After spending countless hours preparing, the Carolina Forest NJROTC drill team was finally ready for their first drill meet of the year. On September 24, 2022, CFHS NJROTC competed in the Pee Dee Drill Meet in Florence, SC.

Multiple schools around the state competed in seven routines, including unarmed platoon, armed platoon, unarmed squad, armed squad, freshman squad, varsity color guard, and freshman color guard. The judges for the routines were comprised of enlisted men and women from the Air Force, Marines, and the Army. The judges distributed scores based on the cadet’s appearance, drive, and their routine.

Competition Results: JV Colorguard- 1st, Unarmed Platoon- 1st, Freshman Squad- 2nd, Armed Squad- 3rd, 1st in rifle, and 2nd in academics.

Senior drill team commander Jeremy Meyer shared, “It was our first drill meet of the year, and we put in a lot of hard work in order to get first. We plan to continue working hard to keep the winning streak alive.”

Following the drill routines, cadets participated in a knockout competition with naval science one cadets and an armed competition. A knockout competition is preceded by three preparatory commands, which allows the cadets to prepare themselves and get used to a new commanding voice. Following the preparatory commands a rapid sequence of commands is given and when the movements are done improperly the cadet is removed. 

Freshmen cadets T. Workman and T. Manco placed top three out of over 30 cadets in the NS1 knockout competition. Junior weapons officer, E. Cardinalli placed first in the armed knockout competition.    

Junior Ethan Cardinalli stated, “We had an exciting competition, and to top it all off, I was able to beat the odds and win the armed knockout competition.”

The Carolina Forest NJROTC unit prides itself on being a cadet-run program, but this is not without the guidance of instructor Captain Boyle and Chief Thompson. They both spend countless hours supervising teams, trips, and many other activities. Through this guidance, CFHS NJROTC has received distinguished units countless times over the years.

Senior Naval Science Instructor Capt. Boyle commented, “I believe that it was a very good first effort. I also believe that we have a long way to go in order to reach our full potential. That said, it was a fun competition and the cadets did exceptionally well.”

The program is looking forward to its next competition on November 5, 2022, at Conway High School.