Sport in the Parachute Regiment

[will996]

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[Paratrooper01]

Will,

The great thing about the Paras is that there is such a wide diversity of people there. Yes, there will be a couple of guys with degrees and alot of guys will have A-Levels.

You just have to think about weather you want to potentially waste using your brain. Trust me, there is alot of mindless bullshit that goes on and someone who is very intelligent would find it incredibly tedious and frustrating. For example, standing on the front gate in the pouring rain for 2 hours, simply because your camp needs to be guarded, but on the other side of the garrison the camp is guarded by MoD police and not the soldiers themselves. See what i mean? If you think these sorts of mindless games will piss you off then i would advise you to think very hard about joining as a soldier and not to block out the idea of going to sandhurst. And yes, at sandhurst you still get to run around with guns...but you also get to know why your doing it and not just doing it because you have been told to do so.

[will996]

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[will996]

Paratrooper01, any thoughts of the chances of playing professional sport while in the regiment?

Thanks very much

Will

[Paratrooper01]

What sport did you have in mind?

Of course if you are very good at a particular sport you can play for The Parachute Regiment. Or if you are good enough, you can play for The Army, and then your days of wearing combats will be over!

[jabcrosshook]

http://www.army.mod.uk/sportandadventur ... ts_a_f.htm

List of sports

[will996]

Squash. I have played at professional level but there is not much cash in it until you hit the world top 40. Catch 22 of the situation is that you need money to get to that level! So I have decided to give the Parachute Regiment a go and was wondering if they would allow me to continue playing at this level? (obviously subject to being on operations)

Paratrooper01, how do you mean 'days of wearing combats are over'?

Cheers guys

Will

[_chris]

If you get good at the sport and to top level then you can do that sport on behalf of your force full time, so you no longer do as much (any?) soldiery stuff. My step-brother in law (I'm closer to him than it sounds! ) was in the RAf Regiment and one of his mates who was also in did nothing but ski for them apparently getting sent all over the world to practice so that every now and then he took part in events like the olympics.

Although it appears that you should join Fleet Air Arm if you want to play sport, talking to them every fifth person in there is doing something other than playing sports full time (especially helps if you mention your looking at any force other than the Navy)

[Paratrooper01]

If the sport is your main priority when you get in the army, may i suggest joining a lower-profile unit who will have more time in the UK. The Paras are being deployed very regularly and so you wont have time to do your squash. Why not concider joining the Army PT corps? Then you can play sport all day to your hearts content (plus you get to beast people).

Just a thought. The reg is a tough fighting unit, and we are not exactly reknown for our sport; with an exception of boxing (3 Para currently Army boxing champions...yet again! )

PAG,

Although Officers get more money, i think it will be alot harder for an officer to just up-sticks and go to play squash for the army compared with a private. If a young private is seen as having a talent, the headshed will see that you dont belong in a soldiering role and that you should go and play your sport for the army.

[Paratrooper01]

I didn't think they recruited directly? I read you had to already be in the Army before you could apply to join the PT Corps.

Yes your right, but thats not the point. The fact is that you can join the army and after a certain amount of time not have to put a set of green kit on ever again! I know a Staff Sergeant who works in an adventure training establishment in Scotland who has not worn his green kit for 14 years

All im trying to say is why waste your time and the time of the Parachute Regiment training team in Catterick by training you to be an elite fighting soldier, when you want to go and hit a ball against a wall.

On the other hand, if its soldiering that you want to do then i suggest you pick up the phone and give the recruiting office a call, telling them that you want to be a Paratrooper.

[will996]

Cheers for the replies guys. Paratrooper01 i see the point you are making, it would be madness to join the Paras and then not actually do the job of a paratrooper! However, for me being a soldier is what I want to do, I was just just wondering how the Army viewed pro sport. Thanks again for the replies it is really good if you.

Cheers

Will