Last weekend, two of the JROTC teams, the Blue Angels and Blue Guard, competed in the Army Cadet Command National JROTC Drill Team Championships in Kentucky. The Angels competed in the unarmed championships and the Guard competed in the armed championships, both coming out first in the nation.
“It feels just like it should,” Lucia Gutierrez, senior, said about winning the competition. “We’ve worked hard for this and deserve it.”
This award is especially gratifying for the team because of the recent departure of JROTC commanders Lt. Col. Blake and Sgt. Chavan. Some of the team are unsure of the impact the loss might have had on their performance.
“I can’t say if we would have done better or worse, but we did it for them [Blake and Chavan] and that motivated us to do our best,” Gutierrez said.
The award and recognition have come after ROTC members put in many long hours of training and practice, which showed in their performance. The recent events that could have caused members to lose their edge actually motivated them to work harder.
“Our performances were nothing short of perfect,” Gutierrez said. There was nothing she thought they could have done better or differently that would have improved the outcome.
Obviously, the judges agreed with her.
