Champion Cadet Competition
Each year ACF County Commandants are asked to nominate their best Master Cadet for the Champion Cadet Competition which was established in 1991. The staff at CTC Frimley Park then shortlist the best 20 and invite them back to Frimley for a weekend in September to compete in a series of events and interviews, at the end of which one of them is announced Champion Cadet for that year.
The competition, which lasts just over 24 hours, tests both physical and mental aptitude, and requires the cadets to compete against each other both individually and as members of a team in a range of activities. These include command tasks, weapon handling, map and compass skills (including night navigation), foot drill, first aid, logical problem solving and a comprehensive test of the entire ACF Army Proficiency Certificate syllabus. There is also a panel interview.
Throughout the competition the assessors are looking for signs of leadership, teamwork, self discipline and unselfishness. The winner of the competition is the cadet deemed by the selection committee to be the year's most inspiring example of the ACF Master Cadet.
The winning cadet is invited back to CTC Frimley Park at the end of October for the final parade of the Master Cadet course at which he or she is presented with the Claire Shore Trophy, which their ACF county holds for a year, and a solid silver engraved medal, complete with their own details, which the cadet keeps.
Pictured is the Champion Cadet 2012, Cadet RSM Liam Arnot of Northumbria ACF receiving a cheque for £300 from the Managing Director Cadet Kit Shop, Tommy Dalman as part of his prize.
The closing date for nominations for the Champion Cadet Competition 2013 is 14 July. Download the Champion Cadet testimonial form here.