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newaecgirl
Guest
If you want to know what RFT is and what we do message me....I have been on RFT since Nov. 8, and will remain there untill I go back on PL about March 12.
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at St. Jean ?
what happened that you're on RFT for that long? guys that started in Oct are now on Platoon's again cause they retested right before the xmas break?
what happened that you're on RFT for that long? guys that started in Oct are now on Platoon's again cause they retested right before the xmas break?
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newaecgirl
Guest
I am an officer, not a recruit, so I have to wait for the next BOTP to start before going back on Platoon. I prefer to stay on RFT, and continue to work to improve my fitness even more than to sit on PAT for 3 months. Recruits generally go back on platoon the Monday after they pass their express test (or Vo2 max), it all depends on positions available and how many have to go. Currently there are 21 waiting to go on platoon as soon as one starts in Jan.
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newaecgirl said:
Not to quibble but you are an Officer Cadet, you are not an Officer. Be careful, some people take offense to you calling yourself that. Just a friendly warning.
Or what we used to call a POAT - Potential Officer Awaiting Training.
newaecgirl: you have an interesting posting history - I guess it makes you an expert in many areas. As officers (even ones in training), we are seldom experts, but we should always try to be an example (a good one.)
15 Dec 06
"We don't carry anyone through RFT." Sounds like the CF has been carrying you on the payroll since 20 Oct 06 and will do so for many months to come- so much for being ready to become an officer. There is only one standard regardless of your age and whether you wear blue or green or black uniforms.
13 Dec 06
If you want to know what RFT is and what we do message me....I have been on RFT since Nov. 8, and will remain there untill I go back on PL about March 12.
10 Oct 06
"I am off to St. Jean to do the BOTP, starting with week 0 on Oct. 23."
9 Oct 06
“ I have just been accepted as an AEC, and I chose to go airforce over army, because I know that at 27, even though I can meet the pt standards they are not my strong suit, and I would not enjoy continuing in an army trade. Having been in the army reserves for some time I have seen women of all shapes and sizes do well in all types of situations. Only you can know what the bottom line for you is, and in the end you have to go with what you want to do...remember this is a career, not a passing fancy.”
newaecgirl: you have an interesting posting history - I guess it makes you an expert in many areas. As officers (even ones in training), we are seldom experts, but we should always try to be an example (a good one.)
15 Dec 06
"We don't carry anyone through RFT." Sounds like the CF has been carrying you on the payroll since 20 Oct 06 and will do so for many months to come- so much for being ready to become an officer. There is only one standard regardless of your age and whether you wear blue or green or black uniforms.
13 Dec 06
If you want to know what RFT is and what we do message me....I have been on RFT since Nov. 8, and will remain there untill I go back on PL about March 12.
10 Oct 06
"I am off to St. Jean to do the BOTP, starting with week 0 on Oct. 23."
9 Oct 06
“ I have just been accepted as an AEC, and I chose to go airforce over army, because I know that at 27, even though I can meet the pt standards they are not my strong suit, and I would not enjoy continuing in an army trade. Having been in the army reserves for some time I have seen women of all shapes and sizes do well in all types of situations. Only you can know what the bottom line for you is, and in the end you have to go with what you want to do...remember this is a career, not a passing fancy.”
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newaecgirl said:
It seems Mud Recce Man did a sum up of your squad if I am following the dates correctly:
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/52772.0.html
Carbs are the enemy until you are fit. Good luck.
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newaecgirl
Guest
of course....I figured that was implied, if it wasn't then my apologies. Currently I am the only officer candidate on RFT, so the rules for me are sometimes being made up as I go along.
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newaecgirl
Guest
Yep, my goal has always been to be the poster girl for unfit officer candidates....seriously though I have been working on my fitness for 3 years now, and until I started RFT and sat down with the nutritionist to sort out some stuff I haven't really seen any progress....I also am a bit unique in that my problem is not stamina, it is speed (most of the others on RFT need to work on stamina). Either way I am glad for the opportunity to keep working on my career (I was a reservist for 10 years before doing a component transfer). RFT is a great program for anyone who has been working on their fitness and seems to have plateaued just below the requirements. The bottom line is, no matter who you are you have to be willing to work!
Good job on the continuous improvement. A lot of people think they can just go out and run or hit the gym a couple of times a week and expect to see big results. Your off to a good start by talking to the nutritionist diet is a HUGE part of being healthy. Although I don't get why you say it's your speed not stamina for an express test? surely the shuttle run is stamina, there is no real speed involved in it to reach the minimum.
