April 8, 2009 — Cadets and midshipmen of the University of Virgina's ROTC programs will demonstrate their skills Friday in the annual U.Va. Tri-Service Drill Competition, which also includes physical fitness.

ROTC units from the Army, Navy and Air Force have vied for the winners' cups for more than 10 years. The Navy midshipmen are the defending champs.

The physical fitness portion opens the competition at 6:15 a.m. with pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups and a three-mile run. Students will receive individual scores and also contribute to their team's score.

Starting at 3 p.m. at Lambeth Field, platoons from each branch of service will be inspected and perform marching drills. This will be followed by a demonstration of coordinated precision movements with rifles, such as tossing them between cadets. The drill team competition will be judged on the inspection, standard drill, color guard and exhibition drill, with the overall high score determining the winner.

Individual winners and team winners will be recognized and the top platoon receives a trophy and bragging rights until the following year. About 100 cadets and midshipmen will participate in the competition.

This year, two upperclass midshipmen and cadets from each service were selected to judge the competition based on their knowledge of military drill.

The marching drill competition is free and open to the public.

For information, contact Michael O'Neill at 908-812-9015 or mlo4h@virginia.edu.