Cadets compete in Fourth Annual Invitational Drill Meet
In the foyer of the Marmion Academy gym, the lines of high school cadets, outfitted in their Army green or Marine dress blues uniforms, wait for their directions, their turn to show how disciplined they are.
The drill teams, usually made up of about 10 cadets, march into the gym when it's their turn. When the drill starts, the team will execute up to 55 moves as best they can, with only one shot to get it right.
For Junior ROTC cadets, a drill competition is about much more than just proving who's best.
It's also a way to bring discipline and accuracy into their lives.
High school students from across the Midwest got their marching orders Saturday at the Fourth Annual Invitational Drill Meet at Marmion Academy in Aurora. Cadets were judged in several categories and on much more than just knowing the drills.
One of three judges, Pfc. Lewis Schrank, said a top team can lose points for its members being an inch or two out of line, fidgeting their hands, moving their heels or losing their composure.
"I'm looking for precision. You couldn't see these mistakes from the bleachers," Schrank said.
Sgt. Major John Gissel, who runs Marmion's drill team and hosted Saturday's meet, said JROTC cadets from nine schools came from as far away as Kentucky and Indiana to compete.
Gissel's drill team marched but did not compete Saturday. But the experience lets the team know where they are at for other competitions.
Marmion's team competes throughout the Midwest, and in May it will march at a national competition in Daytona Beach, Fla. The team also participates in honor guards and color guards throughout the Fox Valley Area, Gissel said.
The team has finished fourth overall in the last two national events, including first-place finishes in Armed Exhibition Squad and Platoon categories.
Gissel added that the experience and discipline needed to drill translates to the academic side of high school. With daily practice starting at 6:30 a.m., as well as weekend practice before competitions, cadets learn how to manage their time and understand that greatness is in the details.
"It is a great influence in their lives. They do a great job," Gissel said.
Of the seven Marmion cadets currently enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, six spent considerable time in the drill team. Another two drill team veterans -- one current and one who spent three years on the team -- will be headed to West Point next year, Gissel said.
Cadet Capt. Ryan Lutz, 17, said he'll take the lessons he learned at Marmion and on the drill team to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., in June. Lutz, of North Aurora, said the intense competition has encouraged him to reach for the top.
"It's a great feeling to be with the best of the best," he said. "It means a lot. The precision and accuracy that come from it have helped with all the great things that have come to me."
Cadet Maj. Tom Stoecker, 17, will head to Southern Illinois University next fall. Stoecker, from Aurora, doesn't plan to continue with the military, but said his experience in JROTC -- the early mornings and time management in particular --will help him reach his goals.
"It's really cool," Stoecker said. "I had never done anything like this before high school."
Competition results were not available as of press time.