The Royal Navy took teams out to Lillehammer in Norway to compete against the Army and Royal Air Force in Bobsleigh, Skeleton, and Luge at the Inter Services Ice Championships last week.
Royal Navy athletes from novice to elite trained and competed alongside one another and their counterparts from the Army and RAF at the event.
Several Great British athletes were present at the track, providing the rare opportunity for the novice competitors to receive training and guidance from those at the top of their game.
Bronze Olympic medallist, WO2 John Jackson dusted off his boots to compete for The Royal Navy once again, this time alongside Cpl Johan Van Heerden, who competed in both Bobsleigh and Skeleton. The two-man Bobsleigh team took third place in the men’s overall championship.
Fresh from the Bobsleigh World Championships, Mne Taylor Lawrence came to Lillehammer to represent The Royal Navy together with pilot, Sgt Adam Baird, who is also part of the Great British Bobsleigh set up. The pair, who have competed together previously, were just pipped to the post by Army Cpl Nick Gleeson’s team and came in second place in the men’s overall.
Taylor said, “I got into bobsleigh through Adz Baird, he spotted me through rugby. My bobsleigh career started with him, so to come and slide behind him for the Inter Services is special.”
It wasn’t just about winning for Taylor who said, “It’s nice to come out here with all the new Royal Marines and Royal Navy personnel that want to try the sport. For me, I just want to impart the knowledge I have onto them and hopefully they enjoy sliding here as much as I’ve enjoyed sliding in the World Cup.”
One of those competing alongside the Great British athletes was women’s team captain and the only women’s pilot at the championships for the Royal Navy, AB Zoe Morris, who slid her way into third place alongside AB Grace Brown.
Not only do the Ice Championships offer the opportunity to train with elite athletes, but the chance to dip one’s toe into the world of Ice Sport at all is somewhat unique to the military.
AB Kaliska Clarke came second in the women’s Luge race after finding out about the sport just last year through taking part in Field Gun. Kaliska said, “without the Navy I wouldn’t have even thought of Luge as a sport, I didn’t even really know what it was until a year ago.”
Royal Navy Skeleton Coach and Performance Director, PO Sid Lawrence, has been in the Navy for forty years and involved in the sport for thirty years. He said, “Royal Navy Skeleton is about giving people the opportunity to do something that they couldn’t normally do. I can’t guarantee that everyone is going to love it but it’s about having that opportunity.”
Lt Sian Lewis represented the Royal Navy Skeleton team, taking second place in the women’s race and AT Kane Boyle came away with bronze in the men’s.
Military Ice Sport also offers Royal Navy athletes the chance to train and compete alongside the Army and RAF in an inclusive and supportive environment.
Kaliska said, “It’s great for teamwork, we’re all really supportive, even Inter-service with the RAF and Army, it’s a great support network. We’re all wishing each other well down the track.”
The teams will continue their training this year at the track in Bath ready to come back and take on the ice again next year.
