Georgia Tech Softball, Army ROTC Conduct Leadership Training at Fort Benning

On Sept. 24, the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps’ (Army ROTC) Stinger Battalion invited the Georgia Tech softball team out for a day of leadership and team-building exercises.

The core focus of the Army ROTC is to develop future leaders through discipline and training events. The Yellow Jackets softball team, along with a few of the cadets from the battalion, split into squads to tackle two different training events: the Field Leaders Reaction Course (FLRC) and the Speed Course.

The day began with a brief explanation of the values of leadership in the Army and how the squads would be assessed during the first event. Next, the squads split off to begin the FLRC. Each squad rotated through mission obstacles that required quick thinking and teamwork. For each iteration, a different squad leader was in charge. The obstacles ranged from moving a casualty across treacherous gaps to delivering payloads across makeshift bridges. Each of the iterations was graded by a senior cadet from the program.

“It was awesome working with Tech’s softball team and sharing leadership knowledge with them,” said cadet Jay Fluet, who helped grade participants during the exercises. “One of the best skills you can gain from the Army is how to lead a group of your peers, and getting to share what I’ve spent three years learning and developing felt like coming full circle.”

In the Speed Course, the squads tested their teamwork and leadership skills in a fast-paced, endurance-based challenge. The course featured obstacles that required the squads to climb, crawl, and sprint while maintaining integrity and motivating their teammates. The course also required the squads to memorize a puzzle at the beginning and then reproduce it at the end, after pushing their physical limits, to test their mental agility.

Following the Speed Course, the cadets and team members came back together to watch a demonstration by the United States Army Marksmanship Unit in skeet and trap shooting. In addition to an entertaining and informative presentation, two units of Olympic athlete-soldiers spoke about their experiences, pursuing their goals, and techniques to build perseverance.

“I think we learned a lot about each other and our communication and teamwork strategies,” said Yellow Jackets infielder Meghan Cassidy.

The opportunity to develop leadership skills and teamwork was invaluable, and the team embraced the Army spirit of pushing through difficult circumstances and excelling in stressful environments.

“I’m glad we all got to come together as a team for this opportunity,” said catcher Emma Kauf. “It was really cool working with the cadets and meeting a lot of new people.”