By Janice Christie
SHEET HARBOUR: Hannah Glawson was eleven years old when she first became interested in joining Cadet Corps 2610 and did so as soon as she turned twelve. She had watched her brother, Nick, an active member of the Corps, and he motivated her to join.
Glawson, now sixteen, has spent the past five years with forty-five other cadets, ranging in ages from 12-18, attending one evening a week in class and every second Thursday participating in a Sports Night. The shooting team practices consistently on Sundays. Cadet Corps 2610 is under the direction of Captain James Scrivens.
When asked what the benefits of Cadets are, Glawson said, "You become a better leader. As you grow, you get more responsibilities and look after the younger cadets. Senior cadets organize what the cadets do with FTX (field training exercises) where we prepare lectures and games."
Glawson attributes her attitude and drive, in large part, to her parents, Carl and Kirinda, who encourage her every day and to her shooting coach, Michael Asprey, an officer with the Cadet Corps 2610. "Lieutenant Asprey helped me get through each practice and each year. He always believed in me and knew I could make it. He's the one who got me there."
Glawson has attended summer camp for the last four years with Cadets, finishing third in shooting competitions in her second and third summers. This summer, at 16, she returned to spend seven weeks in her fourth summer. At the end of the summer, she participated in three competitions to pick the members of the National Rifle Team. The third competition was the most difficult, running for six days and shooting at distances of 300, 500, and 600 yards.
“The third one is the biggest competition and worth so much and I am proud of myself for how well I did. It is very tiring physically as we carry gear and a rifle and the different ranges can be a kilometer apart. I would leave a half hour early just to relax and prepare."
Glawson shot exceptionally well in the final round, finishing sixth out of the thirty cadets, winning her a spot on the National Rifle Team 2017. "I’ll leave for Bisley, England on July 3rd for four weeks where we will compete for Canada against the British Cadet Rifle Team. At the conclusion we'll return to Connaught to compete in the National Cadet Full Bore Competition."
During this summer's crucial competition, Glawson received the heartbreaking news of her paternal grandfather's passing. "Competing is 90% mental and 10% skill. I just decided I could and would do it for my grandfather, Calvin Glawson. I chose mental stamina and I put my mind to it and if I shot a bad shot I just thought it doesn't matter. I knew I could make it to the National Rifle Team.... but it was going to be OK, too, if I didn't."
