JMAC

On 7 November 2015, our detachment competed in the annual Joint Military Athletic Competition between the Naval and Army ROTC battalions here at the University of Minnesota. It was a super-fun day filled with great competition, and (most importantly) an Air Force victory. Saturday started off with a competition involving the entire corps of cadets here at the U: the cadence push-up. This competition involved doing push-ups on a cadence; the last team with 6 remaining participants was declared the winner. The Air Force set the tone for the day by winning this competition while showing extreme motivation in the process. 

Next came the warrior relay. This event consisted of a log carry, tire flips, pull-ups, more push-ups, and a series of exercises held in a relay format. After a hard-fought battle, the Air Force came in second to the Navy squad. The time then came for the events in the sports dome, which (as a fun side note) the joint force helped construct. 

 The first competitions in dome were ultimate Frisbee and flag football. The ultimate Frisbee team put up a valiant effort, but fell short due to the numerous substitutions we were required to rotate through. The flag football team put up a good fight, beating Army and tying with Navy. Cadet Lamers was able to go out on a winning record after having captained the team for the past 2 seasons.


After this came the soccer and volleyball competitions in the sports dome and the Armory gym respectively. With true air superiority, the Air Force dominated the skies on the volleyball court, going undefeated and securing the Air Force’s position at the top of the leaderboard. The soccer team also posted a winning record with a victory over Navy one to nil, and 1-1 tie with the Army’s ground forces. Everyone then enjoyed a lunch of Subway sandwiches while the points were tallied. It was announced that the competition was in a tie; a tiebreaker was necessary. The Air Force then proceded to dominate the Navy in not one, but 2 tug of war competitions, sealing the deal for the Air Force’s victory.

-Cadet Beck

Costume PT

On the morning of 29 October, something unusual was happening in the Rec Center Field House. Where one could typically find upwards of 70 gray-and-blue-clad cadets engaged in challenging exercises, stood a collection of conspicuously costumed characters. Det 415’s Physical Training, in recognition of Halloween two days later, was open to as whimsical and ridiculous a costume as one wanted (within the bounds of taste, of course).

 I was the only one in costume upon my arrival at 0600, dressed as a jovial alien, but the numbers promptly increased. Cadet Clark chose to be a convincing Special Operator (complete with beard), Cadet Wells made a timely entrance as Marty McFly from Back to the Future, and Cadet Donahue’s appearance as a 300 Spartan suited his mountainous frame well. From wizards to ninjas to Jurassic Park Rangers, the diversity and creativity on display was nothing short of exceptional. Only one, however, elicited Wing-wide applause upon entrance: As Cadet Hagood swagged down the hallway, the cadets gathered there erupted in uproarious laughter at the sight of his hustling garb.

For PT itself, the Cadet Wing was treated to an hour of dodgeball. The athleticism on display was phenomenal; encumbered though they were, many of the cadets in the bulkiest costumes played the longest and hardest. The matches varied from POC vs. GMC, to Costume vs. PT Uniforms. All in all, PT was a highly effective motivational tool, injecting camaraderie and humor into an often serious activity.

-Cadet Mitchell