Hurling grenades, clinging to rope bridges and running for miles with 30 pounds of equipment on their backs – just another relaxing weekend for some of the University’s ROTC students.
LSU’s ROTC team took first place and two University students received individual honors this past weekend in Monroe at the annual Ranger Challenge, a competition between some of Louisiana and Mississippi’s most competitive ROTC programs.
“What this means is that we set the standard, and everyone is trying to run and catch us,” said Maj. Victor Todd, assistant professor of military science. “It means that the other schools are way behind us, even after we’ve gone through two hurricanes.”
This year the competition pitted teams of ten from six universities against one another in seven events directly related to ROTC military training programs.
The competing universities were Alcorn State University, Nicholls State University, Southern University, Grambling State University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette and LSU.
The teams – made of eight men and one woman each – competed in events including a 10-kilometer run, a physical fitness test, firearm assembly, rope bridge assembly and a written examination about infantry tactics.
Cadet Michele Underhill, construction management sophomore who took first place in the female physical fitness test, said she considered her award an acknowledgment of the training she endured for the competition.
“We do a lot of training,” Underhill said. “We run four- to six-mile ruck runs with 30 pounds on our back once a week and practice doing sit-ups and push-ups almost every day. It felt good to be considered the most physically fit female.”
Though Underhill remained modest about her achievement, teammate and history junior Cadet Jared Larpenteur said her accomplishment was pivotal to the team’s success.
“She scored a 390 on her test when the maximum score is usually 300,” Larpenteur said. “She really came through and helped a lot.”
Cadet Mathew Boyd, mass communication sophomore, also received an individual first place medal in the grenade-throwing competition, even though he was not scheduled to compete.
Boyd is a member of the LSU ROTC program, but he offered to help the ULL team when one of its competitors dislocated his shoulder.
“I was surprised because usually the alternates don’t get to do anything,” Boyd said. “I wasn’t really sure how I was going to do. To win was pretty cool.”
Overall, LSU team members said they were excited about their victory.
“We had our fastest time ever, even in practice, in the rope bridge competition,” Larpenteur said. “As a team we were all really on our game. I’m still on Cloud 9 about the whole thing.”
Larpenteur said the team has received word it may be asked to represent the Viking Brigade in the national Ranger Challenge competition in New York next semester. The Viking Brigade manages all the Army ROTC programs throughout Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and western Florida.
The national competition has 14 top-ranked teams from throughout the country that compete against one another.