SD CAP Cadets Perform Well in Region Cadet Competition
Two South Dakota Wing teams brought home eight first- and second-place awards in ten categories this weekend in Civil Air Patrol’s North Central Region Cadet Competition.
The South Dakota teams consisted of CAP youth program “cadets" from Rushmore Composite Squadron and Sioux Falls Composite Squadron—competition teams from the other states in CAP’s seven-state North Central Region were also on hand to show their abilities.
“At one level, this event is about choosing who has the honor and the privilege and the responsibility of representing North Central Region at the national CAP competition,” said Col. Michael Marek, commander of CAP’s South Dakota Wing, during the awards ceremony. “But beyond that, your experience this weekend will serve you well all your lives. No matter what you do in the future, positive teamwork is maybe the biggest lesson from an event like this.”
The competition included military-type events, such as posting the colors, uniform inspection, standard drill, and physical training (PT), but also the operation of small drones (sUAS) through an obstacle course, a team leadership problem, and written examinations.
Rushmore Composite Squadron placed first in the Physical Training (PT) test event plus four second-place awards. Sioux Falls Composite Squadron placed first in the sUAS Practical event, also with four second-place awards.
The top two winning competition teams in the region were Table Rock Lake Composite Squadron of Missouri and Viking Composite Squadron of Minnesota. The two teams will represent CAP’s North Central Region at the national CAP Cadet Competition later this year.
