GHS Going Great Guns
National champs bask in glory

Grants High School Marine Jr ROTC Cadet 1st Lt. Mark Teshima spins his rifle during drill team practice Tuesday at Grants High. The drill team won the national championship in Daytona Beach , Fla., and is gearing up for the New Mexico State Championship competition in Albuquerque this Saturday. [Photo by John A. Bowersmith/Independent]

By Tom Purdom
Staff Writer

GHS Marine JR JROTC Cadet S.Sgt Jared Wilson takes a break from drill practice Tuesday at Grants High School. Wilson, who is wearing a medal presented to him for participating in the event, fell ill the day after the competition and is still recovering. [Photo by Jeremy Bowersmith/Independent]

GRANTS — To take a group of high school students to a national Junior ROTC drill team competition for the first time ever and to place well is astounding. To come home from the competition the national champion goes off the charts, but that is exactly what the Grants High School Junior ROTC Pirate Devil Dogs Drill Team did.

Drill Instructor Gunnery Sgt. George Garcia said he told his students last year they have the opportunity to go to Daytona Beach, Fla., to compete in the National High School Drill Team Championship. "They said yes, so we jumped all over it," Garcia said. The drill team is a United States Marine Corps Drill Team.

The nationals bring together the nation's finest Junior ROTC military drill and ceremony competitors into one arena. For the past two years, the boys and girls teams have been picking up recognition in competitions throughout New Mexico. The 33 members of the two drill teams knew they were good, but not once did they let it go to their heads.

They worked hard at everything, from the military drills to pressing uniforms.

The students had to win state competitions just to qualify for submitting a resume used as the basis for selection to the nationals.

In December Garcia and 1st Sgt. Rick Matteson got word the Pirates Devil Dogs had been accepted.

Going to Daytona Beach
They were going to Daytona Beach, Fla., to compete in the Ocean Center Arena against 46 other high schools from 36 states in the Challenger Level.

There was only one other little obstacle in their way: coming up with $36,000 to pay for the trip. With the same determination the students showed in their drills, they went after the money in every fund raising event imaginable. The students also went to organizations asking for donations. In the end, the school paid for the plane fares and the kids came up with the $20,000 needed for the trip.

Last Thursday the students flew out of Albuquerque. The boys cadet drill team consists of Kyle Ashbaugh, Manuel Atencio, Matthew Atencio, Drew Christmann, Clayton Dosier, Levi Giffen, Daniel Leon, Fredrick Miller, Fred Nichols, Nolan Riley, John Rowe, Serge Shkuro, Mark Teshima, Darius Vallo and Jared Wilson. The girls cadet drill team is made up of Yesenia Archuleta, Elizabeth Coyle, Bobbi Anne Curley, Crystal Gallegos, Amanda Rose Garcia, Melba Hermann, Madelyn Juanico, Ashton Laurence, Lorraine Lucero, Rose Martinez, Chelsea Nelson, Jerri Numkena, Michelle Rodriguez and Misty Smalley. Support group managers going on the trip were Dominique Frank, Ivan Griffen, Brad Killough and Ruben Pasqual.

When the students arrived in Daytona Beach and went to the Ocean Center Arena on Thursday, they were met by 3,900 other cadets and each of them were sure their team would be the only one taking home the national championship.

A Cinderella Story
Grants was one of the smallest schools there.

Drill judges are all active duty military drill instructors from the four branches of service.

Garcia said each team competes in for events: Color Guard, Inspection, Regulation Drill, Exhibition Drill.

The team with the lowest score from each event takes home the trophy.

Garcia said on first arrival team members were feeling they were just as good as any other of the teams. Later, "They were wondering if we had gotten in over our heads," Garcia said.

With all competitions done it was time to hold their breath. Trophies were handed out for each of the four events.

"There were two left, the runner up, and the national champion," Garcia said. "When they called the runner up and that was last year's winner, we started to think we had it."

And then the announcer said it: "The overall Challenger Level National Champion from Grants, New Mexico, The Pirate Devil Dogs."

The kids erupted into emotion, Garcia said. There was no holding them back.

Ashbaugh, 18, a senior cadet, said: "It was one of the best accomplishments I have ever achieved in my high school career. It's amazing."

The students came home Monday night to a hero's welcome from the Cibola County Sheriff's Department, the New Mexico State Police, Grants Police and the Grants Fire Department.

Some High Praise
Learning of the national championship Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-New Mexico, said: "I am very pleased to learn that the Grants High School Junior ROTC team has returned to New Mexico as national champions in their division. Junior ROTC is an excellent program that stresses character, pride and patriotism. Traveling to Daytona Beach as the only team from our state and coming back home as champions is a testament to the team's hard work and dedication. I know that the entire Grants community shares in this accomplishment and I wish the program future success."

The praise did not stop there.

Gov. Bill Richardson also heard about the Grants Pirates Devil Dogs. "I personally congratulate all the members of the Grants High School ROTC Drill Team and Gunnery Sgt. George Garcia, the new National Champions of the High School Drill Team Championship," Richardson said. "On behalf of the state of New Mexico, thank you for your first-rate representation of our state and congratulations on a well-deserved honor."

Garcia said during the competition, the schools, all 46 of them, had respective state flags hanging at the arena. "There was only one yellow flag up there among all the other state flags," Garcia said. "I'm sure during the competition some of the people there were wondering what the yellow flag was. Well, by the time it was over, they knew what it was."