The Army Junior ROTC (JROTC) drill team at Fayette County High earned their way into the JROTC National Drill Championships and brought home an award for the second consecutive year.
The drill team competed against 103 other top teams from throughout the nation, and received a trophy for finishing fifth overall in Armed Inspection. The national competition gives trophies for first through fifth place.
In addition to Armed Inspection, the team competed in three other events where they finished in the top 50 of the 103 teams competing. The results are as follows: Armed Exhibition, 45th; Color Guard, 25th; and Armed Platoon, 33rd.
Cadets in the color guard usually arrive at Fayette County High at 5 a.m. to practice before school, and cadets in the on the drill team practice after school until 6 or 7 p.m. First Sargent Anthony Bell is also at the school working with both teams as they prepare for competitions.
Parent Don Holcombe notes that the schools that normally win at the national event are out of Texas, and that they hire special coaches to help prepare cadets for competitions. He says what Bell and the Fayette County High cadets have accomplished on their own is nothing short of phenomenal.
“The Texas programs are the paradigm of these events, but Fayette County is setting a new example of how it should be done. Being invited to nationals is a victory in itself, but to bring home a trophy, that is amazing,” Holcombe says.
The JROTC National Drill Championships took place March 30 in Richmond, Virginia.
