Interested in joning the Canadian Forces

[NathanC]

Hello,

I'm 15 years old, and I am just wondering about joining the Canadian Forces. I'm in Army Cadets, and would like to take that further once I can make the age requirements. I've always wanted to join the military, after hearing stories about it from relatives. My family has a large military background, my Grandfather was some type of special Canadian unit during WW2, but I cannot find any information about him... all that I can find is that he was in London for 3 years during the war on a radar course... and sworn not to reveal what he did. My uncle actually went to America to fight in the Korean and Vietnam war, he was in the Special Forces (SOG) and did operations into Cambodia and Laos. And my Great Uncle was a sniper for the Canadian Army during WW2 etc.. etc.. It goes on and on..

But my questions is:

I belive that I can do mostly everything but I'm not quite sure about the Physical Fitness part.

I'm not in the greatest shape, I weight 190lbs and am 5'11... I can do the push ups and sit ups with ease, and I am trying to be able to run 2.4 km... are there any tips that someone can give me about how to be able to run between 2.4 km and 5 km? Would biking help?

 

[Korus]

My best advice is to just keep on training.. You're still young and have time to get into better shape before you put your papers in.. Best of luck.

 

[ags281]

I agree with what RoKo said.

I'm assuming you have gym class in school? During that time don't slack off; take it seriously and use the class to go all out and improve your fitness. Oh yeah, and skip stuff like fries at the cafeteria for lunch (if applicable) - if there's no real healthy alternative there, bring your lunch with you from home.

On your own time, try running three days a week or so for at least 30 min. Don't worry about how far you run, so long as you just keep going. You can vary the routine a bit, for example doing a few days of steady running then next time do two minutes hard, one minute walking and such. Before long you'll notice that the distance covered during that 30 minutes will be much greater than when you started.

That's just one approach you could take. Generally, at your age, so long as you are relatively active the minimum standards should be a complete joke. Focus on doubling the pushup and situp numbers, and aim for the exceptional standard for the run. Since you're still 15 you have plenty of time to get to that level if you're not near it yet.

 

[ags281]

Oh yeah, almost forgot: yes biking will help. So will swimming, rollerblading, cross country skiing, or any other activity that involves cardio (most sports qualify).

 

[NathanC]

Alrighty, I am going to try that out... thank you.

 

[NathanC]

I do not want to sound like an annoying little child, but I have another question:

After I complete grade 10, I can join the reserves. Will that take any time away from school? And after I am done High School can I get a scholarship for University or something?

 

[Tracker]

The reserves is set up with students in mind.  One night a week, one weekend a month and fulltime summer employment.  After you graduate from high school, you can apply for ROTP or continue in the reserves and go to university on your own.  If college is what you are interested in, there may be the chance for subsidized college educations.

 

[koach]

Joining the reserves may take away some of your study time but it should not interfere with your education directly.  As far as post secondary education goes, you may want to look at ROTP/RETP.  These programs; however, are very competitive and you will need to be close to the top of your graduating class.  At 15, this might provide a goal for you to work towards.

 

[NathanC]

Ahh Okie dokie... I'm not the smartest person in the world, I am basically average, getting some A's mostly B's and sometimes C's. So I am not sure if I would do so well in a competition against other people. But thankfully my father since I was born has been saving money up for my University. So if I get my father to pay for my University, would I just have to get a degree in anything, and take the Officer course to become an officer?

I'm just intrested; are officers given Browning HP's while in combat zones? And does the C7 fire on semi and auto or semi and 3 round burst?

 

[Michael OLeary]

NathanC

Many of your questions have been explored in previous forum threads. You'll find a search button at the top of the page that will let you do very quick and effective searches of all past postings. You'll find information on officer training and enrolment prograns, weapons (pistol, C7, etc) and many other subjects. You'll also find a FAQ posting in the infantry forum that includes link to a large number of threads on infantry weapons.

This link will also take you to the search page: http://army.ca/forums/index.php?action=search

Once you get comfortable with the search functions and the structure of the site, try to advanced search page to narrow your search to quickly find the specific items you're looking for.

And if you don't find a topic covered, we welcome your inquiries.

Good luck.

Mike

 

[dano]

Just to add my experience with the gym class's at school.

For grade 12 I took two fitness course's for my first semester which comes out to 2 hours 30 Minutes of workout each day. Beep test each week. I was in really bad shape. At the end of the year, I am twice as fit.
So knowing this, it takes some time, but it is worth it. And it worked for me, so it can work for you. Note these are weight lifting class's not regular activity's gym.

 

[Lebanese Canadian]

if u r in the reserves,r u obliged to work full time with them in the summer?

 

[Eowyn]

if u r in the reserves,r u obliged to work full time with them in the summer?

No, but realistically, a lot of the courses are done during the summer.