On a sunny day at the iconic Bondi Beach, athletes from the SailGP racing league went head-to-head with clearance diver trainees from the Royal Australian Navy in a battle fitness challenge.
SailGP teams assemble on the sand
Straight after landing in Sydney, crew members of various SailGP teams including Australia, Great Britain, United States, Germany and Switzerland assembled on the beach for an intense physical training session.
They were met by Navy Petty Officer Robert Pope and his clearance diver trainees.
“We enjoyed putting on a bit of a spectacle and I know all the athletes were there to get their hands dirty as well as our guys and it was really good competition out there,” Pope commented.
Activities test fitness and cooperation
The session put both sailing athletes and naval trainees through rigorous activities designed to test physical abilities and cooperation skills. Teams took turns flipping heavy tires, sprinting across the sand, and performing pushups and other callisthenics in a competitive environment.
Australian SailGP team strategist Natasha Bryant remarked, “Teamwork is really at the core of our Australian team culture. We had one of the Navy members on our team today and his communication and the way he rolled is very similar to how we work, and it worked out really well.”
Core values alike
According to SailGP captain Tom Slingsby, “Teamwork is everything in sailing; it’s physical, but it’s not the most physical sport.”
“It is all about teamwork, coordination, trusting each other, all the same values the Royal Australian Navy instil in their people.”
His views were echoed by Australian grinder Kinley Fowler who stated, “It’s all-out teamwork; it’s all about looking after your mates…making sure we get to the finish line.”
In the end, Pope and his clearance diver trainees clinched victory over the professional sailors. But the friendly rivalry highlighted strong parallels between the cooperative foundations underneath both high-performance sports.
Source: www.defence.gov.au
Published 24-February-2024