BY DOMINIC MARION
After an arduous Drill Competition at Dieruff high school, the AFJROTC had their excellency officially recognized with two first place victories and one second place achievement.
The contest hosted hard working AFJROTC groups from across the state. “It was a competition where JROTC units from different high schools around the area go and compete with each other in various teams such as marching in a sequence with or without rifles, honor guard, exhibition, academic, and athleticism,” commented Brianna Palaez, the commander of the Armed Regulation event.
Palaez’s squad went through the most physical examination. “The Armed Regulation is a team performed with rifle replicas while marching in a sequence. Cadets in the team are expected to be well-groomed, keep their bearing, and look sharp. With each movement, such as opening the rifle bolt, switching the rifle to different positions, and marching, they are judged off of timing, synchronization, and being on-step. The commander is judged based off of appearance, memorization of the sequence, and command voice,” reported Palaez .
The team persevered better than anyone they went up against, scoring 98 out of 100 possible points and beating all five other teams. “I felt very excited and proud of my team and myself. We did a great job to accomplish first place,” commented Palaez .
New members of the AFJROTC needed a way to test their discipline, which explained an event exclusively for newer cadets: New Cadet Basic. “There are eight cadets on the team including me, the commander. Since we are new cadets, we form an element, which is a line. The team marches and does stationary movements in our competition sequence,” reported Alyssa Cartagena.
Their movement and coordination training allowed the AFJROTC newcomers to conquer any doubts that came with doing something new. “My team placed 1st. We felt extremely proud of ourselves at how we’ve improved since last competition. It showed our hard work and it felt very rewarding,” said Cartagena, her jump from third to first place in mind.
The next event, Armed Inspection, enlisted both an oral and physical challenge to create a dual responsibility for cadets. “The commander falls in first and calls the flight to fall in and then the commander asks permission to use their drill pad according to certain instruction manuals. Once granted permission, cadets and commander start getting inspected,” said Janvee Patel, the event’s commander. “The armed inspection is similar to a test or quiz. We memorize a sheet of information that we make up and we are asked questions from them.”
Before the competition, Patel needed to get used to leading an entirely new team. Despite this, they scored incredibly high. “We definitely expect to improve next comp but for right now, second seems a great place to be,” said Patel optimistically.
The next test, Unarmed Inspection, honed in on and added to the spoken part of Armed Inspection. “Prior to the formal inspection, the commander calls the flight to attention, reports to the head inspector, and orders the flight to open ranks. 2-3 inspectors approach each cadet to assess appearance, uniform, ribbons, badges, bearing, and ask questions related to the Air Force, AFJROTC program, and general knowledge,” said Malli Kokhal, the commander for the event.
Although the team did not get the placement they wanted, the eventual next competition serves as a new opportunity for success. “Unfortunately, we did not place in the top 3. While this was disappointing this loss encouraged me and my team to work harder for the next competition,” said Kokhal.
Per usual for such a rigorous event, the team needed to maintain a starkly professional tone during inspection. “It can be a little nerve wracking being in front of the judge for inspection teams, but if we make sure we look sharp and clean, answer their questions correctly, it is perfectly fine,” Palaez reassured.
The AFJROTC members know exactly what to refine for future competitions, such as the Piscataway and Bridgeton Drill Competitions on May 11 and 27 respectively. Furthermore, the lessons learned through their training can be applied to all aspects of their lives, even beyond their high school careers.
Posted on 4/17/24
Photos by Dominic Marion
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