The Michigan City High School (MCHS) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) hosted a military drill competition on November 12th. The Wolves competed against the traditional powerhouse schools of Portage, Indianapolis Ben Davis, and Romeoville, IL. They earned a 2nd place trophy in the Armed Regulation category, and finished third in Unarmed Regulation, Unarmed Exhibition, and Armed Exhibition. The University of Notre Dame Navy/Marine ROTC provided the judges.
“This is early in the year to host a drill meet, but our cadets rose to the challenge and represented our school well,” said Senior Marine Instructor Major Tom McGrath. Despite the usual heavy commitments around Veterans Day, the kids still put in the hard work to be ready for this meet. It takes a special young man or woman to make it to school at 5:45 am for practice daily.”
Master Sergeant Jeff Benak, the Marine Instructor, also noted the cadets’ flexibility to adapt to different events. “Since our gym supports all winter sports, it is tough to obtain a date later in the year but before the MCJROTC Sectional Championship. Our cadets didn’t complain. They just put in the extra work required to be competitive against some good schools.”
The Sectional Championship is scheduled for Jan 14th at Portage. The Wolves will have to finish in the top 3 to qualify for the Regional Championship at Reading High School in Pennsylvania. The top three finishers there will compete for the MCJROTC championship in Washington, DC in April. Those trips, like all MCJROTC activities, are done at no cost to the school or student. They are funded by the Marine Corps.