On Friday, February 6th, seven JROTC teams from the Upper Midwest gathered here at CDH for the annual UMJC competition. For many years, CDH has hosted this contest run by our JROTC instructors and cadets. Over 100 students gathered in the Joe Mauer Fieldhouse for this event that lasted all day, and these students were from various JROTC schools; Army, Airforce, Marines, Navy, and more.
Throughout the day, there were numerous competitive events held including the regulation drill competition, color guard, physical fitness, knowledge bowl, and, arguably the most exciting parts of the day, the knockout and tug-o-war contests. Competitions in air rifle and archery were held prior to February 6th, and scores were sent in to be compared to other schools. Congratulations to our top shooters in air rifle and archery, Mallory Taft ‘26 and Ryan O’Connell ‘27!
The day began with the regulation drill competition. Our very own CDH team commanded by Katie Nobrega ‘27 performed exceptionally well, with the team doing a complex routine that was over five minutes long. As stated by Nobrega,
“UMJC was an incredible experience. Even though it was challenging to get the routine down, the team worked diligently and all supported each other. Ultimately, we grew in not only our marching skills, but also confidence and teamwork”.
With 13 people marching all together it is no easy feat to be perfectly in line and in sync, but this team did it and finished second, as announced in the awards ceremony at the end of the day.
Next up was the physical fitness challenge which took place in the auxiliary gym. CDH cadets from all grades participated in this challenge, along with cadets from other schools, which included pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, a shuttle run, and a basketba
ll throw. Following shortly after was the Knowledge Bowl test held in one of the JROTC classrooms. Cadets took an individual test consisting of questions from a variety of subjects. Afterwards, the scores were added up for each team to determine the winner of this competition, which was, once again, the Cretin-Derham Hall Cadets.
Around 11:30AM the Color Guard competition began. The CDH team, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Conner Macke ‘26 performed a very difficult routine that was ma
stered after several weeks of early morning practices. This routine included the casing and uncasing of the flags, multiple unique rifle movements, and so much more, all of which the CDH team and other teams delivered and performed Friday morning. The CDH Color Guard team finished in fourth, with there being only a few points difference between the second, third and fourth finishing teams.
To kick off the afternoon, the riveting tug-o-war tournament was held in the field house. The physical fitness team represented CDH in this event, and were cheered on by their fellow cadets and classmates from the bleachers. This event is often one of the most exciting parts of the day, especially because for the past few years CDH has either won or placed very highly in this event. School spirit was high as many Raider cheers were cried out in support of the team, and for the second year in a row, CDH took first place.
The last but certainly not least competition of the day was the Knockout Competition. All cadets were allowed to participate in this competition, which involves executing stationary drill commands called out by an instructor. As soon as you make one small mistake you are “knocked out” of the competition. Although somewhat intense, it is a fun event and often peoples’ favorite of the day. This year was especially exciting, as one of our own CDH cadets won the competition of over 100 people! The whole CDH community was rooting for Cadet Katie Nobrega ‘27, as she remained standing longer and longer, until she was the only one left and declared the winner.
To close out the day was the awards ceremony, in which awards were presented to the top team in each event. Overall, the 2026 UMJC was a very successful event for the CDH cadets, a day that will be remembered by many. If you didn’t get the chance to stop by and watch some of the events, I would personally encourage you to come for next year’s contest and experience some of the JROTC fun for yourself. It is not only a day to show off the talents of so many of our CDH community members, but it is also a day to unite as Raiders and engage in school spirit to support the Raider Brigade!
