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Fifteen Hearts, One Beat: the life of a JROTC drill team commander
Date published: 5/6/2008
OVERWHELMING anxiety, complete frustration, exhaustion, compassion and determination: All are feelings I experience from being a drill team commander.
As a senior and Armed Platoon Exhibition Commander for Culpeper County High School's Marine Corps JROTC program, the duties I am held accountable for are the same as those of someone in her mid-20s. I am faced with constant decisions to make, and am the first one to get blamed when things go wrong. I have to find time to be cadets' friend and coach--a hard task for an 18-year-old.
As for a social life, I have signed mine away to the 15 girls for whom I am responsible. These girls pride themselves on precision and dedication every day. Even though we bring home the most titles and trophies for our school, support among our fellow students is little to none. We are as good as we strive to be--and we don't win for glory; we win for strength.
Competing on that empty floor, with not even a whisper to be heard, is strength. Every moment, movement and detail counts. For seven minutes, that floor is not just mine--it's all of ours. Unlike in many other sports, we can't rely just on five people to make goals; to win, we all have to drill as one.
The feeling of my heart beating and my palms sweating; the team's anticipation, hoping that I get called to walk up to the front of the floor; and the shaking of a judge's hand in exchange for a trophy are the moments I live for.
I cannot make someone drill with perfection. I can only show them how--using discipline, practice and guidance to ensure they retain all that I have passed on. Assuming my command position, I can't help but worry that I have failed them in some way, a constant fear that dwells in the back of my mind. However, every Saturday, I walk up to take not my trophy, but our team's trophy--a team of 15 frantic hearts. I am strong because they make up my strength.
I can only hope that this is the year we can finally reach our No. 1 goal, to take home another trophy from nationals. I could never ask for a better graduation gift than to take that final 17-hour ride home from Daytona, Fla., look at the drill team and see everyone's heart beating as one.
Alexis Gomez is a senior at Culpeper County High School.
Date published: 5/6/2008
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