Ranger Challenge
Ranger Challenge is Army ROTC's varsity sport, with competitors earning an IU Varsity Athletic Letter. The competition focuses on the basic infantry skills, with Squad-sized teams competing against other schools in rifle marksmanship, constructing a rope-bridge, patrolling, disassembly and reassembly of the M16A2, the Army Physical Fitness Test, land navigation, and a 10K road march. The competition takes place in the fall and all cadets in good academic standing are invited to take part. Ranger Challenge cadets PT five times a week and many weekends, separate from the rest of the battalion, in order to train the required skills for the competition.
This past fall, our cadets competed very successfully. Our 9-man team finished in First Place for the third year in a row, and our 5-man team also finished in First Place of all the 5-man teams. Both teams dominated in their category, winning most of the events. We had a womens team compete this year, and they finished third overall.
The purpose for Ranger Challenge Program is to challenge cadets in tough mental and physical competition, enhance leadership, develop team cohesion, and to develop healthy competition among ROTC battalions. Each year, top cadets from around the country gather to compete in Army ROTC's Ranger Challenge.
Ranger Challenge is designed to test the strongest cadets from around the nation. Events include:
- • APFT - Army Physical Fitness Test
- • One-rope bridge - Teams cross a 40-foot water obstacle using a single rope
- • HUMVEE pull - Secure a HUMVEE, evaluate a simulated casualty and pull the HUMVEE to a secure location
- • Litter Carry - Evaluate a simulated casualty and move to a secure location as a team
- • Night Orienteering - Navigate to specified points at night in teams
- • Orienteering - Teams use land navigation skills to find 40 checkpoints
- • 10K road march - Teams run in "full battle rattle" - with their rifles and all of their gear in a ruck sack
- • Obstacle Course - Negotiate a series of obstacles as a team maintaining all gear.
