文章基本信息

标题：Junior ROTC competition comes to Medical Lake
作者：Amanda Brown, Medical Lake
期刊名称：Spokesman Review, The (Spokane)
出版年度：2003
卷号：Dec 1, 2003
出版社：Cowles Publishing Co.

Junior ROTC competition comes to Medical Lake

Amanda Brown, Medical Lake

Orders being barked out by commanders. Heels clicking together as cadets come to attention. Drill team members marching with perfect cadence.

These are the sounds that soon will be heard on the drill floor of Medical Lake High School, when the Washington 81st Silverwings Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Squadron (JROTC) hosts its second drill competition at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Thirteen units, including more than 400 cadets from Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Eastern Washington, will travel to Medical Lake to compete in events such as armed and unarmed drills, color guard, physical fitness and marksmanship. Units will represent all five branches of the service - Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy and Coast Guard.

A unit's score determines whether it goes on to regionals.

To get ready for the competition, Medical Lake's drill team members get to school each morning by 6:45 a.m. for practice.

Kayla Kirstein, 15, a Medical Lake sophomore, said that during practice, the team "basically learns routines that consist of spinning and doing different movements with the rifle. We learn good bearing, marching skills and a lot of discipline."

Tera Kelly, 17, a Medical Lake senior, said that "Since joining color guard and drill team, I've gained experience, dedication, leadership capability and responsibility."

All this work has a payoff.

"It's really exciting because I get to go to new places and meet a lot of new people I probably never would have met," says Jessica Milender, 16, a Medical Lake sophomore.

"It's fun - along with being challenging," says Kayla Kirstein, 15, a Medical Lake sophomore.

Being part of the JROTC also makes a person feel a part of something bigger, said Tara Toreno, 16, a Medical Lake junior. "It feels really cool to be a part of something our country fought for and to be the first to present the flag that stands for something in front of people."