On November 7, from the early morning hours, nearly 150 students from uniformed classes competed at the training facility of the 23rd Artillery Regiment, representing schools from Lubań, Zgorzelec, Rakowice Wielkie, Dobrodzień and Lubomierz.
The first event was air-rifle shooting. The young competitors fired from a prone shooting position, using a support, at a target featuring a bust with scoring rings, from a distance of 50 metres. After three practice shots, the next five were scored.
After the shooting, the teams had to complete a 5-kilometre cross-country course. The route, marked out through woodland, included numerous obstacles and steep climbs. The final standings were determined by the total number of points earned in the shooting and cross-country events.
The team classification was won by the delegation of the Zespół Szkół Ponadgimnazjalnych im. Kombatantów Ziemi Lubańskiej in Lubań. Students from the Zespół Szkół Ponadgimnazjalnych in Dobrodzień took second place, while third place went to the team from the Zespół Szkół Ekonomiczno-Technicznych im. Kombatantów Ziemi Lwóweckiej in Rakowice Wielkie.
The reserve soldiers then took part in the competition. Members of the Związek Żołnierzy Wojska Polskiego, the Stowarzyszenie Byłych Żołnierzy 62 Kompanii Specjalnej „Commando” and the Bolesławiec branch of the Stowarzyszenie Polskich Artylerzystów competed in military pistol shooting.
Several dozen participants remembered the shooting-range facilities well, as they had spent a great deal of time there while serving. Judging by the shooting results, that time had been put to good use. The best result—48 out of a possible 50 points—was achieved by reserve colonel Edward Mazur, a member of the Stowarzyszenie 62 KS „Commando”. He was followed by senior staff warrant officer reserve Jan Chojnacki, a former soldier of the 23rd Artillery Brigade and now the bandmaster of the Bolesławiec municipal orchestra. Third place went to former 62 KS commando reserve lieutenant colonel Edward Mroczek.
After the competition, the commander of the 23rd Artillery Regiment, acting lieutenant colonel Tomasz Lisiecki, presented the winning uniformed-class delegation with the perpetual cup. Then senior staff warrant officer reserve Bogdan Fijałkowski, vice-president of the Stowarzyszenie Byłych Żołnierzy 62 Kompanii Specjalnej „Commando”, and reserve colonel Henryk Harkot, president of the Bolesławiec branch of the Stowarzyszenie Polskich Artylerzystów, honoured the winners of the reserve soldiers’ shooting competition with Brown Bear statuettes and material prizes funded by the Stowarzyszenie „Commando”.
The competition was organised by the Stowarzyszenie Byłych Żołnierzy 62 Kompanii Specjalnej „Commando”, the 23rd Silesian Artillery Regiment and the Bolesławiec branch of the Stowarzyszenie Polskich Artylerzystów.
The competition for soldiers and students of military classes was attended by pupils from the Powiatowy Zespół Szkół i Placówek Specjalnych in Bolesławiec. Once again, the commandos and artillerymen prepared competitions and sports activities for them, followed by soldiers’ pea soup. The commandos also prepared gifts and material prizes for them, while the smiles on the children’s faces were the best thanks for the soldiers’ kindness.
kpt. Remigiusz Kwieciński/ii