Local drill team sweeps competition

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Members of the Youngstown ARS Composite Squadron’s 051 Drill Team practice their drills. The team won the Great Lakes Region Cadet Competition recently, having swept all seven events, and will face teams from around the U.S. in the National Cadet Competition from June 23-28 in Oregon. The cadets are based at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna.

VIENNA

For the first time in history, the cadets of the Youngstown ARS Composite Squadron’s 051 Drill Team recently swept the Great Lakes Region Cadet Competition in Fairborn, Ohio, having won all seven competitive events and every individual award.

The drill team, consisting of 12 members plus a team commander and an alternate, hails from the Mahoning Valley and surrounding areas. The team includes Joseph Spletzer of Newton Falls; Ryan Cain, Hartville; Daniel Clegg, North Lima; Erin Fetters, Dorset; Nathaniel Forrider, Leetonia; Joe Hardy, Streetsboro; Wyatt Hartman, Cortland; Jared Holt, Warren; Daniel Kennedy, Boardman; Aubry Lindauer, McDonald; Mercer Martin, Greenville; Brendin Peters, Poland; Trenton Wyant, Bristolville; and Leo Lindauer, McDonald.

After arriving at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the team competed against the Michigan Wing Drill Team in several events and placed first in all. Fetters and Hartman won the individual awards for fastest female and male, and Joe Hardy earned the award for the highest written-exam score.

Now that the region competition is complete, the cadets will compete at the National Cadet Competition in McMinnville, Ore., June 23-28. When not competing, the cadets will tour Linfield College and Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, site of the competition. The team also competed at the national level last year, having placed sixth overall.

The competition tests all core aspects of the Civil Air Patrol’s Cadet Program, which focuses youths age 12-18 on leadership training, personal development and aviation-career exploration in the military and civilian sectors.

The Youngstown ARS Composite Squadron meets at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station on Monday evenings. For more information, visit the website at http://www.youngstowncap.org.