Cadet Teams

Team tryouts take place in September. All cadets are eligible and encouraged to try out. Consult the Squadron Calendar for team practices and competitions.

The following sections are in no particular order. Click on the title, or down arrow, to expand.

Band

The #3 Striker band is a military, or brass and reed, band which plays a mixture of popular tunes and classic military marches. All cadets are welcome to join and especially those who already know how to play an instrument and/or read music. If you don't know how to play then don't worry we can teach you. The band is a good place to start of your cadet career and progress and an excellent environment for making new friends of all ages. We have flutes, clarinets, alto saxophones, tenor saxophones, trumpets, trombones, a baritone, snare drums, tenor drums, a bass drum, a glockenspiel and cymbals.

Some of the squadron's instruments are in almost brand-new condition and therefore cadets are expected to treat their instrument with the utmost care and responsibility. It would be expected that by June the instruments would be in the same condition that they are in September. Cadets will be instructed how to properly assemble, disassemble, play and clean their instrument. If these instructions are followed, band members should not have any trouble returning their instrument at the end of the year in the condition in which they received it. Over time, regular wear and tear on an instrument will cause the instrument to need a tune up or cadets may encounter minor problems with their instrument (for example, a trumpet mouthpiece might become stuck). Please bring these issues to the attention of the Band Officer or Instructor so that they can be fixed promptly and without causing further damage. Band members who play an reed instrument (clarinet/saxophone) will find that reeds have a limited life span and are very delicate and therefore break/crack very easily. See the Band Officer when you need a new reed. #3 Striker Band members are reminded to return all the band stuff (instrument, case, music books, music stand, lyre, flip chart, drum sticks, sheet music...) at the end of Annual Ceremonial Review.

Cadets please practice your instrument at home as often as possible.

In-person Band practice is Thursdays 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, OLI big gym. Times are subject to change. Don't forget your boots if drill is involved. Enter using the back door closest to the gym.

Drill

Drill team is a team made up of 16 members and 2 to 3 spares, including the commander. The drill team is a team that showcases the high level of drill, dress and deportment held by the squadron. Drill team will practice diligently to complete a compulsory sequence (drill movements with commands called) and a precision sequence (memorized sequence of drill movements). Drill team consists of both new cadets and senior cadets perfecting drill movements and learning new movements to take to competition against other cadet drill teams. The commander will be a senior cadet who has the leadership abilities to aid in instruction and who has the creativity to design a precision sequence, worthy of competition.

The drill team commander will be chosen on a tryout basis, consisting of personal drill, dress and the calling of commands. Once the commander and 2IC have been selected, the Drill team tryouts will consist of personal drill and uniforms. The cadets who make the drill team will be those who demonstrate adequate skills in uniform and those who have a moderate standard of drill with the motivation to better themselves.

Flag Party

Flag Party is a team that every squadron should have. Traditionally, Flag Party is meant to hold the members of the squadron who personally shine when it comes to drill, dress, and deportment. Flag Party is a team that holds the pride of the squadron and the cadet program as well as the country as it is those flags that are carried. Flag Party is a very hard working and diligent team who practice hard and hold a genuine pride for the squadron. The Commander will hold regular practice where personal drill and Flag Party drill will be a focus.

The Legion calls the group holding flags a "colour party". Why doesn't a cadet unit call it that? A cadet unit is not a fighting unit and, indeed, not strictly speaking a unit of the Canadian Forces. A cadet unit, therefore, is not entitled to colours. What a cadet unit parades is a flag, or a stand of flags, or occasionally massed flags -- but not colours. The bearers and escorts, therefore, are called a flag party", not a "colour party". By the same logic, cadet unit flags cannot properly be "trooped". A cadet unit’s official flag may be "dedicated", but it may not be consecrated as if it were a colour. The composition of all Flag Parties for all ceremonial parades shall include the National Flag.

flagpartyguidance.pdf

Marksmanship

The Cadet Marksmanship Program teaches cadets the safe handling and respect of small bore rifles. Cadets are taught to fire .22 caliber rifles and .177 air rifles. The Cadet program focuses on groupings the objective of which is to place several shoots within a small diameter of each other, ideally less than 10 mm. This program begins in Level One with a familiarization program and is continued as optional training culminating in several inter-unit competitions. Hearing protection and safety glasses are provided and required.

The Cadet Marksmanship Program is a tri-service (Army, Sea, Air) training activity designed to ensure that all cadet units have the opportunity to participate in a marksmanship competition on an equal level. The cadet marksmanship program is centred on the sport for recreational purposes only. Completive shooting is an integral part of Cadet training in that it teaches Cadets self-discipline, builds their confidence and allows them to compete equally in a sport that is gender neutral.

The Aims of the Marksmanship program are:

To enhance the mandatory Marksmanship training at the cadet unit
To improve cadets’ skill level in Marksmanship
To encourage cadet participation in Marksmanship and
To assist in the identification of cadets for marksmanship and coach training.

Marksmanship and biathlon are two of the most popular activities in which sea, army, and air cadets participate. The benefits the cadets reap from participating in the sport have long been recognized as enhancing personal development. Cadets experience a sense of achievement and personal satisfaction as their skill improves. Acceptance of responsibility and gaining a healthy respect for firearms are other benefits derived from cadet marksmanship training.

Safety is paramount to the cadet marksmanship programme. Safety procedures are taught first and foremost to cadets before they are ever permitted to handle any air rifle or small bore rifle. Safe practices are continuously reinforced throughout their training. Furthermore, the training is regularly reviewed and modified in order to ensure the safety guidelines and training standards set by the Department of Justice through the Canadian Firearms Centre are strictly adhered to and enforced. Cadets learn to treat firearms with respect and experience their use within the context of activities sanctioned by Sports Canada. There has never been an incident in which cadets have been injured as a result of their participation in the cadet marksmanship program.

The cadet organization provides youth a realistic outlook on firearms by teaching them the proper use and safe handling of firearms for recreational purposes only. Cadets who participate in competitive shooting understand the consequences of the careless handling of firearms, and have chosen to pursue their interest in marksmanship in terms of achieving personal satisfaction in an Olympic sport.

3 Striker cadets use the Daisy 853C air rifle that fires a .177 calibre pellet and has a round aperture sight. Because of the low muzzle velocity, the Daisy 853C is not classified as a firearm under federal legislation.

Orienteering

Orienteering team will consists of single cadets or teams of 2, navigating around a plotted course, marking punches in order or in the fastest time. Orienteering is a sport which matches up physical fitness and map reading skills. There will be weekend and evening practices where we will practice map reading as well as hiking through different terrain to train cadets in identifying hills, cliffs, trails and using that to their advantage when competing on the course. Cadets on this team will also learn the basics of setting up courses and competitions, and the different types of Orienteering courses. Orienteering is held at different times and locations as announced.

Effective Speaking

Effective Speaking (ES) Team is a group of cadets that learn together the rules, techniques and best practices to be an effective public speaker. The Air Cadet League of Canada holds an annual competition. A squadron cadet can compete at the Squadron level to represent their Sqn provided they do not age out before nationals. The best cadet, as judged, will compete at the Regional Level. 3 Sqn is in Region "Wing 11". The top scored cadet at Wing 11 competes at the Provincial level. At the Regional level a cadet will receive bronze pin to be worn on their uniform. Silver pin at Provincials and gold at Nationals. More about ES here.

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