St. Martin – Vancleave Air Force JROTC Program set to compete for National Title

Cadets in the St. Martin-Vancleave Air Force Junior ROTC program are heading to compete nationally in Florida.

The St. Martin Vancleave Warrior Fitness Team is all about hard work, grit, and above all, comradery and community. They take those sets of morals to nationals as one of the first-ever Mississippi JROTC programs to compete on the stage. “I was overjoyed. You know, the first thing I did, I told my family once I heard from Senior that this dream was going come true. And then I came together and we told the team and they were so ecstatic to hear that we were actually going to Nationals this year.”

“We’re all a family. As I said before, I love every single person on the team we are so close together.”

The team qualified for the All-Service National JROTC Fitness Challenge Championships through an application program based on the team’s body of work over nine competitions, most notably racking up 20 trophies, including two-first place finishes. “I feel like we earned it like our very first competition we went to, we didn’t take no trophies home but after that, we just started getting better and better.”

“As I said, with a lot of running calisthenics, strength conditioning, weight training, so we have a good instructor. We have a great coach. I’m glad I’m very happy that he’s our coach because it’s good to have someone that is also physically fit and does the workout with us.”

After qualifying, the community has stepped up to fund this trip and the events the team will be competing in. “1.8 mile run on down the beach. Then we have a team obstacle course event. Then it is a broad jump, power ball throws, and then flex arm hang slash pullups.”

One thing is certain, the team is full of warriors with their eyes set on taking it all. “Short term memory loss that’s what we like to say once you make a mistake, just forget about it and do better than next time. That’s my mentality. And win.”

“And take home hopefully a trophy and show all these Mississippi people that it is possible for a little small school for Mississippi to make it into the big leagues and win.”