Austin Peay cadets finish eighth in ROTC division at world-class Sandhurst competition

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point's Sandhurst Video

(Posted April 19, 2019)

The Austin Peay ROTC Ranger Challenge team cadets had high expectations when they represented the University at its first-ever Sandhurst military skills competition at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

“I don’t think we performed poorly,” team captain Steven Price said. “I think we underestimated the competition. It was the first time the school’s ever been there, and it was kind of like we were blind, whereas the other schools that had been there year after year knew what to expect.”

Then he added with a stone face, “If we go back next year, we’ll do better.”

Even though the team fell short of its expectations, the cadets performed well. Their efforts elevated Austin Peay to a world-class level. Here’s the context:

The team finished eighth among ROTC teams and 29^th overall against teams from all four of the U.S. service academies, such as West Point, and teams from across the world, such as the two all-star teams from the United Kingdom.
In the ROTC competition, Austin Peay beat schools such as Florida State, Embry-Riddle and Johns Hopkins. That doesn’t count the hundreds of schools from across the country that didn’t qualify for the Sandhurst.
Austin Peay’s cadets performed better than eight West Point teams and four international teams.

STARTING STRONG, GETTING SOAKED

The Austin Peay Ranger Challenge team attacks an obstacle during the Sandhurst competition April 13-14 at West Point, New York.

“I think our team was just as competitive as any team there,” Price said. “We definitely started strong.”

Before the Sandhurst started, the team finished sixth overall and tops among the ROTC squads in a relay race. That qualified Austin Peay to be one of the first teams to pick its starting position. APSU was in the first four-team grouping that kicked off the two-day competition. And at the end of the first day of competition, Austin Peay stood at third-place among the ROTC teams.

But not only is Sandhurst a marathon, it’s a marathon run at a sprint speed, Price said. The competition allows little time for rest and calibration.

The night mission that ended the first day drained the team. A steady, nightlong downpour soaked the competition and dampened spirits, turning the night mission – a multi-checkpoint and mountainous land navigation course – into a slog.

“We weren’t expecting the mountainous terrain,” Price said. “And once we started our night missions, we were soaking wet.”

NAVIGATING THE MOUNTAINS

The Austin Peay Ranger Challenge cadets put their face in the mud during the Sandhurst competition April 13-14 at West Point, New York.

The night mission sent the team up and down mountains, and they never knew how many checkpoints there were, part of the mental challenge of the competition.

“For me, besides the constant going up and down the mountains, the mental part of never knowing what’s in front of you was hard,” cadet Thomas Porter said. “Nobody ever told you what you may or may not be doing. We never knew what was next, how long it was going to be.”

As Price navigated the night course, he worried it might have more than a dozen checkpoints and take several hours. Officiants along the way gave them intentionally misleading information as well.

The mission ended at seven checkpoints, which took 2 hours, 45 minutes.

“It seemed like it never was going to end,” Price said.

After the night mission, the team slept in the rain for a few hours before starting the second day quickly moving up the mountain.

“Again, it was quick, we didn’t get to wake up, have some breakfast,” Price said. “Your mind starts to go, you have to always be in it, that was the most challenging part for me.”

HUMOR LIGHTENS THE MOOD

ArmyPic_2: Cadets Walt Higbee and Steven Price prepare during the last event at the Sandhurst competition April 13-14 at West Point, New York. (Credit: U.S. Army)

As the competition beat on the cadets’ resolve, they leaned on their camaraderie to carry them through the Sandhurst.

“We all kept our sense of humor,” cadet Kylie Head said. “We all made the best of it as much as we could.”

The cadets also spent several days at West Point before the competition, and they visited New York City. They visited sites including the 9/11 Memorial, ate New York-style pizza and rode the subway.

“I’d never really seen West Point,” Head said. “I never really knew the culture there, so getting a glimpse of that – we got to eat in their chow hall – and how different that is compared to college life here, that was cool to see.”

WHAT’S NEXT

Returning to Sandhurst next year and improving on this year’s results are the team’s top goals. But they have to qualify again, which means excelling at the brigade-level competition, the Bold Warrior, in the fall.

The team will need to restructure its plan to better train for the team-focused Sandhurst competition. That’s a challenge because the Bold Warrior is more individual-focused.

“You have to look at the 50-meter target, which is going to brigade, because you have to get back to Sandhurst,” Price, who graduates this spring, said. “After that, we will transition to train for Sandhurst.

“Next year’s team will do better.”

SANDHURST RESULTS

Here are the final results in the ROTC division:

North Georgia.
Marquette.
Utah Valley.
Cal Poly.
Creighton.
Central State.
Virginia Military Institute.
Austin Peay.
Florida State.
Embry-Riddle.
Lehigh.
Johns Hopkins.
Tarelton State.
Edinboro.
Hawaii.
Delaware.

Here are the overall results:

Cadet Thomas Porter performs during the Sandhurst competition April 13-14 at West Point, New York.

Cadet Thomas Porter performs during the Sandhurst competition. (Credit: U.S. Army)

U.S. Military Academy (USMA) Black.
USMA D2.
North Georgia.
USMA Gold.
USMA H2.
United Kingdom Blue.
Japan.
Canada.
U.S. Air Force Academy.
Australia.
Chile.
Mexico.
United Kingdom Red.
USMA E3.
USMA F1.
Marquette.
USMA B4.
Utah Valley.
USMA D1.
Denmark.
Cal Poly.
Creighton.
Germany.
U.S. Naval Academy.

Cadet Daniel Cole rests during the Sandhurst competition. (Credit: U.S. Army)
Central State.
Korea.
VMI.
U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
Austin Peay.
Florida State.
USMA E2.
Embry-Riddle.
USMA Grey.
USMA C3.
Brazil.
USMA H4.
USMA A4.
USMA I3.
Lehigh.
Johns Hopkins.
USMA H1.
Tarelton State.
Edinboro.
Hawaii.
Delaware.
Thailand.
Colombia.
Greece.
U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School.

TO LEARN MORE

For more information about Sandhurst 2019, go to https://westpoint.edu/military/department-of-military-instruction/sandhurst.
For more about Austin Peay’s ROTC program, visit https://www.apsu.edu/rotc/

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