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Cadets from the University’s Army ROTC lead regional high school JROTC cadets through the JROTC Fitness Challenge at the JMA Dome on Feb. 8.

Cadets from ���ϲ�����’s U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) welcomed more than 120 Junior ROTC cadets to the JMA Wireless Dome on the evening of February 8. The JROTC students came from seven high schools around Central and Western New York, and collectively had representation from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps JROTC programs.

The Stalwart Battalion ROTC cadets were responsible for the planning, coordination and execution of the event, similar to what they will experience on a regular basis as officers in the military. Instead of conducting physical fitness events like this one, however, they will use the same skills to carry out their orders in a wide range of occupational specialties from basic administration and logistics support.

U.S. Army ROTC Cadet Gabrielle Scheeren ’24, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, pauses during a low-crawl demonstration to ensure her team of JROTC students understand how to navigate the obstacle.

“Interacting with them helped me reflect on how much I have developed since being in their position. I really wanted them to understand you don’t need to have it all figured out by your senior year,” says Gabrielle Scheeren ’24, an Army ROTC cadet at ���ϲ����� and a junior with the College of Arts and Sciences. “Many of them were surprised to learn that medical services, along with branches like cyber and finance, are career options.” Scheeren served as a team leader for the event, where she led 13 high school students through an intense circuit of exercises at stations scattered throughout the JMA Wireless Dome. The JROTC cadets tackled each station for five grueling minutes at a time, many finding their energy depleted before they had reached the halfway point.

While the university’s ROTC instructors were on hand to monitor the event as a precaution, they remained on the sidelines so the cadets had the opportunity to learn what did, or more importantly, what didn’t work according to their plan. “I was reminded of what thorough planning and preparation can accomplish, as well as the great impact that collaboration and teamwork have in achieving a mission or common goal,” says U.S. Army ROTC Cadet Luke Bonenberger, who is the Cadet Master Fitness Trainer for Stalwart Battalion.

���ϲ�����’s mascot, Otto, played a crucial role in the training event.

“Planning for the event was a deliberate and comprehensive process that spanned over the winter break and involved several meetings with the instructors to ensure the execution of the fitness challenge was seamless.” When it comes to the military, many decisions come down to a single person who is ultimately responsible for the success or failure of an operation. For this event, that person was Bonenberger. As the master fitness trainer, he bore a brunt of the responsibility for organizing and running the event. “As with any large-scale event, we dealt with the challenge of adapting to the high volume of JRTOC cadets in attendance and made necessary adjustments on the fly as needed to ensure a seamless and smooth execution.”

In addition to the physically challenging aspects of the event, which primarily served as a training exercise for the university’s ROTC cadets, the event also featured presentations from the University’s Office of Admissions and ROTC recruiting staff. Since JROTC students are somewhat familiar with the benefits of military service, it’s an opportunity to highlight the significance of ���ϲ�����’s commitment to servicemembers, veterans and their families.

This year, the following high schools from New York participated in the challenge:

• Carthage High School, Carthage, New York
• Fowler High School, ���ϲ�����, New York
• Greece Athena High School, Rochester, New York
• McKinley High School, Buffalo, New York
• Mexico High School, Mexico, New York
• Utica Proctor High School, Utica, New York
• Western New York Maritime Charter School, Buffalo, New York

Two Mexico High School JROTC cadets participate in a fitness challenge event, guided by a ���ϲ����� Army ROTC cadet.

One JROTC instructor from the participating schools brought more than his cadets to campus, retired U.S. Army First Sergeant Xavier Whitehead previously served with the Stalwart Battalion as a member of the U.S. Army ROTC’s cadre of instructors. Aside from getting a first-hand look at the changes made to the JMA Wireless Dome over the years, Whitehead also had the opportunity to see how the ROTC program has grown over the years.

“A lot of times the high school kids are unaware the ROTC cadets are college students; they just don’t see them like that. Not a lot has changed in that regard, ���ϲ����� has always produced quality leaders, and it’s great to come back and see that such a long-standing tradition continues today,” says Whitehead.