(grade) Robert Traitz described the competition as “Unlike any other competition that public schools have to offer.”
The team’s success was partly owed to the great deal of time spent practicing throughout the school year. In the two weeks before the competition, the drill team practiced every day after school from 3-5. Prior to that, practices were Tuesdays and Thursdays at the same time. They even practiced at Shenandoah Park over winter break. The …show more content…
How individual and dual exhibition work are quite similar. They are essentially routines of rifle display, either by a single person (individual) or pair (dual). The participants create their own routine or work with their partner, and then perform it in “the box.” Male unarmed platoon is (according to Traitz) “More just the standard marching.” He commanded 12 people in a standard maneuver, and impressed the judges. That feat was similarly done for armed platoon, led by Kale Zinninger.
“We watched ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Remember the Titans,’ now everyone that is on the drill team is quoting ‘Remember the Titans,’” reminiscences (grade) Carleigh Marrow.
Not only was practice crucial to the team’s triumph, but so was their team building. The trip offered a plethora of chances for the team members to bond and get to know each other outside of school and practice. They were together for two days, and watched movies, ate together, and played games in each other’s hotel room prior to the competition. There was fun and games, which contributed to the camaraderie of the team. This led to everyone being in-sync, which is also something that distinguishes JROTC from other school-sponsored competitions.
“This is definitely different, because it requires...every single person on the team...to have