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newaecgirl
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Stamina is also needed for the express test, but if you can't run at the speed needed to reach the beats it doesn't help. I guess I just need more stamina at a higher speed, but right now being able to run faster than 6 MPH would be HUGE for me. I can run for a long time at slower speeds, but just don't naturally sprint (although lately I am starting to).
Thanks for the support.
Thanks for the support.
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newaecgirl said:
After reading that, I have the distinct feeling that you really don't know what stamina is. I sure hope that you don't turn around and tell us you can walk for miles and hours, but can't do the same if you carry a full ruck.
For a 27+ year-old with 9 years of Reserve time behind what did you think it ways going to be like. You make it sound like hundreds of thousands of people have never had to do what you are trying to do. Stamina is not required for the EXPRES test, intestinal fortitude and the will to succeed is all that is necessary. You have to make it to level 4, which is total of 5 minutes of running and or for Incentive Score you would have to run a total of 6.5 minutes.
If you "have been working on my (your) fitness for three years now...I (you) haven't really seen any progress.", you should have thought of ways to improve yourself long before you found RFT and the nutritionist. You could have been running marathons by now. Terry Fox is a great example of stamina, he ran 42 kms for each of 143 consecutive days. Terry wasn't much of a sprinter (after his amputation) either.
If you come here looking for support, you best take a hard look in the mirror when you get up in the morning. You may be fooling yourself but you're not fooling too many people here.
If you "have been working on my (your) fitness for three years now...I (you) haven't really seen any progress.", you should have thought of ways to improve yourself long before you found RFT and the nutritionist. You could have been running marathons by now. Terry Fox is a great example of stamina, he ran 42 kms for each of 143 consecutive days. Terry wasn't much of a sprinter (after his amputation) either.
If you come here looking for support, you best take a hard look in the mirror when you get up in the morning. You may be fooling yourself but you're not fooling too many people here.
Just to clarify a few things:
-Officer Cadets are officers. They are not commissioned officers, but they fall under the Subordinate Officer heading, and the CF ID Card specifically identifies them as Officers.
This doesn't mean people should try and use this as an excuse for anything, but then again, I don't agree with a full colonel or General pulling special treatment over NCMs either.
-The training system, in my experience, has always lagged slightly behind when it comes to Officer training. In my view, this is acceptable, because, in the end, the majority of Pers should be NCM, and, the NCMs -are- the CF. It seems they perhaps did not fully consider the ramifications for Officer cadets; or perhaps, it just wasnt as big of a deal.
-The BMQ courses are administered on a set week schedule, and a recruit coming off course for whatever reason can either be recoursed entirely, or just to a specific week. OCdts (last I checked), did not get this luxury; you restart the entire course, or you leave the Forces as unsuitable.
newaecgirl is not special; at least not special in a fun, getting better treatment kind of way. She is the byproduct of a system that puts officers second and puts the troops first, which is the way it should be, especially since, of anyone joining, an officer should be the -most- clear on being a leader in all respects, including physical fitness.
-Officer Cadets are officers. They are not commissioned officers, but they fall under the Subordinate Officer heading, and the CF ID Card specifically identifies them as Officers.
This doesn't mean people should try and use this as an excuse for anything, but then again, I don't agree with a full colonel or General pulling special treatment over NCMs either.
-The training system, in my experience, has always lagged slightly behind when it comes to Officer training. In my view, this is acceptable, because, in the end, the majority of Pers should be NCM, and, the NCMs -are- the CF. It seems they perhaps did not fully consider the ramifications for Officer cadets; or perhaps, it just wasnt as big of a deal.
-The BMQ courses are administered on a set week schedule, and a recruit coming off course for whatever reason can either be recoursed entirely, or just to a specific week. OCdts (last I checked), did not get this luxury; you restart the entire course, or you leave the Forces as unsuitable.
newaecgirl is not special; at least not special in a fun, getting better treatment kind of way. She is the byproduct of a system that puts officers second and puts the troops first, which is the way it should be, especially since, of anyone joining, an officer should be the -most- clear on being a leader in all respects, including physical fitness.
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Well, amidst all this anal retentive nitpicking re: officer/officer cadet, stamina/speed, and RFT vs. regular training, I give accolades to newaecgirl and others in this PT program. There are various reasons why an individual would require this kind of training. It seems there exists some hostility towards this PT module, and, to a lesser degree, towards newaecgirl for her contributions.
Everybody - Chill. Get off the semantics and consequent pettifogging. In time, people will perhaps look back and say "Why didn't they implement this program sooner?".
Everybody - Chill. Get off the semantics and consequent pettifogging. In time, people will perhaps look back and say "Why didn't they implement this program sooner?".
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DW,
there's a difference between semantics and accuracy.
