promote sports and physical fitness. This year, the RMCC contingent will be led by Captain J. Lystiuk (4 squadron commander) and Warrant Officer D. Attrux (C division WO). The team is comprised of 3rd and 4th year cadets from all three elements of the Canadian Armed Forces. The members of the team are James McGuigan (4 SQN), Joshua Commodore (3 SQN), Marc-Antoine Petit (11 SQN), Avery Burke (3 SQN), John Livingston (4 SQN), Joseph Ryan (2 SQN), Mitchell Hewson (4 SQN), Patrick Morgan (3 SQN) and Harrison Kelertas (4 SQN). A medic from CFB Kingston health services, Private Emma Galloway, will also be attached to the team. To facilitate the team’s journey, the RMCC Foundation generously donated funds for boot purchasing and patches that will be worn on the team members’ uniforms during the march.
By June 15th, the team had marched over 500 kilometers. By the time they left for Europe on July 17th, the total distance marched was approximately 750 kilometers. This intense training is necessary in order to guarantee the success of the team during the actual march. This training also allowed the team to bond, practice teamwork and learn marching songs.
Before their departure, the team participated in a send-off parade at the National War Museum in Ottawa on the 14th of July, with distinguished guest, such as the Chief of Defence Staff, General Tom J. Lawson. Furthermore, the team raised over 800$ in fundraising for Soldier On and the Military Families Fund.
