It was the last event at State qualifiers Cross Country Rescue. The raiders team needed a good time on the mile run. Senior Mattea Mcbroom put everything into this last mile- the mile that would determine if the Raiders team went to States. She pushed herself, but without the help of her team, she would not have been able to reach the finish line.

“On one complete raiders team there are five girls including an alternate,” sophomore Glory Gillen said. “We usually have two teams, Alpha and Bravo, so probably around ten girls [in raiders].”

Raider Competition or a “Raider” is a popular athletic competition held within Junior ROTC programs around the United States. It is the Junior ROTC equivalent of the Army ROTC “Ranger” competition in college, only far less dangerous but challenging as well.

“I joined Raiders because I knew it was going to physically and mentally challenge me to do things I’ve never done before,” Mcbroom said.

Although all JROTC students are welcome to try out, the females who partake in this athletic competition make their mark on the meaning of Raiders.

“I consider myself proud to be in a group like raiders because it’s kind of deemed as a masculine thing,” senior Megan Tirado said. “But being a girl on the team proves girls are just as strong as guys.”

The girls put in the same amount of work as the boys and they received first place at the Raiders state-qualifying meet.

“It [first place at state qualifiers] shows females can do it too,” senior Alex Carroll said. “Joining the military can be great too. To not fall under the impression that females can’t do it as good as males, we just have to work extra hard.”