MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – After multiple tiers of competition and several months of preparation, two teams have prevailed in the 2009 National Cadet Competition, held July 9-13 at Linfield College and Evergreen Air & Space Museum in McMinnville, Ore.
Two teams earned the right to hoist the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Sweepstakes Trophy in victory: Northeast Region’s color guard and Rocky Mountain Region’s drill team. Winners were announced at an awards banquet July 12 at Evergreen Air & Space Museum.
“Although competition champions have been chosen for this event, everyone involved in this competition are winners,” said CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter. “It takes intense dedication and skill to reach the national competition. They should all be proud of their efforts.”
Cadets demonstrated their skills in events that involve precision, including innovative and standard drill movements, indoor and outdoor posting of the American flag and creativity and knowledge of aerospace-related topics, including a written exam and panel quiz, as well as physical fitness challenges involving volleyball and a mile run.
Each of CAP’s eight regions was represented by a four-person color guard and a 13-person drill team. Cadet drill teams and color guards earned the right to attend this prestigious national competition by winning local, state and regional competitions.
Inspections and drill competition were judged by the Air Force Honor Guard. Volleyball professionals judged the volleyball competition according to USA Volleyball Domestic Indoor Competition rules.
Members of the winning teams:
Northeast Region Color Guard
NEW YORK
- Jackson Heights: Cadet Staff Sgt. Albaro Pillco
- Bayside: Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Macrini
- Fresh Meadows: Cadet Airman 1st Class Jason Chan
- Corona: Cadet Master Sgt. Zin Han
Rocky Mountain Region Drill Team
UTAH
- Alpine: Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Jared Healey
- East Layton: Cadet 1st Lt. Cassie Carlisi, Cadet Capt. Sean Carlisi
- Highland: Cadet 1st Lt. Rachel Niedfeldt
- Logan: Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Stefani Lewis
- Murray: Cadet Capt. Arielle Weeks
- Nibley: Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Zach Hopkins; Cadet Capt. Brayden Mickelson
- Park City: Cadet Capt. Cheston Newhall
- Pleasant Grove: Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Richard Luby
- Providence: Cadet Master Sgt. McKelle Tobey
- Salt Lake City: Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Joseph Goldberg, Cadet 2nd Lt. Grant Taylor
- West Jordan: Cadet 1st Lt. Cole Christensen
The National Cadet Competition is one of 30 National Cadet Special Activities being sponsored by CAP across the nation this summer. These activities allow cadets to hone their skills in a variety of areas, including search and rescue, flight and emergency services, science, leadership fundamentals, citizenship and military courtesies, and to explore aerospace technology and aviation careers. In 2008, 1,064 youth participated in CAP-sponsored summer activities.
Through its cadet program, CAP builds strong citizens for the future by providing leadership training, technical education, scholarships and career education to young men and women ages 12 to 20.
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 56,400 members nationwide. CAP performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 91 lives in fiscal year 2008. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the more than 22,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 67 years. For more information on CAP, please visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com.
-30-