Kate Prepares to Up Her Speed
Monday, 24th October 2005
As the countdown to the 2006 Fulda Challenge begins, the U's female competitor is preparing to accelerate her training programme with a supervised skidpan session at Hendon Police Training College.
Kate Balchin, a 25-year old Metropolitan Police Officer from Bagshot in Surrey, can't wait to get behind the wheel and in control of the skidpan car. "I am really looking forward to it," said Kate. "I will try anything at least once, no matter how daunting, and give it 100%.
"Out of all of the demanding activities that I will face in the challenge, it is the driving element that I am going to focus a lot of my training on," Kate continued. "Learning how to handle a skid situation is high on my list of priorities, as will be getting to grips with a left-hand drive vehicle."
Kate qualified for a place in the UK team following two tough selection events held in the UK and in Sulden, Italy. On the first day of the final European selection event, Kate went straight to the top of the leaderboard and remained there throughout. "I was really shocked to have done so well in Italy," added Kate. "I was definitely stronger in some events than others, but overall my scores were really good across the board."
Kate will team up with Martin Yardley, a Royal Marines PT Instructor from Portsmouth. On 28 January 2006, the couple will fly out to Canada's Yukon Territory for the annual Arctic adventure. The pair will compete against teams from Canada, Poland, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Germany in a bid to be crowned as the 2006 Fulda Challenge champions. As well as experiencing magnificent scenery, they will undertake a series of demanding activities such as ice climbing, cross-country skiing, mountain bike racing, chasm crossing, snowshoe trekking and much more.
"Obviously I can't wait to get to Canada, but there is a lot of training to do beforehand. Martin and I complement each other quite well and we are both determined to go out there and do our best. Although I normally don't like to think about winning when I am competing, in this case I think that rule might be quite a difficult one to stick to!"
For further information email fulda-challenge@rbplimited.co.uk
Article Source: Press Release, 20 October 2005