JROTC wins fitness national title

Information provided by the US Army Cadet Command Public Affairs Office

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Warren County High School fitness team won first place in the Mixed Division of the 2025 National JROTC Fitness Challenge Championship held May 3, making them the COED national champions among JROTC fitness teams. Their exceptional speed, endurance, and teamwork earned them the top spot over 43 other teams in the division.

The prestigious event featured more than 70 teams from Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps JROTC programs representing high schools across the country.

Col. Matthew Tipton, the Director of Air Force JROTC, presented the trophy to the team at an awards ceremony held at the Ocean Center.

The competition featured all-male, all-female, and COED teams competing in five events:

3K Beach Run: Cadets sprinted along the sandy shoreline while carrying a 10-foot PVC pipe—a true test of endurance and strength.

Physical Team Test: Teams maneuvered through a zigzagging obstacle course, crawling under barriers and carrying and pulling equipment. The course demanded agility, coordination, and mental fortitude.

Pull-Up/Bar Hang Event: Cadets showcased their upper body strength by performing pull-ups or enduring a bar hang for time.

Seated Ball Throw: Precision and power were essential in this event. Cadets hurled weighted balls from a seated position, aiming for maximum distance.

Standing Long Jump: Explosive leg power was on display as cadets leaped forward in the standing long jump event.

Retired 1st Sgt. Tim Howard, the team’s coach and instructor in the school’s JROTC program, is moving on to his second retirement after 19 years as an Army JROTC instructor.

“These kids earned a national championship at the Raider Nationals and now at Fitness Nationals. Hopefully that’s enough for them to get a good taste of top-level success for them to carry on for the next guy who replaces me,” said Howard.

The Teams seniors were very instrumental in the success. When asked what the victory meant to them on a national scale, they responded “It’s the endpoint of a lot of hard work over a long period of time that finally paid off."

They were also asked what motivated them to pursue excellence in extremely physically demanding challenges. Their response was “the team motivates them and gives them the will to win. It was never about winning for us, but winning for each other”

Warren County HS JROTC Seniors are: Maria Castillo, Alex Niedoba, Ulisis Olalde, Christopher Morris, Lillie Seymour, Allison Sweatman and Aidan Young.