‘I found new heights’: La Ronge teens return from Bold Eagle program
It was an experience like no other for two teenagers from La Ronge who attended the Canadian Armed Forces Bold Eagle program in Wainwright, Alta.
Sixteen-year-olds Damon Mariniuk and Isabella Ruiz left town for the six-week course in July and returned Aug. 18. As a member of the 889 Osprey Cadet Squadron, Ruiz said she attended three-week camps at the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range in the past, but it wasn’t enough to prepare her for what she encountered at Bold Eagle.
“A lot of the friendship I made there I know are going to last a lifetime, because we were all together for six weeks doing so many things we never thought we could do,” she said. “I had to pull my weight. I had to put in more effort than a lot of people because of my small stature. It pushed me to my limits and I found new heights.”
Ruiz described long days at Wainwright with participants waking up at 5 a.m. and sometimes not going to sleep until midnight. She also noted physical activity was a focus of Bold Eagle, adding there was a lot of running and marching. Being physically fit promotes self-confidence, Ruiz explained, stating staff told her they were being trained like soldier to be deployed overseas.