Not been for years IIRC
For ACLC? Was required for 2023 courses I thought - I put two applicants throughâŚ
We had a Cadet apply and get selected. No 2.4km run needed during the process like we used to.
I think the application process now emphasises the demanding physical nature of the course and individuals need for a good level of fitness.
i recall wording to this effect. Without looking it up it sounds familiar, the implication being individuals should be capable of the 2.4km run without actually testing for it
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Different DDHâs that email went out through LaSER, if your region havenât sent it that might be because your DDH disagrees and therefore you donât have a stop order in place.
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No points for guessing which side the previous RC(SW) came down on.
Pretty sure he wouldnât have been fully happy unless no one ever went outside. I would suggest he loved the COVID lockdown, but he was âon detachmentâ so didnât get to enjoy our lack of activity.
Out of interest, what was his branch?
In fairness his background seems strong and the fact he was yoinked away during COVID suggests something too.
I donât believe heâs not a highly capable person, but he did poop himself at things he didnât properly understand, got too involved, and did himself an injustice through how he restricted others.
Honestly though, I do wonder if MSFT and standardised fitness testing were a ticking time bomb for us - plenty of unsqeps getting themselves involved in sport and fitness.
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The primary motivation behind me looking more at the entry standard fitness tests is how many cadets weâve had leave the squadron and then fail the entry standards.
After I left as a cadet in 2006, there have only been 4 others from this unit who have successfully made it into the forces. All of those who failed (that outnumber the successful ones) did so on fitness. I hope to initiate a change in mindsets that will reverse that trend.
Harshly, they know the standards before applying and if they canât bring themselves up to scratch were they truly motivated enough?
Not to say your thinking isnât honourable and in line with the âskills for military and civilian lifeâ aspect of what we do.
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I like that - mind if I borrow it?
You ask that like Iâd know 
But sure.
If I recall, he was also a Training Officer??? OC PTI school and Halton?? Plus lots of media type work for RAF and Joint HQ - did a lot of work in Afghanistan with the media. Which may also have reduced his appetite for risk.
Did I mention he was also an Army Cadet???
Yep. Ran a detachment too.
But anyway⌠sportsâŚ
The pause on fitness testing was to do with the risk of sickle cell anemia. Two army personnel died doing a fitness test, because they had it but were undiagnosed. When you join the RAF or even the UAS now, you are not allowed to undertake a fitness test until they have confirmed you donât have it. It is also now a question on the medical form you complete when joining.
I have no idea if the pause within cadets is still extant or not - but given we canât test for sickle cell, it probably is.
Back to the original question on doing sports, we have the local park as an extended unit footprint - EUF. So can do sports there whenever. Rather than road running, might be easier if you went somewhere similar. Risk assessment and supervision would definitely be easier. If you donât call your run a test, youâd (bizarrely) probably be ok. We have done sponsored runs with no issues. I think itâs introducing the word âtestâ that they believe would potentially make people push themselves harder, therefore more of a risk.
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We do a âpersonal fitness assessmentâ as part of our (triservice) recruit cadre, but then as a CCF we have the benefit of qualifed sports staff to oversee. But the emphasis in this is on personal goals not meeting a defined standard - there isnât one. We have a PPT on the benefits of fitness even for those with no sporting ambitions (e.g. better brain function, which does mean some of the overseas boarders are better motivated to be fit!), and then they do an assessment to see how many of some basic exercises they can complete. Thereâs no stigma to not doing brilliantly but we do want them to know if they are at the bottom end of fitness levels for their peer group even if they then choose to do nothing about it.
This is with 14/15 year olds - not 11/12 year olds. The change in maturity between those ages means I am comfortable doing this with our recruits.
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From memory back when this all kicked off, the real issue was pitting people against each other, or against a specific target. That caused people to push past the point their bodies were telling them was safe.
Doing fitness where the target is what you personally did previously should still be okay, as there is no âcompetitiveâ bit.