OASC Review 1st April 2009....I feel the April Fool

Well I never expected much really. After many years of um-ing and Agh-ing I finally managed pull myself together and attend OASC at RAF Cranwell. All the stories aside of big brother watching you with hidden cameras and listening to your every word, I will admit this has to go down as the most daunting thing I have ever done to date.

I arrived on Tuesday night, met the rest of the syndicate and proceeded through dinner and into the bar afterwards chatting and getting to know everyone. Like most athletes you soon work everything into a ranking position and hope to exceed even your expectations. To give you an idea I was placing myself very low on the list after hearing about private educations and weekend getaways with Mama and Papa and captaining the Polo team. With very little sleep as I tossed and turned worrying about the first of many hurdles that I would have to tackle over the next few days . As the boarding officer said " some hurdles can be rocked a little but don't knock any over".

With the first hurdle being the aptitude tests I expected to be going back to work Wednesday afternoon. I am able to most things but tests either bore me, confuse me or both. I have never been able to get the good marks even at the last course I attended the average scores for my exams were in the mid 60's. Somehow I managed to not only pass them but afterwards found that they were not even required for my branch choices. Worrying about nothing. After lunch was the group discussion and the group planning. This just seemed to play into my strengths, coming away winning arguments (on 1. Technology is ruining society, 2. Prostitution should be legalised, 3. We should re introduce the death sentence) and able to take control of the planning of the session as well as provide concise answers for the boarding staff soon had me raising my game and that evening I joined the others in the bar for the music quiz night, which the team eventually finished in 3rd. Not bad when you think I was only just born in the late 70's and the rest late 80's.

Thursday morning, The leaderless exercise phase and led exercises: I never seemed to sleep and with my apatite gone I was feeling very low however after possibly too many coffees I was buzzing again and seemingly throwing out many ideas and easier solutions than I remember. These two hours are a real blur, all I remember is the first exercise I volunteered for and soon realised I had a flawed idea which we were able to rejig and make work. However as I threw out ideas I feel that I may have jeopardised some of the others in the groups exercise and become to commanding. All I remember is that the caffeine wore off rather quickly as we left the hanger and moved onto the individual planning. With maths as one of my weakest areas I was beginning to feel this emptiness inside again and as the wait increased before I was called I really did begin to feel sick. The session really did go well, not only did I plan well but also the contingency was ready for those what ifs. How I just had to wait until after lunch to see if I made the cut. Already we had gone from 24 to 20 at the aptitude and lost another in group planning under pressure.

Making the cut isn't going to be easy, your competing with everyone else and mostly selling yourself. After my name was called I do remember walking through the doors and looking back to see the distraught faces of those few who only a few days before I had ranked above me. I think I was lucky. The last two big hurdles were Medical and Interview. Two where I had no real idea of what to expect. What didn't really help was the phone cal on Thursday night from work saying I started at 2 on Friday, exactly when my interview was on...even they didn't expect me to get this far. I think this may have rocked my confidence a little.

The interview was brutal, it started of pleasant but soon I was lost in my own life, date sand times seemed like one and even in my own head my life sounded boring, so what they thought I do not know. Then came the change I had been warned about, probing questions after probing questions, each one quicker than before and catching. I just remember wishing it would end, everything seemed border line with a small glimmer until my mind went blank after being asked about the 2 new NATO countries. I have literally put the final nail in my own coffin. Never have I felt so low and empty, well that was until after the medical review when I was told that the knee injury I have suffered would class me as unfit to serve, and despite competing at triathlon, passing my fitness test and giving everything to the RAF I would be marked down as unfit and pending selection would then have to undergo a further orthopedic examination at Birmingham. Zapped of everything after a grueling week and then that happens.

Catch 22, selection is dependant on fitness and fitness is dependant on competitive selection with the other candidates. So really all I can say is that in 2-4 weeks I will be seeing the BOSS who will inform me one way or the other of my future in the RAF....Promotion and posting, or IOT. I know where my money is going to be, would you bet on me and my odds?