From Friday, March 4, through Saturday, March 5, CU Boulder's Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (Naval ROTC) hosted an annual competition between ROTC units called The Colorado Meet.
Twelve reserve officers training corps units from 11 schools around the nation competed in military competition events to instill confidence and teamwork and strengthen camaraderie between competitors. The Colorado Meet provided an opportunity for all competitors to train, demonstrate and evaluate their leadership skills and other core military competencies.
CU’s Naval ROTC and Air Force ROTC units and 10 additional Naval ROTC units participated in seven individual military competition events.
Marksmanship events consisted of rifle and small arms courses of fire. Close-order drill and color guard events encompassed formal prescribed movements, familiarizing squad and platoon team members with battle formations and instilling a sense of teamwork, discipline and self-control. The knowledge event was a Family Feud style competition testing participants’ knowledge of United States Navy and United States Marine Corps operations and history.
The highlight of the competition was the grueling Endurance Race, which consisted of a casualty evacuation simulation, a series of cross-fit style calisthenics and a fast hike up a nearby mountain trail with various tests of knowledge, physical fitness and teamwork.
Midshipman Second Class Domonic Danos, the student Officer in Charge, was quoted saying, “The Colorado Meet is a tradition of the CU NROTC Battalion that I was proud to have the responsibility of carrying on. It is exciting to have the opportunity to bring all of these units from across the country back to Boulder to compete after a year of forced separation. The military, like any organization, is built on relationships. Nation-wide competitions such as this foster those relationships for the leaders who are about to enter the military service and begin to forge a sense of camaraderie that will last throughout our careers.”
The Colorado Meet
- 1st place: Iowa State University NROTC
- 2nd place: The University of Oklahoma NROTC
- 3rd place: University of Colorado NROTC
The Colorado Meet scores for the overall team competition included Iowa State University NROTC Unit winning first place, The University of Oklahoma NROTC unit in second place and University of Colorado NROTC unit in third place.
When Midshipman Danos addressed the 350-plus competitors at the successful conclusion of The Colorado Meet, he emphasized that the CU Boulder NROTC unit hopes the teams will return to compete next year.
The Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps Program is a program at many colleges and universities to educate and train young women and men for service as commissioned officers in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Learn more about the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program and the NROTC program at CU Boulder.
