Day 3 of the Academy Boxing Boot Camp has provided arguably the biggest challenge all the youngsters have faced to date – a trek to the summit of Britain’s highest point, Ben Nevis.
In what is a venture that a lot of adults could not tackle, the mood of the camp approaching the Nevis mountain range was a mixture of apprehension and nerves. In addition to the scale of the challenge ahead, the heavy rain had already started and was to be ever present throughout the day.
Once the safety brief and equipment check had been conducted, the trek got underway just before 10am. After approximately 1 hour, a short water break was had which also acted as a quick check on footwear and clothing to ensure all the youngsters were as comfortable as they could be. Unfortunately, at this point it was decided that two of the group had to return to base camp purely for health and safety reasons.
The ascent then continued and as the time whizzed by the group was now well into the trekking ‘zone’, scrambling over rocks and jumping over streams. With the initial target of reaching the summit in approximately 4 hours, the sheer determination and drive of the youngsters meant this could be met.
Even with the rain constantly in the face and the cold wind picking up as height was increased, this did not dampen the spirits of the now tight knit group.
With just over 4 hours of arduous trekking behind them, it was just after 2.30pm that the summit appeared through the mist – a quick burst of pace saw all the Camp reach the summit in a remarkable time given the age group and conditions. After a few well deserved pats on the back and photos, the descent started with morale sky high!
With the thought of a BBQ meeting the camp back at the bunkhouse on our return, the pace picked up as the descent continued from the mountain. By 6pm all the group had arrived at the finish point, wet and exhausted but with a great sense of achievement.
With Day 3 now completed Amateur Boxing Scotland is extremely proud to announce that all the youngsters are showing determination in spades, and are giving their all in the different challenges they have been faced with.
Day 4 and 5 are now set to provide more boxing tuition along with more physical challenges and team competitions – look out for the next report detailing all the goings on!
Craig McEvoy – ABS Cashback Coordinator
