Summer Survival

On Monday, October 2, 2006, the sixth year of the International AFCR Championship Military Multi-Contest “Summer Survival 2006” commenced on the premises of the Dědice Barracks in Vyškov.

„I believe that you will accomplish all the challenging tasks, which our organizers have prepared for you. I am convinced that you have arrived in good shape to complete four days filled with difficult events and I hope to meet you all at the closing ceremony so as to be able to award the best teams,” said COL (GS) Milan Solík, Vyškov Military Academy Commandant, in his welcome speech addressed to all competitors at the opening ceremony.

In total 11 teams applied for the competition this year. In contrast with the year of 2005, when the only international team from the Austrian Armed Forces tested individual events outside the competition, this year the starting list of rated teams included one team representing the Latvian Armed Forces. Traditionally the strongest representation was the Military Police that brought two teams, one of which was composed of women. The Military Academy in Vyškov also nominated two teams made up of students attending career courses.

The first day was not dedicated to the acclimatization of an unknown environment, since during afternoon hours the competitors had to tackle the first challenging event. Organizers built a water slalom track on the Morava River in Kroměříž, which tested the athletes on how they were able to communicate and cooperate in passing through individual slalom gates on small vessels. In this event the Latvian team encountered bad luck, as the rowers capsized their boat, which had a strong influence on its other performances in the whole competition.

The first event, the only one in the first day, was won by the team representing the 7^th Mechanized Brigade in Hranice that achieved the ceiling number of 100 points.

The first phase of the competition was planned for the following morning, in which the athletes, in addition to long movements on foot with a full pack, competed in shooting, rescuing a person in water and orienting in the cave.

„Physically the most demanding was the 30 km movement by foot with a full pack, but worst of all was the cave, where we could use only candles which soon went out and we had to return. So no big deal for us”, WO1 Daniel Šorm from the Military Department of the PT and Sport Faculty of Charles University in Prague shared his impressions while packing the ropes used by his team and, together with his buddies, moved on.

After two days, this team could appreciate that they did not give up and continue in the contest, as they climbed up to second place in the progressive rating following the team from the Vyškov Training Base, the winner of the events in water rescuing and cave orientation.

The second phase commenced in Stará Huť at the local rocks. The athletes from Hranice and the first team from the Military Academy in Vyškov received their first penalty points for failing to meet the limits. The Latvian soldiers were strongly affected by their involuntary “swimming” during the water slalom and subsequent movements in wet boots, thus they gave up the competition for health reasons and continued only as observers. The second phase ran under the dominance of the team from the Grabštejn Veterinary Base that won the competitions in climbing the rock and rescuing on the cableway. Physically strenuous movements connected with surmounting artificial obstacles, as was the case at the end of the day, when all the competitors had to rappel from the cableway, which broke down while they were moving from the Macocha Abyss, depleted most of their power.

“This competition is extremely difficult, in one moment we almost gave it up. In the first walking movement we exaggerated the pace and one of us was dehydrated. We were seriously thinking about quitting the contest, but we have finally overcome all the difficulties, so we are glad to remain on the list of competitors”, said Daniel Šorm to confirm how strenuous the competition was. A very promising outlook for the final standings had the team from the Veterinary Base, but its athletes kept both feet on the ground. “For the time being, we are glad to avoid injuries. We want to do our best and we’ll know more tomorrow”, stated 1LT Jiří Jirák.

Furthermore, during this second phase the teams tackled orienteering, probably the most demanding event of the entire contest, in which everybody had to rely only on their own skills. This event turned into terminus for the team representing the Rescue Battalion from Rakovník, and even more successful teams such as the Hranice Mechanized Brigade, Military Police II and Military High School Moravská Třebová were not saved from penalty points. After three days, the leading position was occupied by the team from the Grabštejn Veterinary Base followed by the Military Department of the PT and Sport Faculty of Charles University and Vyškov Training Base.

The last day of the multi-contest took place in the Baldovec Outdoor Center, where the athletes were challenged by bungee running, climbing the tower, “monkey course” and transporting explosive material. All the teams, in spite of their fatigue, kept on fighting till the end, as the last day was critical for making the best score. The last event, transporting explosive material, also played a crucial role, in which only the teams Military Police I and Military Academy II achieved positive points.

Added together, the winner was the team from the Grabštejn Military Base with 1279 points consisting of 1LT Jiří Jirák, SFC Alexandr Vrága and SGT Vlastislav Hrkal. 1141 points and second place was achieved by the Military Department of the PT and Sport Faculty of Charles University represented by WO1 Václav Čáp, WO1 Daniel Šorm and WO1 Jan Berger, and third position was reached by the Vyškov Military Academy II composed of 2LT Marek Krajčík, 2LT Pavel Petrák and 2LT Zbyněk Čierný.

Attended by Brigadier General František Maleninský, Director of Training and Doctrine Directorate, and COL (GS) Milan Solík, Vyškov Military Academy Commandant, the closing ceremony with awarding the best teams took place on the premises of the Dědice Barracks on Friday October 6, 2006. In his speech General Maleninský thanked all the athletes for taking part in the competition and, beside others, he emphasized: “Looking back at the last few days, I must state that you all are winners. As you have gathered a rich experience, I believe to meet you all here in Vyškov in the next year“.

The upcoming 7^th year of this highly challenging military multi-contest called „SUMMER SURVIVAL 2007“ will be held on October 1 – 5, 2007.

Text: MAJ Ľubomír Sedlák