FORT KNOX, Ky. – Day nine of Basic Camp for First Regiment Cadets, they are taught how to work as a team for the first time on June 3rd in Fort Knox, Ky.
The Team Development Course is an obstacle course with six different events where Cadets are to finish each event in thirty minutes.
“It’s all [the] parts of teamwork, communication, sharing ideas, understanding new ideas, and above all we assign squad leaders who are MSI (Military Science Level I) people who have never been in charge of people before and make them come with ideas and make them share ideas. Basically develop them as a leader and part of development is for them to be able to work as a team,” said 2nd Lt. Jessie Davis, Fort Knox, Ky.
The Cadets are split into six groups so each group can be at each event. At each event Cadets are split into two teams.
Once at the event, Cadets are to spend ten minutes planning how to complete the event, after ten minutes the Cadets have to start.
The concept of each obstacle is to finish, get the important object from one end to the other, and do not touch restricted areas. Restricted areas include the yellow part of the wall and the ground. If a Cadet touches those areas, they have to stop the clock for fifteen seconds, which prevents them from using that time to complete the event.
Each event has its own unique challenge with different resources that the Cadets can use. Each event is given minimal resources but Cadets don’t have to use all of them.
For event six, “One Rope Bridge”, Cadets had to get over their fear of heights and cross the “bridge” while on a rope.
“That event, I struggled with a lot, and I felt as if having my team there they are really supportive. [With] that obstacle, I had them there, even though I did freak out they helped me through it and that’s something that I’m thankful for,” said Cadet Erica Wunschel, South Dakota State, Spencer, IA.
Cadet Seth Titus, Hartford, S. D., University of South Dakota, and his fellow cadets cheer on their teammate as he inches closer to the end platform on June 3 in Fort Knox, Ky
Cadet Summer Training is vital for those who want to be an officer in the Army. The Army is all about working as a team and with the Team Development Course, Cadets learn the most important roles in the Army.
