Team retains Virginia Gauntlet for third time
A team of 250 Royal Marines has returned home from the east coast of the United States having retained the prestigious Virginia Gauntlet trophy for a third consecutive time, having won the first competition back in 2012. Those taking part were drawn from all ranks, with a focus on those from junior levels.
This latest achievement followed successes in a series of sporting events in which they competed against the US Marine Corps (USMC) at its base in Quantico, Virginia between 17th – 19th April 2024 across 26 different disciplines. These included triathlon, shotgun, water polo, boxing, football, rugby, golf and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
In the run-up to the main competition, teams trained and competed with friendly, yet serious rivalry against US Army, Navy, local US civilian and emergency service teams and sports’ clubs.
Exercise co-ordinator Major Wayne Grounsell. Inspector of Physical Training Royal Marines and Secretary RM Sports Association at CTCRM in Lympstone, said: “This is an important year for the Royal Marines as we celebrate our 360th birthday so having the opportunity to reinforce our strong relationship with the USMCthrough the power of sport was especially pertinent.
Virginia Gauntlet is an amazing tournament. It demonstrates the importance of sport as a tool to build relationships and develop friendly yet competitive camaraderie with our allied nations.
But it is not really about who ultimately wins the trophy. It’s rather about highlighting and growing that comradeship and ability to work together for which sport is the perfect platform.
Lots of the events were on a knife edge. There were some really close results – the football went all the way to penalties, and we managed a narrow win in rugby, so we are all thrilled that the grit and determination of the Royals brought the trophy home again.”
Although the score lines often dominate the headlines, the true victories lie in raising the profile of team sport and comradery within the Royal Marines, and the benefits on improved morale, mental health and career longevity. Given the substantial cost of training a Royal Marine, this has proved a key in retention. In previous years, as a direct result of Virginia Gauntlet, several serving Royal Marines who had intended to leave, decided to remain in service.
RMA – The Royal Marines Charity is an integral part of all Royal Marines Sports’ Association, managing the annual funding for its many associations that attract both serving personnel and veterans and, as such, part-funded the 2024 Exercise Virginia Gauntlet III team.