SAS: Who Dares Wins S5: Interview with Kirsty #11
Category: Press Pack ArticleKirsty
Age: 32
Profession: Business Consultant
Hometown/Region: London
Background
Kirsty was bullied at school for the way she looked: skinny with braces. It made her a quiet child, but she played up to gain acceptance and was eventually expelled, meaning that she left school with bad GCSE grades. This made her strive to prove herself later in life. She found a career in technology and worked her way up before moving to become a business consultant.
Tell me about your experience on SAS: Who Dares Wins?
Taking part in SAS Who Dares Wins was an incredible experience. I’ve been inspired by the authenticity of the show for years and was thrilled when I had the opportunity to take part as a recruit. The DS take the course seriously and the challenges are more perilous than I thought which made it more exciting.
Did you find it difficult? Was it more difficult than you expected?
Signing up for the show, I knew what I was letting myself in for and welcomed the discomfort that I would endure. However, nothing can prepare you for beastings which go on for hours or the lack of sleep. You need to be ready to go at all times and spend your time constantly on edge. I knew that it could test me and the solution was to get my head down and dig deep for whatever was thrown at me. I would never have quit and before every challenge I told myself that it will end, I will do well and I will be able to put on warm, dry clothes again. I saw each challenge as a test and rewarded myself with an apple that I saved daily. When inside, you need to look for the little things to keep you going.
Were you surprised to find out this course was taking place in the home of the SAS – Scotland?
Yes, I guessed it was going to be heavily water based because we were asked about our swimming ability previously, but I thought we were going to be based on a navy vessel off a tropical island somewhere in the pacific. I couldn’t have been more wrong!
How did you cope with the harsh Scottish weather conditions? Did the weather conditions play a part in how hard you found the course?
The toughest part of the course was the terrain. We were constantly wet from the water challenges and didn’t have much time to dry our clothes or boots so putting on wet clothes in the cold was horrible. The sleep deprivation and being soaking wet and cold all the time was something that started to grind on me as the days went on.
Did spending so much time in freezing water make the course more difficult for you?
Yes. The cold ocean was the most challenging for everyone, but I handled it better than I thought I would. While linking arms in the sea, I could feel the other recruits bodies shivering uncontrollably around me but I still had some time before I got to that point.
You were the first recruits to take part in weapons training. How did you find that?
I’ve handled and fired guns in the past but I wasn’t prepared for the weapons challenge. We were kidnapped, blindfolded and thrown around with heavy gunfire which really disorientates you. Although I could recite the whole weapons training manual off the top of my head just hours before, I fired at a Canadian ally in the challenge because It was disorientating. The tasks prepare you for battle and I commend anyone who goes through that in real life.
Have you ever done anything like this before?
Never!
What made you sign up?
I have an overwhelming need to challenge myself and I enjoy seeking out my comfort zone. I think it’s a shame for us to grow old and never discover what our bodies and minds are truly capable of. I wanted to prove that as a female, I have what it takes to stand beside men and compete in the same physical challenges and demonstrate mental perseverance. I’m also passionate about sharing life experiences and want to motivate and inspire other people to seek their discomfort zone, take risks, harness power and exceed their expectations.
What training did you do in preparation for this course?
I train six days a week so felt I was in my peak condition before the taking part in the course, but my training was heavily focused on weighted runs, pull ups, push ups, rope climbs, swimming and competing in CrossFit. To prepare for the cold and mental challenges, I took cold showers every few days and watched Wim Hoff, The Rock and motivational videos.
Now that you have this experience, would you like to join the real Special Forces?
While I loved the experience and would do it again, I am aware this was a condensed version of the SAS course and the Special Forces wouldn’t be for me full time. I would love to explore more extreme challenges that involve military and survival training though.
What was the best part of the series for you?
There were so many... Abseiling, scaling a navy vessel, Mark’s drag queen bedtime performance, which had us in hysterics. But the best part was being able to prove to myself how capable and committed I was. The sense of pride and achievement after completing a task or making it through another day. I learnt that I am tougher and more resilient than I initially thought. Being able to surround myself amongst others who share that same resilience and passion for pushing their limits was something I’ll treasure. We formed a strong bond in there and although most of the challenges were serious, we laughed a lot in secret at the nicknames given to us by the DS and the times when Pavandeep picked up everyone’s belongings always thinking they were his.
What was the hardest part of the series for you?
When I was voted as the weakest of the group. That was something I found tough to take in. You never know if people vote for the right reasons and I know I was not the weakest of the group. That and being wet all the time. We would all huddle around the fire after a water challenge trying to dry our clothes, wrapping them around the flue pipe and then accidently burning holes in them.
Do you think you found it harder than the male recruits?
No, the other female recruits were incredibly tough mentally as well as physically. I carried a male recruit down a mountain after the log sickener which was tough because of his weight, but I knew I had the energy to keep going and his legs had blown.
I also had the heaviest barrell in the group during the barrell beasting, which was frustrating, but I signed up knowing it wouldn’t be easy.
You had to share all your space with men for the whole time you were there, including sleeping and toilets. How did you find that?
I enjoyed the living situation but the toilet facilities were initially quite intimidating. We would try to do female only bathroom runs but eventually inhibitions were discarded as we bonded as a group.
Were you surprised to find one of your ‘fellow recruits’ was a mole?
Yes! I thought it was Carla because her navigation and organisation skills were surprisingly good. I had no idea it was Jamie.
Did getting to know Jay as a recruit make it difficult for you to have the same respect for him once he became one of the DS?
I have admiration and respect for him and the time he spent serving.
What were Ant, Foxy, Ollie, Billy and Jay like?
I didn’t expect them to be quite so ‘full on’. I felt Ant gave me a tougher time compared to the other DS but I kept my head down and tried not to get noticed for the wrong reasons.
Billy was tough at times but he also had quick wit and hilarious banter.
Ollie was approachable and easy to talk to. I appreciated his gentler side and advice during some of the challenges.
Foxy was also encouraging and wanted to get the best out of us rather than just berate us.
My time spent with Jay was in the barracks when I still thought he was a recruit, I had no idea he was the mole and wondered how he got into such good shape just from riding a bike. Now I know that was a lie!
Would you ever do it again?
Yes, It would be an absolute privilege to do something like this again.