For the second year in a row, the Blaze Battalion headed up north to Fort Knox, Kentucky for the Sergeant Major (SGM) Gray competition. The Sergeant Major Gray competition is an annual competition containing JROTC programs from all over the seventh brigade. The seventh brigade consists of multiple states across the eastern United States. The competition holds many different events including drone racing, drill, exhibition, air rifle, archery and robotics competitions. 

   Because there are many events to compete in at this huge competition, the Blaze Battalion only participated in the drill, exhibition, air rifle and drone racing.  

   The first day of competition was all about the Blaze Air Rifle team. On March 8, the team went to shoot at North Hardin High School. The team consisted of a first-year shooter and a varsity shooter team. Varsity team member Hudson MacNeal, a junior, had a blast competing at this competition for the second year in a row.  

“It was so much fun getting to shoot with all my friends and get to meet some new competition,” said MacNeal. 

   The second day of competition was filled with different events for multiple different teams in the Blaze Battalion. In the morning the drone team, also known as the Blaze Blades, took off at the drone portion of the SGM Gray competition. The Blackman High School JROTC program founded the drone racing program at the SGM Gray competition last year. It is the newest addition to the SGM Gray events. Even though the competition is new, the Blaze Blades still took charge and broke records at the competition. All eyes were on pilot Robert Gurnett, a senior, as he achieved a top score of 410 on the skills portion of the competition.  

   Pilot and freshman Jayden Adams said, “I had so much fun being with my new friends and can’t wait to come back and fly next year!” 

   In the afternoon, the Blaze Drill team took the floor and competed for the second year in a row at the SGM Gray competition. Drill is a special team that is a marching unit that performs routines based on military drill. The team competed in all drill events, including unarmed and armed platoon, inspection and color guard.  

   Junior Onix Crittenden, who commanded the unarmed platoon inspection for the competition, exclaimed, “I had a great time getting to know people in the battalion and gained more leadership experience for next year.” 

   To close out the day, our exhibition teams took the floor to show off their moves! The exhibition teams are a bit different from the rest of the drill team. Unlike the drill team, the exhibition team competes by tossing and flipping drill rifles in a routine created by the team captains. The team spent months creating the perfect routine to showcase their talent and hard work for this competition.  

   Exhibition captain and senior Odair Villalobos said, “I had a lot of fun, and I am so grateful I got to spend one final comp with all of my friends.” 

   After the two full days of competing, all the teams headed to the award ceremony. The Blaze Battalion took home a lot of hardware from this competition. The Blaze Blades earned first and second place overall and Robert Gurnett earned the MVP Pilot Award. The Blaze Rifle team received third place overall for the varsity team and second place overall for the first-year team. Finally, the drill team earned a second-place trophy for unarmed platoon.  

    The Blaze Battalion displayed exceptional skill which paid off in the end. Furthermore, this competition created friendships and team-building opportunities that will continue throughout the year. That said, the teams set the standard high for next year, and their peers who are going to compete the following year are excited to step up to the challenge.