Earlier this school year, the NJROTC orienteering team achieved first place at the Area Four meet, similar to a state tournament for other sports. Orienteering had placed fifth at nationals in March of last year, after having placed in the top three the last three years. Nearly twenty cadets from the school compete in these meets.
The races consist of individual cadets being timed to navigate a forest with nothing but a topographic map and a compass. The courses range between 30 minutes and two hours, and can be more or less difficult depending on the terrain the cadets have to navigate.
There are a total of seven different course levels. If anyone gets lost, cadets have an app on their phone called What3Words to lead them to the finish line. They also have a whistle so that people can find them. Preparing for these tournaments is a nearly all year round affair, with participants studying map routes and engaging in cardio to prepare for the timed events.
The cadets seem to enjoy the events. “I have a great time hanging out with the team and joking about past courses that we ran,” senior Octavian Ashford said.
Ashford recently committed to the Naval Academy, where he will continue to carry the skills he and his many teammates have learned through orienteering.