As far as the program, well, imo, you're taking staff and training time away from other aspects.
There is a physical requirement to enter the CF. It's not the job of the CF to bring you up to that standard so that they can start training you.
Think of it this way. It's expecting a university to accept you despite below-average grades in HS, and then once you can't perform at the university level, expect them to put you aside, teach you the basics and then start you back up again.
The only way I can see myself saying "Why didn't they implement this program sooner?" is when the CF starts making money for our fat-camp/ free personal fitness program.
there's a difference between semantics and accuracy.
As far as the program, well, imo, you're taking staff and training time away from other aspects.
There is a physical requirement to enter the CF. It's not the job of the CF to bring you up to that standard so that they can start training you.
Think of it this way. It's expecting a university to accept you despite below-average grades in HS, and then once you can't perform at the university level, expect them to put you aside, teach you the basics and then start you back up again.
The only way I can see myself saying "Why didn't they implement this program sooner?" is when the CF starts making money for our fat-camp/ free personal fitness program.
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It is clear that things have changed from years past. If this program (RFT) facilitates those commencing it to achieve personal and organizational fitness goals, good on the system for getting with the times. Hopefully this will remain an intake program that caters to a limited number of people who for whatever personal reason were not sufficiently fit to immediately commence basic training, but who have the motivation to improve towards and eventually (within a reasonable period) achieve the required standard that all other members of the military (except for a small portion who must exceed basic requirements by a significant amount) must meet to serve their country. I suspect that I and some others have a latent fear that this has the potential to provide ingress of societal acceptance of a gradual reduction in fitness requirement because the CF accepts what may be perceived as Canadian society's desire for inclusion of a greater portion of general society through a more accepting/tolerating/compromising attitude towards personal fitness. Hopefully I and such others are proved wrong. I honestly do not believe that existing CF fitness policies are onerous or over-specified. I say this not as a fitness guru who loves to push things so greatly, that I strive for a heartbeat once every two seconds type of thing. I hate running, seriously. My body was not made to run. My knees hurt after I run. I'd rather swim or row, for a more equal/equitable body workout, but I also recognize an applicability of running to being a warfighter (of some sort) that requires that I pay heed to things that could/may/will allow me to serve with strong body, spirit and soul. Did I mention I hate running? I suck it up and get on with it...I don't mean suck it up in a "I really don't have to be doing this...you're telling me to 'suck it up' is either spitefull or someone with more 'time in' beefing needlessly on a newb" thing...I mean it as an "If you're going to dedicate even the next few years of your life to serving your country, get used to the idea that you volunteered and you have responsibilities to be in the best condition possible to serve!" type of thing.
G2G
G2G
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I hate analogies because they are different from the case at hand. They come with baggage that isn't required in the conversation and serve only to muddy something that could be better explained with simple points.
Anyway, universities do accept substandard people all the time. They take in all sorts of grades below standard when they have seats to fill. A university doesn't operate on integrity it operates on tuition.
The CF operates on fingers at the triggers (so to speak) and they will put them there in any way that works to make the targets. The only regretful thing about the RFT program is it costs more (time, money, all sorts of resources I am sure) to fill a position that used to be filled by a fit body through the door. Its a simple equation, we need more fit bodies and there is a willingness to pay the cost to put them through the door because that cost is lower than suffering the consequences of not doing so. In the end you get a fit soldier in your unit so why worry about it, the cost has been calculated and deemed worthy.
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spqr said:
But that is what you get when you go to school based on an application on the back of a pack of matches. ;D
I am also concerned with the "get fit later" concept. If you are not fit from the get-go, in all likelyhood you are not going to be terribly fit ever. The body you have at 18-21 should be the best one for your entire life (yes, many exceptions) Nobody should need to be told "don't eat a litre of icecream for breakfast" and "walking to the fridge from the basement doesn't constitute exercise". In all reality, once you start making these sort of allowances, things go to a dump pretty quick. Pretty soon you will have a bean counter somewhere saying "well, we already invested x-thousand dollars on Pte. Butterass, so we don't want it to be a total waste". So Pte drags himself to barely pass one objective to the next, but in between goes to a dump. More courses, more investment. Next, said obese soldier can legitimately claim disablilty and demand light duties jobs, because "I was this fat when I got on, and they still made me wear those boots" or other such nonsense.
I am also on the same page as G2G. Running blows. But it is an essential componant to combat. Hell, the shuttle run was implimented in order to allow more people to get in. It is a lower standard, and you really only need drive to finish the minimum. So now we want to make it even easier to be unfit?
Stand by to see off road tires on Segway's painted in CADPAT.
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