Eleven Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets from Grambling State University recently traveled to Camp Blanding in Florida for a Cadet Ranger Challenge during the weekend of Jan. 26.
The training events tested several skills that the cadets have trained for. But the object of the game is teamwork.
Grambling did not place, however, the cadets did well for what they trained for.
Forty-eight universities from Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana competed against each other in various events. Schools like Florida State, LSU and Jackson State were just some of the schools that were included in the events.
Teams consist of 11 cadets, nine competitors and two alternates. The participating teams had to have at least one senior, junior, sophomore, freshman, and female. With the diversity of the team and the competitiveness of the competition it was important for each cadet to exemplify teamwork.
”No matter how angry you get with your team, if you want to compete, you have to finish with the nine people you start with,” Sergeant Major xxx Payne said. “You are only as strong as your weakest player.”
Some of the challenges included an obstacle course, triage, a boat mission, and commander challenge. All of these events were wrapped into a 14 mile land navigation challenge.
According to one of the cadets, the 14 mile land challenge gave the cadets the hardest time.
”Everything was a physical and mind game,” said Preston Bowman, a junior who holds the rank of a MSII cadet at GSU.
When a cadet goes to this challenge it gives them a chance to meet other people that they have something in common with.
According to Payne, the importance in this is that the Army feels like when you have something in common with someone, you usually work better together.