An Update on JROTC Sports

The Central Eagle Battalion’s competitive teams have nearly all come to an end for this school year. The four events the program participates in are Drill, Color Guard, Orienteering and Marksmanship Biathalon. These teams have competed against the other OPS and neighboring district’s High School’s JROTC programs throughout the year to demonstrate their skills.  

Back in September, the Battalion began practicing for the Orienteering competition that was held on the 29th of that month where they, along with many other (How many other?) high schools, went out to Platt River State Park to compete. The competition consists of cadets in pairs using their knowledge and skills of land navigation to take a written test and then proceed to run around the course (How big?) and locate points given to them in the form of coordinates using a map and a compass.  

The commander of this team Aidan Marhenke felt that “With regards to the written portion, I think everyone was well prepared for [it]. As for the actual land navigation, it’s something that only comes with experience.” Cadets are not allowed to practice on the course at Platt River prior to the competition.  

Marhenke also remarked that inclement weather on the day of the competition factored into the quality of the overall performance from the cadets. 

Following the Orienteering season began the Drill and Color Guard season. Alternating mornings in the gym, cadets practice marching in formation with exact precision and unity for Drill and work to master swiftly and efficiently presenting the American and State flag in a four-man formation for Color Guard. Both events are attempted to be done in perfect unison.  This equates to eighty minutes a week for each team to practice, which puts them at a severe disadvantage compared to other schools. Both teams competed in three competitions at Abraham-Lincoln High School, Papillion-La Vista High School and UNO. 

“I wish we had more time and… other groups respected the fact that we need to be able to hear the commands,” Varsity marcher Alexis Hooper. Often, the gym is shared by the baseball team and the dance team, creating much background noise.  

In February, the marksmanship team went to South to compete in the annual biathalon. This event consists of a mile run separated by intervals of shooting. The goal is to finish as fast as possible with the best shooting score. Central took third place.