This month has been packed with several events! In the beginning of the month we had riflery, colorguard, and JLAB practices, along with competitions. We also had our in-rank JPA inspection, and lots of hard work went into this! We would like to thank everyone who participated for all of your hard work. Lastly we had ASVAB testing, congratulations to everyone who passed! We hope you have a happy and safe Halloween!
0 Comments
It has been a very busy month for the Konawaena JROTC Battalion. We have had several events, such as color guard, riflery competitions, and our ceremony commemorating the tragic event of 9/ll/01. Our riflery team has been working hard to make it to BIIFS. Our staff has worked hard on the 9/11 ceremony. We are very grateful to have had the privilege of our new mayor elect Harry Kim speaking at the ceremony. Our color guard has also been busy, showing up to every home game and assembly to present the colors. Thank you to our staff, SAI, and AI for all your hard work!
For those of you reading this blog who aren't aware of what the Lava Man Triathlon is, it takes place on the island of Hawai'i at the beautiful Waikaloa Beach Resort and consists of a mile swim, twenty four mile bike ride, and a six mile run. The race spans a very large distance and therefore needs a few helping hands to keep everything organized and running smoothly ( duh dun tsssss ).
A hand full of Konawaena High school JROTC cadets and First Sergeant Libre showed up for our duties at 0500 and worked in the scorching sun until 1200. We started off assisting participants with setting up in the transition point then watched the entrance and exit of the transition point ensuring that nothing got backed up and directed people to the route they needed to take. All the while we're picking up discarded cups and goo packets thrown away by the racers. Once the race was coming to an end and finished competitors were coming to claim their bikes, we checked numbers on bikes and wristband to ensure that all bikes were in the right hands. Big thanks to the Cadets who worked hard, I hope your sunburns aren't too bad. Another big thank you to the Lava Man Triathlon Directors for allowing us to lend a helping hand! See you guys next year! The Konawaena Wildcat Battalion Ranger team had been tirelessly training for the upcoming Maui Madness event on the 21st of November. Running up and down the notorious Konawaena High School road, reaching muscle failure on our arms and legs, swimming laps like mad men (and women) and the pool when all of a sudden, our Ranger Captain Kinolua fell ill with appendicitis (he is well now). Only a week before the competition and our key team member was bed ridden after having his appendix removed. Fortunately another teammate Ana Karla was able to fill in for him bringing our final team members to Daniel Mckeon, Andruw Nakamura, Riley Nakamura, Ananya Rafaelovich, and Ana Karla Valdovinos. Come the day of departure with our flight from Kona to Maui early that Friday we were all waiting at the airport for our Army Instructor First Sergeant Libre who none of us had heard from yet. Closer to the time of our flight we started calling him. After what seemed like countless call attempts First finally picked up and informed us of an unfortunate accident that would cancel our trip for the competition. Heart broken and disappointed, we made our way back to school where we decided WE WOULD NOT GIVE UP. We told Major Naki of our situation and he agreed to fly out with us that evening. (YYAAAAYYYY)
SO far, we had lost our Team Captain, First had gotten into an accident, and our trip was almost canceled. But as we landed Kahului Airport we cried out with glee "we're in MAUI!!!" After packing ourselves into the rental car, we made our way to Baldwin High where we stayed for the weekend. That night we ate a dinner for champions, pizza, and rested up for what we've been training for, sleeping on desks in a classroom. The morning of, seeing all of the other seventeen schools and thirty teams was intimidating, but once the Maui madness began, things were looking good for the Wildcats. The first event we participated in was the three mile run where a steady pace won the race! Teams hauled past us as we began the run, but only to be overtaken by Konawaena when it mattered most. The next event was swimming, our least strongest suit, then the PT, tire flip, and the obstacle course. We were tired as tired could be. Once it was time for the award ceremony, we stood in formation with the rest of the teams. We were a small group, but we stood proud and confident. Our hard work and dedication led us to walk out of there with the first place overall mixed team trophy, first place run, and first place PT. Quite the miracle. We came home with the first place for First! And of course, our Captain whom we owe it to! Krispy Kreme Tickets are being sold from October 12- November 13. Remember we are raising money for Military Ball! Buy them and sell them as fast as you can!
With the New Year comes a whole new list of special events. Events that are coming up would be BIC on November 14 at Konawaena High School, Krispy Kreme Pickup at Konawaena High School, Then Maui Madness on November 21, and finally Military Ball, This Military Ball will be the 100th Anniversary of JROTC. Keep reading for more updates.
With the new staff this year we have successfully been organizing important events... For Example the Krispy Kreme Fundraiser for Military Ball. Pick up for the Krispy Kreme's will be November 14. We are selling them as $12 for a dozen. Thank you everyone for participating and donating to our Military Ball. Staff Members: BC: Andruw Nakamura XO: Kinolua Kelekolio CSM: Troy Aukai Comp. A Commander: Kysaiah Self Comp. B Commander: Alex Marquez OO: Zack Kaiwi S1: Kamaka Davis S2; Ragan Leslie S2 assistant: France Tangaro S3: Ananya Rafaelovich S3 assistant: Ben McKinley S4: Riley Nakamura S4 assistant: Hokulani Meech S5: Ashley McCleary S5 assistant: Ana Karla Valdovinos S6: Ciara Piercy S6 assistant: Nick Sherman S7: Cayden Grey S7 assistant: Everett Bettencourt With a new school year come’s new events and experiences, and we up at JROTC can’t wait to experience them with all new and returning cadets. As with every year we have a new set of staff, led by our Battalion Commander Andruw Nakamura, his Executive Officer Kinolua Kelekolio, the CSM Troy Aukai, who will help plan and set up all events this following school year. Any cadets interested in joining special teams or even interested in learning about and possibly joining staff as an assistant can talk to them or either one of our instructors. This offer is also extended to any cadets who need help, or are struggling-helping our team members is an important part of the leadership we hope to teach through the program. Every year we have a slew of events that help teach cadets leadership as well as showing them a taste of what they can do if they were to join the army. Through special events like the Big Island Competition and Principles Review, students are trained for D&C, as well as encouraged to hit peak physical fitness. These events put the students to the test in proving that they have what it takes to be a Junior ROTC Cadet. While Principles review isn’t until the end of third quarter, big Island Competition is coming up in September. This is set up between the Hilo, Kealakehe, and Wildcats Battalions where certain LET I’s & II’s represent our battalions and compete in things like fitness, D&C, and riflery. This event is finished off with a potluck, proving that no matter the outcome-you win when you get food. Alongside the events our program also offers service learning through community service, this is a good way to help out the community as well as gain valuable experience for the future. Up first will be the cadet participation in the HI state fair, cadets will work as trash clean up or running booths in an effort to help raise money for the program. We will be doing this from September 27th to the 30th so its important cadets get ahold of MAJ Naki to figure out the dates you will be down there. Once again, this will be a action packed year and we can’t wait to do all of it with you in our program. |
Archives
October 2016
Categories |
Hey