By Emily Waugh
The Newsome High School JROTC Mixed Raider Team competed in the National Raider Competition at Fort Knox, Kentucky, on October 25 and won first place overall in the challenge division. The National Raider Competition is a physically demanding competition that involves over 300 teams from across the country. Events include a 5K run over steep terrain, cross-country rescue, physical team test, rope bridge and the ‘gauntlet’ obstacle course. Fourteen Newsome cadets made the trip to Fort Knox, and ten competed in each event.
The team was led by Raider Team Captain Anna Pultorak. Responsible for team try-outs, training schedules and running practices both before and after school, her leadership was instrumental to the team’s success.
Pultorak stated, “The National Raider Competition was an incredible experience in which our team was able to apply our training and challenge ourselves to our fullest capabilities.”
Practices commenced at the beginning of the school year, and many of the team members even started training together in the mornings over the summer. Elena Kovalick, the only freshman on the team, credited the summer practices for helping to prepare her for the physical challenges of being a raider: “This team feels like a family of brothers and sisters, and all of our hard work paid off when we competed at Fort Knox.”
Half of the team members are seniors, and this was a great way for them to cap off their final year of high school.
According to senior Bianca Sitzmann, “Competing and winning at Raider Nationals was the culmination of my three years on the Raider Team. It was a privilege to compete alongside my teammates, and winning nationals has been one of the most impactful experiences of my life.”
For the other eight members that will be returning to the team next year, they look forward to competing at Fort Knox again in the master’s division.
“Nationals was the best raider event that I have ever done. It forced us to work together as a team on some of the most grueling courses we have ever competed on,” said junior Hunter Wilk, one of the members who plans to return next year.
For more information on the Newsome JROTC, contact Lt. Col. (retired) JROTC senior Army instructor Eric Deal at eric.deal@hcps.net.
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