By Lauren Barbour
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On Jan. 26, cadets from the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) program competed in a drill meet at Kaimuki High School, the third of four that they’ll be participating in this year. Although they’ve been competitive in previous events, this time they focused on having more experienced cadets help out rather than just performing well.
At the event, the exhibition without arms team won third place, while color guard received fifth. “I think we were original and I think our hard work paid off,” said Junior Andrea Thayne, who lead the exhibition without arms. Freshman Brandee Schiller lead the color guard team and commented afterwards, “It was so fast. One minute we’re there marching, next minute we’re back (at the starting point).”
Leading up to the competition, some cadets took part in preparing. “One thing we’ve done this year for this competition is we wanted our leadership out there, whether they’re competing or not, because our drill team got really small,” said Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Schiller. The drill team increased in size after getting their leaders more involved, with cadets who are used to competitions helping the others prepare.
Up to a month before the drill meet, several cadets who had competed before helped lead practice. From Monday through Thursday, those participating in different categories like color guard or exhibition would break up into their groups and practice by performing what they’d do in the real event. “It’s like practicing baseball by actually playing the whole game,” explained First Sergeant Reinaldo Gonzalez Ruiz.
Despite their success, the focus was not just on returning with a trophy. Schiller said, “It’s more about leadership, that a cadet can go out there and train with these kids for maybe 20 times before the competition, and they do the very best they can, that’s what we ask of them, they do the best they can.”
During these drill meets, JROTC cadets were also able to focus on their teamwork and leadership skills. The next time they compete will be in April, in the fourth and final drill meet of the school year.
