THE Special Forces Squadron (31 SF Sqn) branch of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) on Friday copped first, second, and third places in competing in the Force’s Third Quarterly Fitness competition, which was held at Base Camp Stephenson.After competing in nine disciplines which tested the mental, physical and intellectual capacities of the teams, 31 SF Sqn’s “B” team emerged the winners, with Squadron’s “D” team and its “C” team finishing second and third respectively. Twenty-three teams participated in the exercise.

In the female category, Base Camp Stephenson’s females won, after being the lone team to successfully complete all stages of the two-day competition.

Each of the winning teams was presented with trophies, medals and monetary incentives. Handing over the trophy to the winning team was outgoing Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips, who encouraged the soldiers and officers to continue to apply themselves and strive for excellence in everything they do.

He sought to highlight the achievement of the female team, noting that it was an inspiration watching them compete in every event. He referred to the fact that the women were able to shoot down more targets in the shooting aspect of the competition than their male counterparts.

“Our females are soldiers too. You showed us you are soldiers too,” he said, while pointing out that the team even managed to score way above the minimum pass standards which were set by the Force.

He congratulated each of the 23 participating teams, noting: “I’m retiring as a pleased Chief-of-Staff whose troops came out in full force today and showed that they are all winners.” (Ravin Singh)