I’ve been Anti Sport for many years, dating back to my time as a cadet and I’ll share some reasons.
We have for many years struggled (pre covid) with attendance at Winter Sports Trials to produce a wing team for Football / Rugby / Netball / Hockey, mainly as those that were interested were already playing for a team so as such unavailable.
If you are sporty you are likely to be spending a lot of days doing RAFAC Sport;
Wing Sports Trials x 2
Inter Wing Winter Sports
Inter Region Winter Sports
Wing Swimming
Region Swimming
Corps Swimming
Wing Athletics
Region Athletics
Corps Athletics
Wing Cross Country
Region Cross Country
Corps Cross Country
Wing 5 a Side
14 days total, before you add in the travel element for Region / Corps, suddenly you’ve only got 38 weekends of the year left.
That said I’m all for inter squadron competition, but see no reason to progress further than that, if you want to play rugby or hockey, join the local rugby/hockey club.
I see sport at a Sqn/sector level as being a worthwhile/beneficial activity, but not above that. The people who get picked for wing/regional teams are the people who are doing the same thing for their schools/local clubs, and I see no point wasting limited resources on a niche activity that those who do it do it elsewhere as well.
As a cadet, wing sports day was simply about the social, and I see that being the case for the cadets I’ve been staff for for the last 25 years or whatever.
Bin it off, plough the resources used into Sqn level activity. That might involve Sqn level sport, but my (I think, pretty well informed) suspicion is that the overwhelming number of cadets think they get enough sport at school.
Personally I’d put it into something like an orienteering day in Keilder Forest, Cannock Chase or wherever - I think that a) you’d get a much greater response from cadets and staff, and b) you’d achieve a great deal more in terms of the Cadet Experience and training objectives for the same staff and resources outlay.
i second both these comments.
providing the “team” can be made up from a Squadron (be that 5-a-side football, or individual events like athletics or swimming) then I am all for it. As soon as it becomes a Wing team of 15-20 Cadets picked from across the Wing it becomes silly.
the only time I see that kind of spread work is with Road Marching, who meet and train weekly - RAFAC sports teams do not even meet monthly for “training” - it is a case of “you’re good enough” (or in some cases you put your name down so your in to make up the numbers) and forced onto a coach to travel 2 hours to play in a team you barely know.
(there are parallels with a Wing band too)
Slightly separate to the topic, I’m trying to organise a visit that will require a coach - it seems that our planned trip trip may not qualify to be publicly funded under new (yet to be announced) guidelines – this is being looked at now but unlikely to have an answer before next week.
For us, the other side of the coin - progression from sqn to wg to region & ultimately corps representation has probably been instrumental over the years in quite a few of our cadets participating in sports where they might not have initially chosen to do so. They followed others in the sqn who effectively helped them along the route.
Surely that alone makes it worthwhile? Low pressure day out, those that want to try can, everyone else can have a go, Gets people out and seeing other cadets and squadrons, realise that other cadets exist too.
Sometimes you don’t need full on activities and full on pressure, having a laugh and joke and re-connecting for the day might make all the difference.
Unfortunately I would class wing sports as exactly these types of events. They are taken over-seriously & over-pressure that they have not a single ounce of fun.
There is nothing more joyless than enforced socialising - you just end up with an Anti-Social Social.
I think wing sports days, with all the logistics involved, is - imv - a pretty expensive way of doing it.
I don’t disagree with your view, but I think that doing a sector sports and social day, with parents doing the ferrying about, having some sports, a BBQ, and some games would be an excellent activity - but stumping up for coaches for 500 kids to come from over an hour away, is just indefensible in our current financial straits.
So I’ve heard that one wing has their Wing field day over a weekend greens on day, blue on the other Staff & cadet bbq on the sat evening. Always struck me as the way to do it.
An idea I am thinking about implementing here. Just need to work out whether it’s then worth having an inter-sector competition above that for key events.
Many of the cadets are just not interested in sports. As a unit we have always encouraged attendance and our CFAV regularly attend to ensure those more junior in the cadet ranks have a familar face that they can initially stay close to.
It has become more and more difficult to motivate them to attend but as mentioned originally, I think the lack of notice from Wing may have something to do with it as it is often last minute.
Tracksuits
Football Kit
Athletics Kit (Male and Female Tops)
Old Rugby Shirts – these would be free
T Shirts and Shorts used at Swimming
Swimming Caps
Female Hockey Kit
Hockey Sticks and Balls
Netballs, Rugby Balls, Footballs
I’m also receiving these emails, and have some further info that isn’t yet wider knowledge.
Essentially, regional (inter-wing) sports in my area is gone; this funding cut was the death nail. The kit is largely unused, having been bought within a year or so before the original pause. It’s all being sold off.
Based on what I’m seeing, I suspect @Chief_Tech & @Turbo are in the same region as myself.
