Illinois National Guard Cavalry Team Takes Top U.S. Team Spot at Gainey Cup

Photo By Staff Sgt. Robert Adams | Pictured left to right is Spc. Evan Quinn of Ashton, Illinois, Staff Sgt. Michael Gamble of Nokomis, Illinois, Private 1st Class Jacob Bentle of Barrington, Illinois, Spc. Conor Mahoney of Wheaton, Illinois, Spc. William Pitney of Dekalb, Illinois and 1st Lt. C.J. Hardy of Elmhurst, Illinois. The troopers are assigned to Bravo Troop, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Illinois National Guard and competed in the 2023 Gainey Cup, May 1 through May 5 at Fort Benning, Georgia. After five days of competition, Bravo 2-106th took second place and was the top U.S. Army team in the competition, beating out all the active, guard and reserve teams.  

SPRINGFIELD, IL, UNITED STATES

08.11.2023

Story by Staff Sgt. Robert Adams 

139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois – The 2023 Gainey Cup was fierce with 22 U.S. Army and international Cavalry Scout squads competing, but when the dust settled an Illinois Army National Guard team from the 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment was the top U.S. team.
The team from Bravo Troop based in Dixon, Illinois, placed second overall with only the 42nd Brigade Reconnaissance Company Royal Netherlands Army barely edging the Illinois team out of first. The competition was held May 1-5 at Fort Benning, Georgia.
It was another strong showing from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team and the 2-106th Cavalry. A team from Illinois placed third in the 2017 competition, which is held every two years.
The Gainey Cup was named after Command Sgt. Maj. William Gainey, a distinguished leader known for his unwavering military bearing. This was symbolized by the steel ball bearing from an M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank that Gainey carried in his pocket. Through his inspiring leadership, Gainey left a lasting legacy of excellence that continues to motivate soldiers to push themselves to new heights.
The competition challenged Cavalry Scout Troopers to demonstrate their competence, physical and mental stamina, and competitive spirit. Events included various public demonstrations, land navigation, knowledge of various weapon systems, physical and mental tests, and it culminates with the final charge.
“It is a huge morale boost for everyone to show that even National Guard teams can go out there and compete with the best,” said Capt. James T. Watkins of Davenport, Iowa, Commander of the Bravo Troop 2-106th Cavalry Regiment. “We sent a team in 2017 and we placed third. Then they brought a lot of lessons back and that's how we've developed all of our training plans.”
Watkins said with the 2023 Gainey Cup, the unit did their own internal tryouts.
“It was a huge test for these guys. It was tough, realistic training and we thought it would be. These Soldiers outperformed the best that there was,” said Watkins.
Staff Sgt. Michael Gamble of Tacoma, Illinois, said the train up with the Warrior Training Center in Fort Benning, Georgia, was a confidence builder for the team to prep and get ready.
“I felt like we had a solid squad going into the competition and all the guys I was working with were highly motivated,” said Gamble. “We put in a good amount of work for the short amount of time that we had to work with during the train up.”
Gamble said it was the team’s spirit, drive and desire to go out and represent the National Guard that led to the team’s success.
“You know, throughout my career, whether it's been on deployments or schools or anything else, there's almost this lack of an expectation for the National Guard and I think every time you can disprove that, it really helps us as an organization,” said Gamble.
Spc. William Pitney, of DeKalb, Illinois, said he found maintaining momentum was difficult across the competition because the competitors were faced with varying levels of tests throughout each day of competition.
“Just making sure you could maintain the momentum and keep pushing through each event was pretty strenuous,” said Pitney. “It's a massive physical and mental challenge because not only are you pushing super hard during some events, but some of those are also technically challenging at the same time.”
Spc. Evan Quinn of Ashton, Illinois, said he found the competition to be an awesome test of not only scout skills, necessary scout skills, but also unit cohesion and working as a team.
“I think it says a lot about our unit. We have a high standard we hold ourselves accountable to as Bravo Troopers and we maintain that standard across the board,” said Quinn.

• Date Taken: 08.11.2023
• Date Posted: 08.11.2023 15:05
• Story ID: 451220
• Location: SPRINGFIELD, IL, US