Midshipmen from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps competed against hundreds from 20 schools and earned a second-place finish overall at the Colorado Drill Meet, held March 7-9 at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
The 30 Huskers were tested on their skills including shooting, knowledge and endurance. Capt. Brian Garretson, Marine officer instructor and assistant professor of naval science, said the meet helps students build connections.
“Events like this allow our students to interact with peers from different units, fostering camaraderie and providing a benchmark for their skills,” Garretson said.
Gabrielle Martinez, sophomore nutritional science and dietetics major from Norfolk, Virginia, was a member of the pistol and rifle shooting teams and the endurance team. Martinez earned a perfect score in the rifle competition, and the team placed second. The endurance race covered a 16-mile course that included a pool portion and a hike up a mountain near the University of Colorado campus.
Martinez, who was the officer in charge for the endurance team, said the team had been training since January. She said the event was an intense physical challenge, and she was most pleased with how the team handled it mentally.
“The training we do here at the university does take us to that mentally uncomfortable spot, so on the mountain we were passing schools that were ahead of us,” she said. “Especially when you acknowledge that everyone’s doing something so physically demanding and it just comes down to who is going to get there mentally, it was nice to see that we were there for that.”
Peyton Weigand, senior economics major from Aurora, Illinois, was a member of the knowledge team and the squad drill team. In the knowledge event, where the team finished third, questions covered topics like history, vehicles and land navigation. Weigand said the team members were each able to specialize in a certain area.
For the drill event, which involves marching unison and executing certain commands, Weigand said the group met at Cook Pavilion several times a week to practice some of the tasks they would be asked to complete.
“We show that we can do it together and as precisely as possible,” Weigand said. “It’s exciting and scary because you only get one attempt at it. There’s no repeats.”
Weigand said it is valuable for the unit to be able to see how others operate and gauge where their skills are compared to other units. He had attended the event before and said he hoped the team’s successes this year would give them a sense of pride and accomplishment, as well as motivation for the future. He said Nebraska’s is a smaller unit but the success shows they can compete with the best.
“It’s fulfilling as a senior knowing next year they’re going to go into this meet with the belief they have a chance to win,” Weigand said.
Additionally, the event is an opportunity to connect with future officers at other schools. Some of the midshipmen competing at the meet will serve alongside one another in the future, and the event helps develop resources for their future careers. Weigand said especially for underclassmen, the event is a chance to learn about the culture in units at other schools and relate to them in a way they cannot to other college students.
“It’s a great way to get connections prior to being in the fleet,” Weigand said. “You’ll have preexisting relationships with them so you can help them out and they can help you out, and it can make going into the fleet a much easier transition.”
Martinez said the networking is a major benefit of the event, and once they are commissioned as officers, the current midshipmen will be able to go to each other for advice on how to lead.
“You have people who have experienced the same things as you, are stressing out about the same things as you,” “It’s nice to make those connections now so when you do get to the fleet you can always reach out and have that support system.”
