Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Fred Gray IV | 251004-N-TI693-1198 SAINT PAUL, Minn. (Oct. 4, 2025) - Electronic's Technician 1st...... read more read more
SAINT PAUL, Minn., Oct. 4, 2025 - Sailors assigned to the Navy Talent Acquisition Group Northern Plains volunteered at an annual Junior Reserve Officer Corps. competition at Harding Senior High School, Saint Paul, Minn., Oct. 4, 2025.
The volunteer Sailors were also joined by local Army National Guard recruiters and acted as referees for the seven separate sporting events of the competition that was comprised of six JROTC units from the Army, Marine Corps., Navy, and Air Force from Minnesota and one from North Dakota.
“It truly was a privilege to be able to come out and volunteer, and be able to interact with these young men and women from the various JROTC programs,” said Electronics Technician 1st Class Tarwon Koah, assigned to NTAG Northern Plains and recruiter in charge of Navy Recruiting Station North Saint Paul. “They may very well be the future of our military and to be able to come out and interact with them in a fun, safe, competitive environment allows us to witness their military pride and at the same time mentor and guide them in a relaxed atmosphere.”
The competition is known to the participating JROTC units as the Great Northern All Team Sport competition, or GNATS, and is in its 18th year.
“GNATS has an almost 20-year history here at Harding Senior High contributing to fond memories for past cadets and instructors alike,” said Retired Chief Machinist’s Mate (Auxiliary) John Dinnetz, naval science instructor at Harding High School, and one of the lead planners for this year’s competition. “Cadets are able to gain a closer bond with their fellow cadets from across other units and military disciplines which ultimately fosters the foundation for teamwork and unity that our United States military is known for.”
Throughout the competition the cadets were able to participate in a variety of team sporting events that included flag-football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, kickball, dodgeball, and tug-of-war.
“This is something that the instructors and cadets take very seriously every year, and we often practice and plan months in advance to see if we can outperform our counterparts from the other units,” said Dinnetz. “This year Fargo South High School’s Air Force JROTC was the overall winner, and took home the GNATS ‘busted ball’ trophy for the second year in a row.”
The JROTC units that took part in this year’s GNATS competition are; Colon Powell Leadership Academy Army JROTC, Como Park Senior High School Marine Corps JROTC, Harding High School Navy JROTC, Washington Technology Magnet High School Navy JROTC, Fargo South High School Air Force JROTC, and Johnson Senior High School Air Force JROTC.
“All of the cadets performed admirably amongst the steep competition from all of the units,” said Dinnetz. “We look forward to next years competition where I hope to bring the “busted ball” back to Harding High!”
For more information on JROTC programs please reach out to your local school district for additional information.
NTAG Northern Plains is responsible for the U.S. Navy’s enlisted and officer recruiting, covering 393,000 square miles in the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and parts of Illinois, and Wisconsin.
For more information on NTAG Northern Plains, like and follow us on Facebook (@NTAGNorthernPlains), Instagram (@ntagnp) and X (@NTAG\_NP).
| Date Taken: | 10.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.17.2025 12:57 |
| Story ID: | 551379 |
| Location: | MINNESOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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