Drill Teams Win Big in Harrisonburg

The Caissons traveled to Harrisonburg, Va this weekend for the annual Blue Streak Invitational JROTC Drill Meet and came rolling back with a collection of new trophies to add to Fishburne’s collection. The Meet, which included 7 other JROTC units, including MMA, was held at Harrisonburg High School on Saturday October 20th.

Despite the fact that many of FMS’ Cadets had never performed in a Drill Meet before, the teams executed near perfect routines and finished the day with 10 trophies, including two first-place finishes.

“We brought home the Leadership Award,” said Cadet Logan Amico, a 10th-grader from Pittsgrove, NJ, “and that was probably the biggest thing…it was the biggest trophy, for sure,” he grinned.

FMS Senior Army Instructor LTC Robert Hunt couldn’t agree more. “The Leadership Award is the largest trophy,” he explained “and its given for exceptional behaior, discipline and respect throughout the meet. I’m proudest of this trophy because it directly reflects how those outside of the Fishburne Family view us.”

For others, like Cadet Brian Draper a 9th-grader from Washington, DC, coming out on top in direct competition was particularly sweet. “It was great being able to compete against other schools and seeing how we compared,” Draper offered with a broad smile “but the best for me was coming out ahead of Massanutten”.

With a second-place overall finish in this, thier first competition of the year, the Caissons came out riding high and looking forward to bringing more awards back to Waynesboro. Their pride was palpable as the teams posed for photos in front of the FMS bus and belted out the school song for all to hear. 

“You have to remember that this was the very first time any of these Cadets had competed together,” noted Hunt, “so this was a truly remarkable feat.”