Students from S&L defense classes rally at the Gergy Joint Oil Base. – info-chalon.com – All the news on Grand Chalon and Saône-et-Loire

Totally in line with the interdisciplinary and multi-year pedagogical and educational projects, linked to defense and security, the BPIA, the sponsoring military unit, organized with partner schools, a Rally day for cadets from defense classes.

The Saône et Loire department currently has 23 defense classes, 18 took part in this day at the Gergy oil base, which represented around 400 people including students, chaperones and base soldiers.

 

The defense classes coming from Charolles, Paray-le-Monial, Le Creusot, Fontaines, Givry, Davayé, Mâcon, Chalon sur Saône, Montceau-les-Mines, Sennecey-le-Grand, Tournus, Louhans and Digoin were welcomed in the morning at the base in order to participate to the rise of the colors, a strong act which allows all those who participate to come together around the republican symbol that is the tricolor flag.

 

Lieutenant-Colonel Ronan Cottin took command and addressed all the young people, reminding them that the important thing is a good state of mind, general good humor, respect for everyone, cohesion… Cohesion: a word that is dear to him and he began his welcome speech thus: ” cohesion, I went to see in my Larousse the definition: properties of a whole made homogeneous because all the parts are united. It assumes the primacy of the collective thanks to the best complementarity of individual qualities HAS”. The lieutenant-colonel then turned to the team captains, telling them that everything rested on their shoulders: choice to designate the best for the workshop, the event in question, to rotate your team, to be a good manager. He called on young people to show rivalry, to be in competition but to see it as an incentive to work and surpass oneself.

The young people in the defense classes had 8 tests to complete in a given time, very limited, hence rigor, discipline, listening and respect for the workshop leader, other teams, being united.

« The objective of this day was the trophy, I declare open the first edition of the 2026 defense class rally » the conclusion Lieutenant-Colonel Ronan Cottin.

 

Captain Treuillet thanked all those present, the guides, the young people and the BPIA for its support and for welcoming them to this sensitive site during this day. He also thanked the sports office and Lieutenant-Colonel Cottin, organizer of this day.

After some practical instructions and a reminder of the authorized areas, all the teams headed to the location where the tests took place.

 

On this day, we could note the presence of François Prévost president of the Maison de la Résistance et de la Libération du Chalonnais Association, Joe Arnoult administrator of the National Order of Merit, members of the Historic association with their collector vehicles.

The tests:

 

Atelier 1 : throwing grenades, finally fake grenades, consisted of throwing a grenade in one of the circles arranged at different distances. Putting in the furthest circle earned the most points.

 

Atelier 2 : History Geo MCQ, not necessarily the easiest for young schoolchildren.

 

Atelier 3 : Shooting a Willis jeep over 25m in the shortest possible time. An event with 4 or 5 shooters depending on whether it was a middle school or a high school.

 

Atelier 4 : the pumps workshop, 10 participants per class. An event that requires a little arm strength and good physical condition!

 

Atelier 5 : A questionnaire on France, it was better that all members of the team participate to find the right answers.

 

Atelier 6 : You had to aim well to hit the target with the laser gun, it wasn’t as easy as in the films! 9 shooters per group to try to score points.

These 6 workshops kept the young people busy throughout the morning and in order to help them discover the campaign life of our armies, military meal rations were distributed to them at midday.

 

A real discovery for many with learning how to assemble equipment such as the solid alcohol pocket stove, also a discovery of the quality of meals and the content of combat rations.

As in any picnic, we tidy up, we clean, we don’t leave anything lying around, in a few words we make the location as clean as when we arrived.

In the afternoon, 2 collective tests awaited the young people.

 

Relay race workshop : each group was made up of 10 girl and boy runners. To add a little spice to the race, it was not a relay stick but the numbered bib that the competitors had to wear.

 

The other event which took place in parallel is a classic of outdoor team games, it is I threw the rope at him. For this test 4 or 5 students from each group competed, the strongest emerged victorious from such a test.

 

These two events, the relay race and the tug of war, took place in the presence of Philippe Fournier mayor of Gergy, Nathalie Damy mayor of Damerey, Gilles Platret mayor of Chalon sur Saône, Catherine Pierre of DASEN,Olivier Tainturier sub-prefect.

Each team put all their energy into winning these 2 events, the young cadets gave the best of themselves.

Perhaps the hardest test was waiting for the announcement of the results by Lieutenant-Colonel Ronan Cottin after the speeches of the various civil authorities present.

As Lieutenant-Colonel Ronan Cottin announced at the start of this rally: « There will be a winner and an eighteenth… »

 

1er high school Gabriel Voisin Tournus wins the trophy awarded by Olivier Tainturier Sub-prefect

2ème Jean Moulin College Montceau

3ème lycée LEGTA Davayé.

A great civic commitment for all these young people, some of whom will take the path of our armies, the gendarmerie, the police or the fire brigade.

C.Cléaux

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