Daniel Boone High School’s Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets have been busy.
On April 23, Daniel Boone cadets competed alongside nine other schools at West Ridge High School in the Ferguson Bulldog Raider Challenge. The physical fitness competition was created in honor of Dylan Ferguson, a junior ROTC cadet from Sullivan County who was killed in 2015.
Cadets competed in nine areas, including a log toss, a 2.5-mile ruck march, tug-of-war, a one-mile run, four-man push-ups, four-man sit-ups, pullups, plank, and an 800-yard baton race. The Boone cadets finished in first place in the competition overall.
The cadets also recently hosted and competed in their second annual Leatherneck Challenge.
The Leatherneck Challenge uses the same moves as the Marine Corps Combat Fitness test, which tests Marine Corps cadets on their fitness for battle.
Cadets competed in three components of the competition, which include movement to contact, which required cadets to execute a timed run in full combat utilities for half of a mile; the ammunition can lift, which required cadets to lift a 30-pound ammunition can overhead from shoulder height as many times as they can in two minutes; and the maneuver under fire, which consisted of a 400-yard variety of battle-related challenges including low and high crawls, sprints, ammunition can carry, simulated grenade throw, agility run and dragging and carrying simulated casualties.
The competition was judged by local recruiters from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and National Guard.
The Boone cadets also recently spent some time up in the air.
Cadets were given the opportunity to take off from Tri Cities Airport in a Cessna 4-seater plane alongside retired pilot Bill Powley.
Cadets traveled roughly 25 miles while learning about basic aviation and navigation.
