ROTC marches to victory at weekend contest

There is strength in unity. The IU ROTC unit solidified as a team this weekend as they competed against teams from surrounding ROTC programs in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. The three-day Ranger challenge competition is the premiere ROTC competition of the year and was held in Columbus, Ind.\nIn September, the team started its daily training. Meeting long before sunrise, the memberes practiced weapons techniques, physical training and the 10K Ruck March. In the competition, togetherness played a key role, as competitors were required to finish as a team.\n"We began the year with 47 individuals. Now, we are 16 brothers. "I have never felt closer to another team I have been involved with," said senior team captain Ryan Brennan. \nOf the 16 members, a nine-man team and a five-man team were entered into the competition. The other two members were designated as alternates. This was the first year that IU had enough people to enter two teams. In the past, only one nine-man team has been entered. \nThe annual competition involves eight different events: quiz, weapons assembly, land navigation, marksmanship, grenade assembly, physical fitness tests and a 10K Ruck March. The march is a race in which competitors are weighed down by nearly 45 pounds of equipment. \nBrotherhood and team unity were what kept the Ranger team together as they completed the final event of the competition this weekend. Entering the event in third place, the team had to use every bit of their training to finish the 10K Ruck March in record time. \nSome of the Ranger team members recalled a memorable moment during the competition. As they approached the finish, senior Phil Richards urged his brothers on. \n"Dig down, dig deep. We're about 30 seconds away from the greatest possible feeling," Richards said.\nDue to a staggered start that was based on cumulative points, the IU Ranger team faced a four- minute deficit from the start. Their time of 59 minutes was nearly seven minutes ahead of their nearest competitor, the five-man IU ROTC team.\nExperience from past years was used as a building block for this year's success. In 2001, the IU team placed 18th, followed by 11th place in 2002 and 4th place in 2003. Master Sgt. Mitch Griffin, who trains the Ranger team, gave some credit to the leadership and experience of many of the senior members of the team. \n"Unlike other varsity events, our season is all in one competition. This makes it challenging. But the team has been built from the ground up and our training at four and five in the morning prepared us well," said Erik Hanson, captain of the five-man team.\nWith this season's main event completed, the team met at 6 a.m. Tuesday to discuss their future plans. They referred to the 6 a.m. start as a "late day." \nAt the meeting, they discussed possible plans for a trip to a similar competition in Wisconsin. They will continue training as they maintain a focus on determination and excellence. Above all, they will use their victory as another building block to add more unity and strength to the ROTC program. \n-- Contact staff writer Tim \nCallahan at tmcallah