Wright-Patterson Air Force Base -- Volunteers from the National Air and Space Intelligence Center pitched in at the largest Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps Drill competition which occurred March 23, 2019 at the Nutter Center Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
The Air Force JROTC Open Drill Nationals drew 47 teams competing to gain acceptance to the all-service National High School Drill Team Championships held in May at Daytona Beach Fl.
Leading up to the event, organizers from Sports Network International reached out to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the local area for volunteers to serve as judges. Nearly 20 people from the National Air Space and Intelligence Center jumped at the opportunity, ultimately making up the majority of the judges at the event.
“It was important to volunteer for the event as a way to give back to our local community and as a way of showing the best light of the Air Force to future Air Force members,” said 1st Lt David Stamper NASIC analyst and the event’s head judge. “The cadets may only be in high school, but many do go on later to enlist or commission, and we want to show them that we support the JROTC mission and who they are, just as they support us.”
There were ten competitions for the more than 1,000 cadets to compete in, including five in each armed and unarmed categories: Inspections, Regulations, Color Guard, Exhibition, and Knockout Drills. Each event added to the teams’ totals scores.
“Coming from all over the U.S. [the cadets] were able to present the best of the best from their state or region, and it was a pleasure to be able to watch them all,” said Stamper.