Reserve Officer Training Corps

[What branch of military does your ROTC follow?]

What branch of military does your ROTC follow?

Army

Marine Corps

Air Force

Navy

[Drizzt]

No need, but the U.S. military isn't interfering, and it's sort of hard to explain.

[Redcoat - Mic]

Well if you wouldn't mind, could you explain to me what it is and what happens? It's interested me now 

[Drizzt]

ROTC: Reserve Officer Training Corps (See title)

Basically, they help you get more community service hours, which helps with college. Haven't been in there longer than twelve days though, so I don't know very much.

[Talon]

There are four branches of ROTC and Junior ROTC. Ground pounding Army, deck swabbing Navy, jarhead Marine Corps, and the Mighty Mighty Air Force. ROTC is a coarse of study at certain universities, where the military pays for your education. You are trained to be an officer while pursuing your major. After you graduate you are obligated to five years of service in the officer corps.
JROTC is a high school program that teaches military structure and history. It is taught by retired career officers and enlisted men, generally of a high rank, who wish to be teachers. There is no obligation of any kind for participation. Emphasis is put on integrity, morality (secular), and civic duty. It is completely an elective class, those who participate generally already have an interest in the military. This program prepares a framework for those interested in joining post high school. For those who enlist after JROTC they enter the ranks one rank higher than the general enlistee. I personally decided that after four years in the program that I didn't like the military, but I've never regretted my participation one bit.
As for the instructors participating more with their students. What is wrong with that? I see how it is easy to be cynical about their motivations, but its really not like that. Think of the program as sports team and the teachers as coaches that you really respect.

Hope that answers some of your questions Redcoat

[Drizzt]

Worst in Raiders at push-ups, with a pathetic nine. As for the sit-ups, an average fifty-one, and for the mile-run, 10:30, one of the best in my class, but I have to shorten it to about six. That means more work, but I'm up for it.

[Talon]

I'm not familiar with Raiders, what is it? Don't worry about the push-ups and running, its sounds like you haven't done those before. Especially for a beginner with a regular schedule of physical activity your performance will improve in huge amounts rather quickly. Good luck.

[Drizzt]

Nah, running, I know I should've done better, I run cross country. as for the push-ups, I rarely do them. As for what Raiders is:
(All times, and such are for males, I forgot females.)

2 mile run: 12 - 14 minutes
5 mile relay: First team to have all five runners, run their mile, and hand it off to the next runner, wins.
First aid and stretcher carry: Unexplained
Rope bridge: 2:30 to assemble, and cross the rope bridge
Push-ups: 2 minutes to do 90 push-ups
Sit-ups: 2 minutes to do 90 sit-ups

[Talon]

So is it like a race?  Team competition for scores? What is the structure? Sounds fun anyway.

Sorry for assuming you were a beginner. I'm surprised though that they don't have you doing push-ups in XC, as it helps with hills, and throwing elbows and junk.

[Drizzt]

Now, I'm not familiar with XC. No problem about thinking I was a beginner, always happens, and I'm done with being tired of it.

[Talon]

XC is an abbreviation for cross (X) country (C) common in the Northwest, I assumed it was universal.

[Drizzt]

Maybe it is and I just don't know it, doesn't matter.

Edit: Did a 5K race today, came it 20 place out of my division, and 130 overall. (30 people ran my division, about 1200 overall.) I had 8 minute 37 second miles, with a 26 minute 45 second overall time.

[Talon]

130 out of 1200 is pretty damn good. These times confuse me though. From what I remember (just had my ten year reunion last night) in a field that big you would have to run in about the 5:20s to get 130th. I must be missing something. Good job though.

[Drizzt]

How'd you get that number? The race was any age, all could participate. So, there were some 75+ year olds there, along with 5 year olds. All-in-all it was a fun race, and really, my first taste of something like that.

[Talon]

That was an estimation from high school numbers. Basically I got those times from watching, running, and coaching A LOT of races. At some of the larger Invites there were close to 300 runners. I would usually finish between 140 and 180 with a 5:45 pace, and the top ten were usually between 5:00 and 5:10. At last years 4A State meet the top twenty were all inside 5:15 and the last stragglers came in at about 5:55 in a race of around 120.

The all ages thing makes more sense. I'm really glad you had a good time. Just keep it up and you'll have huge PRs. I'll predict that you will finish the season at around 6:30 pace over 5k.

[Drizzt]

Cool, where do you coach?