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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Fifty-two female soccer players from the University of California Riverside and San Bernardino as well as ten Marine Corps Officer Candidates received their first taste of Marine Corps teamwork training during a leadership reaction course (LRC) aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Feb. 5.
“The leadership reaction course consists of 10 stalls designed to challenge the athletes and candidates,” said Capt. Joshua Roberts, the officer selection officer for Riverside, Calif., and event coordinator. “The goal is for them to learn to think outside of the box. This might be an [athlete’s] first time being put in charge of their peers in a leadership role. And we want them to know how tough it can be when you reach an obstacle that you [cannot] overcome without the help of your team.”
The participants were broken into 12 teams consisting of six members. The first two teams were taught lessons about leadership traits and principles and were given the opportunity to ask questions about the process of becoming a United States Marine. The other 10 teams were assigned to a stall that contained an obstacle that could only be achieved through teamwork and strong leadership. After 15 minutes groups rotated to the next event.
At each obstacle, a team leader was assigned and then briefed by a Marine on the mission and end goal. It was up to the team leader to then brief their team on the mission and to determine their plan to reach their goal. Each group had 10 minutes to accomplish the objective using different traits and input from team members.
As the time concluded, the team leader for that round was evaluated on various leadership principles and techniques. Each participant also discussed weaknesses and strengths in the leadership that occurred during the challenge.
One obstacle was to get an ammunition can and empty barrel across a broken rope bridge without touching various “danger” points.
“This is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be,” said Ruth Moreira, a UCSB junior. “It forces our team to communicate. I like that at each obstacle everyone is given a chance to lead. We tend to just rely on our team captain or one leader during soccer games and this event shows how each of us can be a leader. Everyone was also given the chance to put in their ideas which was new for us.”
This partnership came about after Roberts approached the athletic directors and coaches with an opportunity to focus on camaraderie and small-unit leadership.
“When I heard about this course, I really liked the idea,” said Nat Gonzalez, UCR head soccer coach. “Because the majority of our girls are underclassman and don't know each other on a personal level, we really wanted an event that would help with their cohesiveness in working together as a team. This is the beginning of our soccer season and events like this help set up a foundation of success in the future.”
While leadership skills and teamwork were the primary focus, other important lessons were learned.
“I know we really had to focus on communication to solve the obstacles, but it also built trust within your group,” said Alina Cheatham, a UCR sophomore. “Working together like this and depending on each other brought us closer together not just for the events but as a team.”
This event is held semiannually for Candidates, but including the soccer teams was a new twist to the LRC. Normally this is reserved for officer candidates or Marines going through recruit training, explained Roberts.
For more information on the officer selection process or the leadership reaction course please visit http://www.marines.com/.
| Date Taken: | 02.01.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.05.2014 19:11 |
| Story ID: | 120150 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 76 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, UCR, UCSB athletes take on LRC, by Sgt Erica Kirsop, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
