The sound of the in-sync footsteps and the echo of the commands being yelled out by various JROTC teams suffused the room. Nervous glances were exchanged between Legacy’s JROTC members as they anxiously awaited the final results of their long day of competitions. Their nerves racked up throughout the day as their standing jumped from place to place. As they heard the results, a load of tension and relief was carried off their shoulders.
“Each time our name was called for an award, the hair on the back of my neck stood up from the excitement and amazement,” sophomore Zachary Horn said.
On Saturday, February 7, Legacy’s JROTC traveled to San Antonio, Texas to compete in the 5’th Brigade US Army Cadet Command Drill Championship due to their many years of successful competition. After a long day of competitions, they triumphed and won second place overall, giving them a spot in Army Nationals in Kentucky.
“As a team [we] feel good about the results though there is room for improvement,” Horn said. “Our teamwork skills that helped us motivate each other made us successful.”
The team competed in four events including inspection, in which the members were prompted to respond to various commands, armed exhibition, in which the team performed their rifle routine, armed regulation, where the members had to march with their rifles, and color guard, where they had to maneuver around an area and present colored flags.
“We practiced hard [for these events] and always motivated each other to do our best and never left anyone behind.” sophomore Daniel Trevino said.
Anxiously waiting for the results after competing in the several events, JROTC won first place armed regulation, third place armed exhibition, and second place overall from 20 other competitive schools.
“I felt what we worked for paid off and we were so proud of each other,” Trevino said. “Especially for my first year of exhibition, it made me really excited.”
JROTC will compete in the US Army Cadet Command JROTC National Championship Drill Meet on April 11 in Kentucky, competing in the same competitions with a revamped routine and an even higher motivation to win than ever.
“When I heard we got second place overall, I felt so relieved from the long but fun hours of rigorous practice,” Horn said. “We are going to go to Kentucky with even better routine, teamwork, and motivation than ever.”
