Photo By Amy Turner | Army JROTC Cadets from Ronald Reagan High School pose with their trophy at the awards...... read more read more
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Ronald Reagan High School Army JROTC Drill Team from San Antonio won first place in both the Armed and Unarmed Division of the Army JROTC National Drill Championships held May 1 at the Ocean Center. Their exceptional precision and teamwork set them apart, earning them the top spot over 80 other teams in the competition.
Col. Karen Rutka, U.S. Army Cadet Command chief of staff, and Col. Lee Evans, director of U.S. Army JROTC, presented trophies to the teams. In her address, Rutka emphasized the qualities that bring JROTC cadets to competitions at the national level.
“You demonstrated your ability to work cohesively as a team today. You showed your resilience, your drive, and your determination to get to this level. Those are the skills that will take you far in life,” said Rutka. “Whatever your future holds, it will be bright.”
This is the second 1st place title in a row for the armed team. After last year’s competition the unarmed team set new standards for their performance to match their armed team colleagues’ prestige.
Cadet Kaitlyn Cyr, the unarmed team's commander, felt this win was a recovery from their regional competition performance.
"We wanted to show the world of drill that when others have doubts about you, use that as motivation to work even harder and prove them wrong,” said Cyr.
Following their repeat victory, Cadet Carson Hinkson, the armed team’s commander, emphasized that back-to-back wins takes much more than a reputation to accomplish.
“This victory showed that no odds are too great and no challenge is too hard to overcome,” said Hinkson. “It was a goal and through sheer dedication and did what others thought was impossible.”
The competition featured cadets competing in six categories of drill in either the Armed or Unarmed division: Inspection, Regulation, Color Guard, Exhibition, Solo Exhibition, and Dual Exhibition.
Teams from around the country are nominated each year to represent their schools at the national event based on past performance or qualifying regional events held by the eight brigades that make up U.S. Army Cadet Command. This year, Army JROTC drill teams from 30 states and one U.S. territory were represented in the teams competing here in Daytona Beach.
The team's coach, retired U.S. Army Master Sgt. John Tijerina, believes their school’s proximity to other nationally competitive drill teams in the San Antonio area serves as additional motivation.
"It both inspires them and lets them know they have to put in the work in order to stay competitive on a national level.” “This makes it easy for me to push them to the level of excellence we’ve reached,” said Tijerina. “I let my cadets know up front that it takes hard work, commitment, and dedication if they want to win a championship. Nothing worth having comes easy.”
| Date Taken: | 05.07.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.07.2026 16:33 |
| Story ID: | 564723 |
| Location: | DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 26 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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