On Oct. 27, the Greenbrier East Raider Team took home first place in the Fayette Institute of Technology Raider Competition held in Oak Hill, West Virginia. It was a long and strenuous day, but East’s Raiders managed to persevere and succeed due to exceptional teamwork.

“This is arguably the best we have been able to coordinate and work as a team this year overall,” Raider Justin Yates said, “which well contributed to our victory.”

According to the U.S. Army JROTC, “Raider Competitions are athletic competitions held at JROTC programs around the world. Events take place outdoors and usually consist of individual strength tests (push-ups, tire-drag, obstacle course, etc), distance team running events, first aid events, and some form of rope bridge construction/crossing.” Members of East’s Raider Team all agreed that exercises requiring endurance such as the obstacle course and the one-mile run were the most difficult.

This particular raider force that East sent to Fayette County was the biggest group of participants for a long time. Split into four groups, the cadets navigated courses such as the plate carry relay, cinder block relay, tire relay, and the one-mile run. A tug of war was the culminating activity. All of these activities require teamwork in some way, shape, or form. The raiders were glad to have the opportunity to bond with one another and come out on top as a team, agreeing that teamwork was the most vital element of the day–above physicality, competition, and even victory.

Cadet Michael Yates said, “This was my first raider competition and I am certainly looking forward to the next one.” Overall, this competition was a major success for the school’s JROTC program.