USF ROTC cadets forge a water hazard by rope during their first-place performance at a regional competition in Oregon.
University of San Francisco Army Reserve Officer Training
Corps Cadet Timothy Kramer led USF’s Ranger Challenge team to a first-place
finish at a regional competition Oct. 3.
Kramer, a senior exercise and sport science major, captained
the nine-person team at the competition at Camp Rilea in Oregon. Ranger
Challenge provides cadets with physical and mental challenges while competing
against other ROTC battalions.
Competition events included a team physical training test, a
land navigation course, grenade assault course, and a six-mile march loaded
down with gear.
USF’s Ranger Challenge squad trained from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30
a.m. five days per week beginning in August to prepare. Kramer explained the team’s
performance was the result of their its level of motivation. “We had a very
cohesive team who worked very well together,” Kramer said.
The competition’s demanding nature led to several cadets
from competing battalions requiring medical attention from exhaustion,
dehydration, and injuries. USF’s team sustained no injuries.
USF’s Ranger Challenge team improved each of the last four
years but has not placed until this year, Kramer said. The win follows last
year’s loss in a third-place tiebreaker.
“We were all very happy to win and represent USF ROTC so
well, and happy all of our training and hard preparation paid off,” Kramer
said.
