When the winning teams were announced at the JROTC Nationals in Georgia last week, Pioneer Battalion team leader Deisis Perez and assistant team leader Jalynn DeSantiago barely could believe their ears. While they knew they had done plenty on the rope bridge, was it really enough to be the best in the country?
Apparently so.
The Pioneer Battalion female team won the National Championship in the rope bridge and finished fifth overall at a competition that brought in teams from 16 states. They turned in a time of three minutes flat in the squad’s favorite event, edging the next-best team by just a single second.
The difference in times between the top two female rope bridge teams was also the same amount of time it took for the Pioneer Battalion to rush the stage after being declared the champs.
“Me and Deisis looked at each other and started running after the award,” said DeSantiago, one of the senior stars on the Pioneer Battalion female team.
Fellow senior Hope Hasty added, “We were all very shocked. We thought somebody had a better time so finding out we got first was amazing.”
The whole team flocked to the stage. “I think they wanted to get it before anybody could take it away,” joked First Sergeant Tim Howard, who has been over the local JROTC program for decades. It was a celebration worth waiting for after the whole squad had to endure a restless night.
The Pioneer Battalion had put its best foot forward on Saturday in its favorite event, but the girls couldn’t be sure if they had won. Months of dedication and work at the home course behind WCHS had prepared them for the battle, but tying up to two large trees, trekking through a creek and shimmying across a rope longer than any they’ve used before was a daunting task.
It wasn’t as bad as waiting to hear if their scorching time was best, though.
“It’s the frustration of the day – you go through five events and don’t know where you’re at. We were on pins and needles all night,” said Howard, who also saw the girls finish fourth in the nation in the gauntlet and fifth in the physical team test and noted that there are more than 1,800 national JROTC programs.
All they knew was that they had given it their all and that turned out to be more than enough. Howard credited the squad’s tireless work ethic and tremendous teamwork for the championship in an event that has so many moving parts.
There are people tying perfect knots (Perez and DeSantiago) and people playing their roles like an apex (Allison Sweatman), mule team commander (Ana Serna), mounter (Hasty), carabiner clippers (Miranda Austin and Loretta Fults) and eight girls who have to make the cross on the rope.
One malfunction or mistiming can be the difference in the race, so attention to detail is paramount.
“I have multiple jobs – I clip on to the mule team, clip on the near side, work as the main mounter, keep the flow going to the rope and I’m the last to cross and grab all the ropes to send them in,” said Hasty.
Serna added, “I’m the mule team commander. I have to wait until the far side has their side tight and I’m pulling the rope.”
Tatiana Radny was one of the crossers and she only focuses on two things to do her job. “It’s about being strong and fast,” said the freshmen.
Sweatman has a different focus as the apex. “I keep the rope around the tree on the near side and keep it from falling to the ground so we don’t drag. (In the event) It’s good to have faith in each other. You have to know you can trust (your teammates) and know that everybody has trust in each other.”
As much as faith plays a role, Howard also credits the team’s ability to communicate seamlessly with really just two words - "up" and "down."
“It’s a silent drill because they have to listen for something around them. When the far said says up or down, the near side has to know because there can only be three crossers on the rope at a time,” said Howard. “If a fourth one goes because somebody made a mistake, it’s a one-minute penalty and you’re not even placing (top 5) – you’re lucky to be middle of the road. These things are won by seconds or milliseconds.”
The experience will be one that lasts for a long time for the Pioneer Battalion team, especially those who will get to go back to Georgia next year to defend the title. Everybody is having fun and locked in on getting faster and improving for another run at national fame.
“I didn’t know I’d enjoy this right away,” said freshman Miranda Austin. “I started enjoying it when I was assigned a job on the rope bridge. Whenever I started playing an important role, it clicked.”
And junior Abigail Vanderpool summed up the thoughts of all the female Pioneer Battalion, saying, “With everyone who got the experience at nationals, it should help us grow to be stronger and faster so we can be national champions again next year.”
