The Laurens Raider Navy drill team faced four opposing schools in its first drill competition in two years Sept. 27. Their journey began early Saturday morning as they departed LDHS for Catawba Ridge High School to participate in the “Rumble at the Ridge” competition, hosted by the Catawba Ridge Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) cadets.
Running from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the competition was divided into three categories: drill, athletics and academics. The drill portion tested 16 skilled cadets on their precision, sharpness and confidence in military movements. Following drill, the team transitioned to athletics, where another 16 cadets—eight male and eight female—pushed their limits in pushups, curl-ups and a relay race. The day concluded with an academic test featuring 75 questions covering historical, political and military topics.
The day was long and the competition sharp.
“For our kids here at Laurens, I think they had a false sense of reality of where we were as a unit and where we could be, because they had nothing to compare it to. So when we actually see a competitive school like Southeast Guilford, it’s an eye-opener to them of where we need to improve,” Laurens NJROTC. instructor SCPOArmond Flood said.
Petty Officer 1st Class Fabian Hernandez agreed.
“I feel like we were subpar compared to other schools like Southeast Guilford; they were like beasts,” the NS3 drill team member said.
The Raider Navy had deep admiration and respect for the opposing units, leaving cadets astonished upon winning third place overall.
LDHS cadets prepared thoroughly for the Rumble at the Ridge competition. Along with the Raider Navy’s twice-weekly practices, on Friday night the unit held a “lock-in.” All 20 drill team members stayed the night at the school to ensure proper readiness with extra practice and rest.
CDR Kevin Borden challenged the team to bring one trophy home, and in return, cadets earned five trophies, which he called “a significant achievement.”
Although inactive competitively for two years prior, the Raider Navy has re-entered the ring of contestants and is stronger than ever before, according to Borden. This season brings hope to the unit.
“We’ve got nowhere to go but up,” Borden said.