Our men’s JROTC Raider Challenge Team has reclaimed the national championship, and our women’s team made their mark in the Masters Division.
Congratulations to our Raiders on taking their victory in the 2024 Army Challenge division championship Friday at Fort Knox.
Members of the team are: Stuart Joynt (SR, Team Captain), Avery Hess (SR), Thomas Lovings (SR), Gunner Hanson (SR), Ryan Turley (SR), Daniel Woods (SR), James Scarborough (SR), Danny Barr (JR), Dean Cherry (JR), Sean Stamper (JR), Joshua Collins (JR), Yefri Mejia (SO), Louis Hall (SO), Zachary Andreasen (FR), and Peter Salvadori (FR).
The Raiders competed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. head-to-head against 50 other male teams representing all eight JROTC brigades, with teams from New York to Arizona and even as far away as Guam.
Their stats were as follows:
-1st place in the Gauntlet. (1-mile obstacle course race including a 12-foot and 8-foot wall)
-1st place in the 5K mountain race (a brutal cross country course run in boots and fatigues)
-1st place in the Physical Team Test (1-mile obstacle course race with various stations including 100-pound atlas stone lifts)
-2nd place in the Cross Country Rescue (3/4-mile obstacle course race carrying 35-pound ruck sacks and a weighted litter, with a basic first aid test at the end)
-3rd place in the One-Rope-Bridge (90′ river traverse with rope)
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, our females competed in the Masters Division, beginning with a Battle Fit (physical fitness) test on Friday. On Saturday, they placed 4th in the Gauntlet, and 5th in the 5K, PTT, and ORB.
Because of this top 5 overall placement, they qualified to continue on with the Ultimate Raider buddy team event on Sunday morning, which was a 3-mile obstacle course race with a 25m swim, completed by Rori Cooper (JR) and Jessica Kidd (JR).
“This was a strong showing for their debut in the Masters division, which is mostly populated by the military schools, military college preparatory academies and on-post high schools across the U.S.,” said LTC Thomas Krupp.
In all, more than 300 teams and 5,000 cadets participated in the 3-day competition.
“Our cadets enjoyed the frequent rotary aircraft flyovers, demonstrations from the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team, 101st Airborne, and displays from all military branches, the military academies and college ROTCs,” Krupp said. “The support of our Army Cadet Command JROTC staff was fantastic. We also enjoyed great support from our parent chaperones. Without their agreeing to spend 3 nights with teenagers, we would not have been able to go, let alone compete at the level required.”
Krupp praised the support the program receives both the school, district, and community. “Thank you all for your support of our program and student cadets,” he said. “It takes a community of advocates to have and maintain nationally ranked teams.”
