Regiment crowned Kings of Construction

Two Regiment teams completed a last minute triumph in the annual Kings of Construction Games on Sunday.

Regiment Team #1 tugged their way to victory in the final challenge in the charity event, an uphill pull of a truck weighing in at more than 14,400 lbs to take the top spot for the day.

And the second Regiment team took joint second place overall after they beat their brother soldiers by just one second in the truck pull.

The winning one-two was especially good as many of the competing soldiers had only finished a gruelling joint public order exercise with the Bermuda Police Service on Saturday.

Winning captain Lance Corporal Donavan Ratteray said: “The Regiment did very well – in terms of general fitness, we were pretty good.

“Some of the more construction-orientated events were difficult, but with the truck pull, we clearly came out on top.”

Captain Larenzo Ratteray, captain of Regiment Team #2 and L. Cpl Ratteray’s brother, said: “This was a great experience in team-building for the Regiment and a chance to display what the Regiment does and why people should volunteer.

“It also shows the Regiment can be fun. We hope to do better next year – my brother’s team beat us, so we want to go one better.”

The Regiment soldiers – some of whom are trained combat medics – also stepped in to help after a photographer suffered a serious ankle injury after being hit by a massive truck tyre being flipped down a course by one of the other teams.

The two five-man Regiment teams faced off experienced construction and engineering workers from D&J Construction - who took joint second place - and Bermuda Air Conditioning in the event, held at Victoria Park, Hamilton and on nearby Dundonald Street.

Regiment soldiers – some of whom are combat-trained medics – also stepped in to help after a photographer suffered a serious ankle injury after being hit by a massive earth-moving machine tyre being flipped down the course by one of the other teams.

Event organiser Charles Dunstan, president of the Construction Association of Bermuda, said money raised from the event, held at Victoria Park in Hamilton and featuring a range of stalls as well as the competition, said the Regiment had made a significant contribution to the day’s entertainment, which raised funds for the construction industry’s scholarship scheme.

Mr Dunstan added: “We moved the annual event into town this year to make it more of a public event and give it wider exposure.

“Getting other organisations involved was part of that. It’s been good and there was a lot of enthusiasm from the outside participants.”

Mr Dunstan said: “The Regiment did very well – they weren’t quite as good at some of the construction events like sand shovelling and block moving, but they are clearly very fit.

“Part of the reason for this event is to preach wellness for our construction guys and the Regiment is a good example.”

A Regiment career offers recruits opportunities to travel, acquire skills useful in civilian life, test themselves to their limits and competitive rates of pay, as well as a $300 bounty for new volunteers. For more information, call 238-1045 or visit www.bermudaregiment.bm .