The Marion High School JROTC drill team competed in their final event of the regular season in a regional competition hosted recently by Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne. There the Giants faced their stiffest competition of the season, with last year’s Air Force National Champions and several other top-level teams from across the Midwest.
“Concordia is always a great competition to end our regular season,” said retired Command Sgt. Maj. Jon Smith, the Giants’ coach. “The best teams from the Midwest attend this competition as a primer to the upcoming national championships. The competition is fierce.”
Stepping up to the challenge, the Giants pulled in a couple of second place finishes in the color guard and squad armed regulation drill events. Both these squads were led by Marion High School senior Jocelyn Lopez-Gomez.
“It was so exciting to place given we were going against such high-ranked teams,” she said. “I was so proud of our team as a whole.”
Smith praised Lopez-Gomez for her work to help her teammates succeed.
“Jocelyn is a fantastic trainer and leader,” he said. “Her color guard has placed in the top three at every competition this year.”
Senior Jordan Hitchings also earned individual recognition by placing fifth in the knockout competition. In this pressure-cooker event, cadets take to the drill floor to execute commands that are given, under the watchful eye of graders looking for the slightest of imperfections in the movement of the cadets. Any infraction results in a tap on the shoulder, signaling that the cadet is knocked out (removed) from the competition.
One challenge remains for the drill team: their brigade finals on March 9.
“It has been a growing year for our team,” Smith said, “but the season has not yet ended for Lopez-Gomez and her color guard team. They will travel to compete in the 7th Brigade Championship down at Ft Knox.”
The U.S. Army 7th Brigade includes the 250 JROTC programs within the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
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The Marion High School JROTC drill team’s female color guard pulled in a second place finish at Concordia Lutheran High School. This color guard has consistently placed in the top three at every competition. Team members include Evelyn Lopez-Gomez, Jocelyn Lopez-Gomez, Lilly Carter, and Jerrica Cheung. (Photo provided by Marion Community Schools)
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The Marion High School JROTC drill team finished their regular season with a pair of second place finishes. The team has continued to improve throughout the season. (Photo provided by Marion Community Schools)
The Marion High School JROTC drill team finished their regular season with a pair of second place finishes. The team has continued to improve throughout the season. (Photo provided by Marion Community Schools)