TEMPLE, Texas — The Temple High School Air Force JROTC Department made program history while competing in the JROTC Skills Meet hosted by Fort Cavazos earlier this month.
The Temple HS Air Force JROTC Honor Guard won first place at the Skills Meet after earning 188 out of a possible 190 points from the judges. Temple High School competed against 25 teams in the Honor Guard competition and more than 600 cadets participated in the overall competition, which included contests in a variety of individual and team categories. This is the first time in the history of the Temple High School Air Force JROTC program that the honor guard has won first place in competition.
“When they were performing, I wanted to yell out ‘This is the way it is done,’ but I had to contain myself,” said TSgt. Jesus Duque, honor guard advisor and JROTC instructor at Temple High School. “I waited through spring break to tell them that they had won because I wanted to see their reaction. It felt so good to be able to share that with them and present them with a trophy after all of their hard work. They are a great team.”
The Temple High School JROTC Honor Guard is made up of Cadet Major and team commander Anhelica Gomez, Cadet Captain Winona Saga, and Cadet Master Sergeants Angyl Bibi and Gage Burgess. Teams must complete a 30-step routine to present the United States and Texas flag during the contest. The Temple High School team began training for the competition in August with nearly two-hour practices three days a week after school.
“It felt great to find out that we won, and I am so proud of my team,” Gomez, a senior at THS said. “I was able to learn the strengths of each of my team members to make sure they were in the right spots. I have learned so much through this process. I’ve learned leadership and I’ve learned teamwork from working with this group.”
“We felt very proud to win and we have practiced for months to prepare for the competition,” added Saga, a junior at THS. “We were so locked in that we didn’t really realize how well we were doing. We have really learned about communication and teamwork during our preparation.”
Gomez, the only senior on the team, plans to go to Tarleton State University and complete the school’s JROTC program before enlisting as an officer in security forces. The Temple High School Honor Guard will compete in another contest at McNeil High School in Round Rock on April 5th.