Canadian reservists compete for Worthington Cup

Military personnel from four different countries are competing with Canadian reservists for the coveted Worthington Cup at Base Gagetown.

Canadian divisions, made up of teams from Quebec, Ontario, the western provinces and Atlantic provinces, are competing along with units from the United States, Denmark, Chile, and Poland.

To win the cup, named for Frank Worthington who was considered the father of the Armoured Corps in Canada, teams will be tested on their strength, skill and endurance.

Part of the test includes having light armoured vehicles fire at pop-up targets — both stationary and moving — as one part of a four-day test of skills.

While pyrotechnics go off, the observers following the two-person fire crews make notes on their reactions.

The teams are scored on accuracy, efficiency, the time they take, and how they prioritize what they target first.

"This stand is about executing targets on the move, engagement, communication as a fire team. Whereas there is another stand that will challenge your physical fitness component," said Maj. Allan Dwyer of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.

The teams that finished on the firing range will return to test their skills at night.

Reservist Hamish Neilson said the obstacle course was the toughest thing so far.

"It involved going over a 12 or 15 foot wall towing a 200 pound dummy with us. We had to get the dummy over the wall and down through a bunch of other things, down through a tank, and up through the hatch on the top."

This is the sixth time the annual competition has been held.

There are members of the Brazilian army observing the event to decide if that country will take part next year.

Lt. Andre Nascimento said it was a good exchange of practices.

"We see how other armies do things differently, sometimes similar to our army."

The Worthington Cup will be awarded on Friday.