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Maple Ridge cadets win big in provincial army adventure race

The first place team was from the 1838 The Royal Westminster Regiment Army Cadet Corps

Two Maple Ridge army cadets came first in a province-wide adventure race, beating out 28 other teams.

Dionna Chan, 17, and her racing partner Cain Beebe, 18, of the 1838 The Royal Westminster Regiment Army Cadet Corps, took part in the Army Cadet Adventure Race in Albert Head, just outside Victoria on Vancouver Island.

The event took place from Mar. 2 to 4 and Chan and Beebe not only won the race, but set a new record, completing the course in two hours and 47 minutes, better than the former record by a little over 10 minutes.

The average time allotted for the course is around four hours.

The Maple Ridge competitors only found out they were going to compete a week before the race and were chosen not only because they are high ranking cadets, but also because of their background in expedition training. They are also both physically fit, which isn’t a necessity for the race, but is a leg up.

This is only the second time the race has been held and cadets are only allowed to participate in the race once.

“So everyone who competes is competing for the first time,” said Master Warrant Officer Chan.

The expedition race consisted of orienteering, biking, hiking, navigation, running and canoeing components.

First, participants were tested on how they could navigate using a map and compass by finding different points in a forest.

This part of the race was the most difficult for Master Warrant Officer Beebe, who admitted that he and Chan got lost twice.

“Not lost, we just took extra long route to finish,” Beebe chuckled.

From orienteering, participants were then tested on their navigation skills by finding points on a map, called grid references and route planning.

Then the cadets moved onto the cycling portion of the race. First, they had to select the bicycles they wanted to use and examine them for safety and sturdiness before heading out for an 18-kilometre ride.

“They had a whole bunch of bikes to go through. They paused the time as we were checking the safety part of it,” explained Chan.

During the ride, they were tested on how to change a tire in an emergency.

Following biking, there was a canoeing portion around Matheson Lake, where teams had to find points on floating logs or in trees.

Then the final portion of the race was hiking, which Chan described as being more like trail running, around the lake to the finish line.

“I had to dig for all the energy to just, like, be able to push myself all the way through it, to just keep going after doing running in the beginning, biking and canoeing,” Chan said.

The Maple Ridge cadet corps sent one other team to the event, Warrant Officer Addam and Master Warrant Officer Lau, who placed 16th.

What Chan most enjoyed was putting skills that she learned in the cadet program to the test.

“Just to see how we would handle under pressure, it was a new experience which was really enjoyable,” she said.

11004908_web1_180313-MRN-M-IMG_1704
Master Warrant Officer Dionna Chan, 17, and her racing partner Master Warrant Officer Cain Beebe, 18, left, of the 1838 The Royal Westminster Regiment Army Cadet Corps came first in the Army Cadet Adventure Race in Albert Head, just outside Victoria on Vancouver Island. Warrant Officer Addam and Master Warrant Officer Lau, on the right, placed 16th. (Contributed)


Colleen Flanagan

About the Author: Colleen Flanagan

I got my start with Black Press Media in 2003 as a photojournalist.
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