ROTC Tops Rivals

University of San Francisco Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadet Timothy Kramer led USF’s Ranger Challenge team to a first-place finish at a regional competition Oct. 3.

Kramer, a senior exercise and sport science major, captained the nine-person team at the competition at Camp Rilea in Oregon. Ranger Challenge provides cadets with physical and mental challenges while competing against other ROTC battalions.

Competition events included a team physical training test, a land navigation course, grenade assault course, and a six-mile march loaded down with gear.

USF’s Ranger Challenge squad trained from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. five days per week beginning in August to prepare. Kramer explained the team’s performance was the result of their its level of motivation. “We had a very cohesive team who worked very well together,” Kramer said.

The competition’s demanding nature led to several cadets from competing battalions requiring medical attention from exhaustion, dehydration, and injuries. USF’s team sustained no injuries.

USF’s Ranger Challenge team improved each of the last four years but has not placed until this year, Kramer said. The win follows last year’s loss in a third-place tiebreaker.

“We were all very happy to win and represent USF ROTC so well, and happy all of our training and hard preparation paid off,” Kramer said.