THE Marianas High School Dolphin Battalion armed team won first place overall in this year’s CNMI drill competition.
Judges critiqued the teams based on four categories: inspection, color guard, regulation, and exhibition.
The other contenders were Rota High School, Saipan Southern High School, and Tinian High School.
In the armed inspection category, SSHS came in first, MHS second, THS third, and RHS fourth.
SSHS also placed first in the armed color guard category, with MHS placing second, THS third, and RHS fourth.
The Manta Ray Battalion took first place in yet another category, armed regulation, with MHS placing second, THS third, and RHS fourth.
However, MHS placed first in the armed exhibition category, with RHS coming in second, THS third, and SSHS fourth.
MHS was named the overall armed champion.
Because schools were unable to meet in a single location due to the pandemic, evaluators visited each of the schools, having each of the battalions compete on their school campuses.
MHS hosted its competition on March 17 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
This was the team’s first drill competition under the armed team’s drill commander, C/MAJ Earl Lawrence Salamat, who has been enrolled in the program and on the armed team for four years.
Led by Salamat, C/2LT Kevin Yang, C/CSM Vince Silva, C/1SG James Venus, C/SFC Tyreze Ngewakl, C/SFC Norman Ibe, C/SFC Michael Yan, C/SSG Edgar Tuazon, C/SGT Marc Gruy, C/SGT Leonard Jacob Ordonez, C/SGT Paulo Quidato, C/CPL Zhixiang Lin, C/CPL Justin Loma, C/CPL Teishon Macaranas, and C/CPL Janiy Mohammed comprised the armed team.
Salamat is the only senior on the team, leading juniors Yang, Yan, and Gruy; sophomores Silva, Venus, Ibe, Tuazon, Quidato, and Mohammed; and freshmen Ngewakl, Ordonez, Lin, Loma, and Macaranas.
With his four-year experience, Salamat took on the challenge of helping the armed drill team — all of whom have been a part of the program and the team for no more than two years — prepare as early as September of last year for the drill competition.
“It was difficult at first because there were so many newcomers on the armed drill team, so we took it slowly. During the first month of drill practice, we learned the fundamentals of drill and ceremony without the use of rifles. Then, around the last week of September, we began allowing the cadets to handle weapons and began learning the phases of each competition…. For the first two months of the year, the cadets performed admirably, until the Covid-19 outbreak in November and December,” Salamat said.
The team resumed training in January after the Covid-19 cases among community members gradually declined.
“We began having lunch practices to fine-tune our motions for armed drill because the drill competition was quickly approaching and we were running out of time. Around that time, we started working on our exhibition routine. Once we had the exhibition routine down, we began honing all of our actions for regulation, inspection, and exhibition,” Salamat said.
In preparing for the competition, Salamat said that the team’s greatest challenge was the pandemic.
“Covid-19 was the most difficult obstacle we encountered while training for the tournament. At one point, about eight members of our team caught the virus, which caused us to fall behind because we couldn’t work efficiently without the majority of our team members. However, the greatest strength we had was our camaraderie and sense of accomplishment. Despite the pandemic, cadets were eager to practice. Once they were all released from quarantine, we began to push ourselves harder in order to win first place and show the other schools what MHS was capable of,” Salamat said.
On the day of the competition, he added, the cadets were initially terrified, but they were able to adjust and deliver their best performance.
“Knowing that we were all in the same boat made us feel better because we were motivating one another and telling ourselves that we were all feeling the same way,” Salamat said.
During the drill inspection, cadets were evaluated on two fronts: the overall unit and commander, as well as each individual inspection.
The unit and commander sections were evaluated based on proper inspection processes, overall quality of entry and exit, and team unity, snap, and pop.
The commander’s verbal projection, presence, bearing, and motions were also assessed.
During individual inspections, cadets were graded on personal hygiene, uniform appearance, bearing, confidence and intensity, weapon handling, overall unit impression, and overall knowledge.
The commander must memorize a set of commands for the Drill Regulation Drill Commands to ensure that the cadets do not cross the line.
Each command was rated out of five stars, with five being the best and one being the worst.
During the regulation drill phase, cadets must ensure that they are properly handling the rifle and are in sync and sharp.
The Drill Color Guard Drill Phase requires a four-person team, with one cadet holding the U.S. flag, one cadet holding the CNMI flag, and two cadets holding rifles.
Similar to the Armed Regulation drill phase, the commander must learn a series of directives without allowing the flag to touch the ground.
Despite the fact that they must march at a normal interval for regulation, the cadets must also be aligned and march at close intervals.
During the Drill Exhibition drill phase, the cadets are graded on team appearance, floor use of the entire drill pad, bearing, marching, variety of movements, difficulty, precision of movements, showmanship, composition and flow, overall impression, and military flavor.
Results of the competition were announced via Google Meet on March 23, 2022.
Evaluators expressed their congratulatory remarks to the unarmed teams and armed teams for their performance, advising them to continue to be motivated and to persevere.
To the future MHS armed drill team, Salamat said, “I simply want to express my hope that MHS Armed Drill can continue to be our school’s champions even after I graduate and leave the drill team. I’m hoping that the MHS Unarmed Drill Team, in addition to our Armed Drill Team, can pick up the pace and take first place… Always strive to be better than you were before, and keep in mind that you’re all on the same team and part of the same family. If one team member fails, the entire team fails. Always work as a team because you are only as strong as your weakest link.”
Following their victory, the Dolphin Battalion will represent the CNMI in the Golden Bear National Drill Meet in Torrance, California.
The Marianas High School Dolphin Battalion armed team members pose for a photo with their trophies.
The Marianas High School Dolphin Battalion armed team competes in the annual CNMI drill competition.
