Brushing away dust particles, freshman Aaron Burkman polishes his leather shoes before his performance during the ninth annual Bear Invitational Drill Meet hosted at Baylor University. He prepares alongside the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, led by Colonel Brooks McFarland and Master Sergeant Lisa Breuer March 24.

Taking home eight trophies, the AFJROTC program placed second in Male Physical Training Team, Armed Team, Unarmed Team, Armed Solo – performed by junior Edward Borgemenke, and an Armed Tandem – performed by sophomore Camden Sipe and junior Edward Borgemenke. Additionally placing first in Female PT Team, Color Guard Regulation, commanded by junior Austin Miller. Cadets also brought home a second place grand overall award.

“The most nerve-racking thing about the Baylor competition was how intense the judges were,” Burkman said.

An Armed performance consists of an Exhibition routine, Regulation routine and, for this specific competition an Inspection event. Unarmed Team is able to execute a military type ‘step team’ performance, along with Regulation and Inspection. Color Guard performances present the colors in a professional manner, while completing a Regulation and Inspection also. Finally, the PT team must finish the rigorous task of push-ups, sit-ups and a 1.5 mile run.

“It was satisfying to hear our school being called for an overall trophy because it just proves that progress is constantly being made everytime we bring a trophy home,” Burkman said. “Every performance opens my eyes to the littlest things I can improve to better the entirety of my team.”

During the Academic portion of the competition, specific cadets were chosen to participate in a 50-question test over military knowledge. Freshman Alexander “Alex” Del Corral and sophomore Brenna Reyes tied with an exact score of 70.

Like many other cadets, Reyes was on multiple teams, including: Academic Team, Female PT Team, Armed Regulation, Armed Exhibition and Armed Inspection. Reyes also earned an individual award in PT for gaining a score of 99 out of 100.

“I honestly didn’t expect to get a score of 70 for my Academic test because competitions aren’t supposed to be a walk in the park,” Reyes said. “Any performance is meant to challenge you, to expand your boundaries and have you finish something you otherwise wouldn’t even try.”

The AFJROTC’s upcoming, and last competition of the year, will take place at Corsicana High School April 14.