Medical Lake JROTC is competitive

MEDICAL LAKE - The Medical Lake High School Washington 81st Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps continues to do well in the Cascade Mountain League.

The high school recently became a dormitory of sorts during the weekend of Dec. 14 when 420 students from 16 teams in the league that spans across Washington and as far south as Bend, Ore., encamped in classrooms to compete in a variety of events, from precision drill to physical fitness.

Medical Lake finished first in the color guard competition and second in the armed drill team competition, according to retired Chief Master Sgt. Allen McGowan.

"Overall we're probably third-best in the league," he said. "Color guard No. 1 is the best in the league."

Hosting the event is a "kind of a big deal for schools," according to commanding officer, teacher and adviser retired Col. Lyle Powell, a 26-year Air Force veteran, said.

But it has its challenges. While cadets participate in a range of activities, not all schools do all activities. For example, most schools participate in color guard competition, some - Medical Lake is one - participate only in "armed" drill team with inert weapons. Others don't have an unarmed drill team.

It's up to the hosting school to choose the sequence of movements for drill.

"It's up to them to figure out how that sequence is going to fit within the confines of the area," Powell, who has been at Medical Lake for 10 years, said of the drill space, which was the Medical Lake High School's main gym.

Competitions involve three phases, and each is graded: inspection, regulation, involving the sequence of drill movements, and finally exhibition, where each team develops their own routine.

In the inspection phase cadets stand in formation while judges scrutinize uniforms and ask questions ranging from current events to the military chain of command.

Judges - typically cadets come from college ROTC ranks, and occasionally from active duty ranks from nearby military bases like Fairchild Air Force Base - choose the questions.

While teams are graded, so too does each teams commander graded leadership - things like command voice, calling drill commands correctly and other leadership elements.

"If they call something out of order it's on them," Powell said of the team commander. "The team's basically executing what the commander is telling them to do."

There is also single and dual team rifle spinning, called individual armed exhibition that requires strong upper body strength, and physical fitness competition involving pushups, sit-ups and a 1-mile run.

All are scored.

"Our challenge is we're one of the smaller school buildings in the league," Powell said. "It's hard for us to fit."

Each school in the league hosts once every three or four years, he said.

To advance in competition each school must participate in at least four league competitions. The league championships - held in March at Rogers High School this year - is a competition between the top five league teams.

McGowan was confident Medical Lake would make the championships, if participation remains solid.

He noted that cadets often couldn't participate due to grades, family obligations or conflicts such as participation in sports.

"But when they go on the floor they want to win," McGowan said.

The league champion advances to the national championships in Daytona Beach, Fla. - but the cost is on the school, although some of the military branches may also sponsor a school as well, according to Powell.

In addition to competitions, the 59 members of the Medical Lake JROTC program participate in a variety of community service duties, and are required to log at least 45 hours of documented community service.

Last year they averaged 48 hours of such service per cadet. This year's numbers were unavailable by press time.

Lee Hughes can be reached at lee@cheneyfreepress.com.