California Cadet Corps holds statewide drill competition

Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman
California National Guard Public Affairs

April 27, 2022

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – Hundreds of elementary, middle school and high school students from throughout California traveled to Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, April 23, to strut their skills and compete in California Cadet Corps State Drill Competition.

More than 330 cadets comprising 71 different teams marched onto the base parade ground to represent the Corps' 14 brigades in a variety of events.

Earning the right to compete at the state level was no easy feat, said California Cadet Corps Col. Michael J. Smith, who serves as the Corps' executive officer.

"This is sort of a culmination event for them," Smith said. "They’ve already been through several challenges to get to this level, so I hope they feel some fruition and that it all was worth it… I hope they have a sense of accomplishment about performing as a team."

For the armed and unarmed drill categories, cadets competed in smaller squad-level formations and larger platoon-sized groups and performed a prescribed sequence of commands – from memory – in front of judges and a crowd of family members, teachers and cadets from other schools.

Judges scrutinized every move closely to score teams based on their precision and military bearing.

"The kids, they’re nervous and have butterflies. You’ve got everybody watching you," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Pedro Kladis, of the 146th Security Forces Squadron, 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard.

Kladis and several other members of the 146th volunteered to judge the competition. Precision was important, he said, but bearing was key.

"At the end of the day, it’s not about how precise you can execute. It’s about if you fail, how fast can you recover," Kladis said. "How well can you bounce back up? Those are lessons learned in life."

The annual competition is about more than naming the Corps' best drill teams in the state, Smith said. The event provides cadets with face-to-face leadership opportunities they didn't have in 2020 and 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced learning online.

“COVID was a huge setback for a lot of the young cadets, in particular. We lacked two things: opportunities to get together and do things like this in the competitive environment, but also the leadership laboratory that that affords," Smith said. "Rather than being on Zoom sessions, squad leaders, platoon leaders and company commanders can interact face-to-face with subordinates and hone those leadership skills."

During the height of the pandemic, drill competition went virtual with cadets competing in their bedrooms using video capabilities of their laptops and home computers. It worked but it wasn't the same, Smith said.

"That was a huge deficit in those challenging years, and it’s so exciting to be back from that," Smith said.

Cadet Col. Katelyn Santa Maria, a high school junior who serves as the cadet executive officer within the program's state-level operations brigade, was integral in planning the event.

"Saying that it took years for planning would not be an overestimate," Santa Maria said.

She and fellow cadets reviewed reports from previous drill competitions to plan the Corps' return to an in-person competition.

Santa Maria participated in the drill competition as a first year cadet during middle school. As a past competitor, the program was near to her heart.

"It’s cool to have a completely different angle on it from a competitor being so young to running the thing," she said.

Like Smith, she was excited to see the competition's face-to-face return.

"Coming back in person is just outstanding," Santa Maria said. "It’s so great to be able to lead so many of these kids, not just through a screen, but to actually see them."

Founded in 1911 by the state's adjutant general, the California Cadet Corps began as a way to prepare California youth for commissioned military service. The program, which now serves more than 6,000 cadets in 91 California schools, evolved into a leadership development program with a focus on citizenship and patriotism while promoting academic excellence and encouraging personal health and wellness. California Cadet Corps is run by the California Military Department's Task Force Torch youth and community programs directorate.

Cover photo: California Cadet Corps Cadet Master Sgt. Tyler Johnson, from California Military Institute in Perris, performs an exhibition drill routine with classmates during the Corps’ statewide drill competition, April 23, at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos.