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MCJROTC Drill Team Takes 4th Place in Competition
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Written by Maryann Key, Staff Writer
The Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (MCJROTC) drill team for Newton recently took fourth place at the Parkview High School Drill Meet Invitational.
On February 6, six MCJROTC drill teams traveled to Lilburn, GA, to compete for first place at the annual local meet.
The team took first place in inspection, second in exhibition, third in color guard, and they received third place for first year squad.
“Heritage High School from Rockdale County won first place overall, but I think if we practiced more, we could have swept them out of the competition,” sophomore Chris House said.
MCJROTC Senior Marine Instructor (SMI) Rawley Coleman said the keys needed to be a good drill team are dedication, discipline, teamwork, and confidence.
“Our drill team here at Newton is made up of mostly underclassmen who are in their Leadership Education first year (LE1s) or LE2s who are in their second year, and then the leaders are usually juniors who are LE3s,” Coleman said. “The students volunteer and then try out, and I believe that the team we have this year is well put together.”
However, House said practice is the most necessary thing when going to a drill meet, and they did not have enough practice time.
“Practice is also important in winning a competition. The team needs to have adequate time dedicated to practicing and perfecting a routine,” Coleman said. “Next time, we will be more mentally prepared when going through the motions.”
Sophomore Cadet Lance Corporal Dalicia Gresham said she thinks they did not reach their ultimate best because they were so focused on Annual Inspection, and they did not get to practice a lot.
“There were a few minor mistakes that were made at Parkview. I would be remised if I said we did not expect more, that would be an understatement,” Coleman said.
Even though the team did not do as well as they wanted to, the members still held their heads high, and look forward to their next meet.
“Our next competition is March 6, and it is at R.S. Central High School in Rutherfordton, North Carolina,” Gresham said. “It is a big drill meet and we are defiantly practicing more.”
Coleman said they are excited about going to R.S. Central, and they are going to focus more on the little things.
“We are going to lock more time to practice and work on perfecting our routine,” House said. “We will remove all of the little mistakes, and make sure everyone is focused.”
In total, there are less than ten drill meets that Newton participates in, and this is their fourth meet.
“We encourage our student’s involvement and applaud their efforts, no matter what the final result is,” Coleman said.
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