Clemson University Army ROTC Competes in 4th BDE’s Ranger Challenge

October 28, 2019

The Ranger Challenge competition is conducted over two days on a non-tactical course. The mission is to challenge Cadets’ mental and physical toughness and to develop leadership while fostering teamwork and espirt-de-corps. Teams participate in a variety of graded events ranging from an Obstacle course to Land Navigation to how to throw a grenade.

Cadet Andrew Sharp was in charge of training the Clemson team and leading them through the challenges of the competition. The Team trained for 10 weeks leading up to the competition, doing PT and military knowledge classes at least 4 times a week as well as conducting an FTX prior to the competition.

“Ranger Challenge has been a big part of my college experience.  Every year I learn something new and meet great people.  I enjoy the competition, but my favorite part is the team.  You wake up early every morning for physical training and to practice military knowledge, but you never complain because you know your Buddy is pushing themselves right next to you.  I saw so many people grow up this season, and I enjoyed the self-discipline and responsibility the team requires which pushes you to hold yourself to a higher standard.”

-CDT Andrew Sharp

“I thought the competition was very fun and challenging.  It was cool to see how all the different ROTC programs compared to ours. I really enjoyed all the training beforehand, which I believe helped us in the competition, especially with all the rucking we had to do. Although, my favorite part about it was getting to know and train with different people in ROTC and make new friends.”

-CDT Madeline Hall

The team, for the 2nd year in a row, won the Camouflage (self and equipment) event. They placed 20th overall.