Our team this year won 1st place in the Reconnaissance event and 3rd place in the Humvee push event! They were awarded two Guidon streamers at the award ceremony after our team rucked over 16 miles during the course of the competition!
Over the weekend the Blue Jay battalion sent our Ranger challenge (RC) team to Fort Barfoot, VA to compete in the annual 4th Brigade Ranger Challenge Competition! Our team have been working extremely hard since the beginning of the semester to train for this event. They all showed a phenomenal performance in physical fitness, tactical knowledge, casualty care, and teamwork. You all make our Battalion very proud!
Blue Jay RC Team Members
- Atkinson, Christopher- UMBC
- Barua, Alok- UMBC
- Berndt, Michelle- JHU
- Bland, Jacob- UMBC
- Clark, Gabe- UMBC
- Cedillo, Sergio- UB
- Cong, Chunli- UMBC
- Fall, Mohamed- UMBC
- Gudat, Alex- UMBC
- Harrison, Spenser- UMBC
- Jackson, Benjamin- JHU
- Neelamana, Adi- JHU
- Ohm, Chase- UMBC
- Postma, Solana- JHU
- Pullen, Jenna- JHU
- Snow, Tyler- UMBC
- Tedla, Liana- JHU
- Thompson, Hektor- JHU
This year’s competition consisted of events such as Humvee push, One Rope Bridge, M17 Range, Radio and Weapons Assembly/ Disassembly, CBRN Procedures, Knot Tying, Tactical Casualty Combat Care (TCCC), Grenade Assault Course, Functional Fitness, Reconnaissance Mission, and lastly a 6-mile ruck.
Cadet Fall is a junior attending UMBC and has been an RC team member for 3 years. Here is a little about his experience below.
“Joining the RC Team has been an incredible experience for me. I joined because I saw it as an opportunity to develop my leadership skills, challenge myself physically and mentally, and learn from others. What I enjoy the most is being surrounded by like-minded individuals who share the same mentality, grit, and drive to succeed.
The training leading up to the competition helped me gain more confidence in my skills, while also teaching me new ones I wouldn’t have learned otherwise. Beyond the physical and technical aspects, it also fostered camaraderie and bonding within the team, which made the entire experience even more rewarding.
This year’s RC experience was both challenging and fun. I’ll never forget pushing through the grueling six-mile ruck march after competing all day and rucking from station to station, many of which were intense smokers. Our team had maintained a fast pace of 11:30 per mile, but by mile 4, cramps hit both my legs.
Despite the pain, I had to keep going and maintain the pace for the rest of the ruck, all thanks to the support and determination of my teammates. I encourage all my fellow battle buddies who are ready to take their ROTC experience to the next level to try out for the Ranger Challenge team in the next semesters to come. Be all you can be –Too Easy!!” – CDT Fall
Cadet Pullen is a first year RC team member and freshmen attending JHU. Read more about her experience below.
“I joined RC to learn some new skills and push myself physically and mentally. I gained a lot of hands-on experience that I otherwise wouldn’t have had. For example, we assembled weapons during FTX, but it took me a long time to learn. Later, we had the opportunity to work with the same weapons during RC, and I vastly improved my disassembly/assembly time. The physical training aspect was challenging but super fun, and all the Murph Mondays prepared me well for competition, since I ended up subbing in for the 6-mile ruck.” -CDT Pullen
Cadet Atkinson has been on the team for 4 years and a senior at UMBC. Read below about his experience.
“I am extremely proud of the RC team this year; our team performed well and achieved an awesome milestone at this year’s Competition. Through early mornings, grueling training sessions, and a relentless focus on teamwork, we pushed ourselves to new limits. At the competition, we earned 1st place overall in the reconnaissance event, demonstrating our precision and tactical expertise. Additionally, we placed 3rd overall in the Humvee push, showcasing our physical strength and unity under pressure. These accomplishments led to our program receiving streamers for our Guidon at the awards ceremony for the first time in over six years — a moment that reflected our commitment and growth as a team. This competition was more than just a test of skills; it was a testament to our perseverance and the bond we forged through hard work. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together, and I look forward to seeing our program continue to rise to new heights.” – RC Captain Chris Atkinson