Daniel T'seleie
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 30/04) - The Yellowknife Army Cadets held a skill-testing competition last weekend.

A little bit of healthy competition would motivate the cadets to train their hardest and help keep things fun, said Capt. Danny Clouston.

The cadets were divided into four teams and competed in four events: map and compass, knots and lashings, shooting and leadership tasking.

Medals were awarded to the teams in the order they placed.

"It's all team awards," Clouston said.

But the event wasn't just about winning. The competition was used by instructors to test the cadets on their skills.

Cadets earn badges and are also awarded star rankings that track their progress through the cadet program.

Performance in the competition is used to evaluate the cadets' skills and they must also pass a written test in June to advance to the next level.

Clouston wanted to get away from the traditional test atmosphere and felt a competition would be less nerve wracking.

Cadets who attain the gold level are eligible to train for the National Star Certification Exam. A high score on the exam can earn the cadet an opportunity to take leadership training overseas.

A learning experience

As always, the cadets were learning throughout the event.

"Sometimes teaching leadership is a dry subject," Clouston said.

The leadership competition tested students but was also a valuable learning experience.

"We were given a scenario, and we had to set up a (camp) site," said cadet Donald Saul, who was leader of his team.

The scenario was a fire in Yellowknife. Cadets had 35 minutes to prepare a temporary camp for the firefighters.

"I was marked on my ability to delegate responsibility," said Saul.

The officers want to bring in cadets from around the North for next year's skills competition.