By Justin Kroll
For The State News
Cadet Jay Knight paid close attention as he observed Cadet 1st Lt. Zach Hodyna perform one of a series of rifle tricks.
On Saturday, the Silver Eagles Drill Team, MSU's competitive military drill team, helped middle and high school JROTC students develop their skills in military drilling at Demonstration Hall.
"For the most part, the goal of today is to teach the drilling aspects to these younger cadets," said Cadet 3rd class Andrew Zanotti, an instructor at the event. "This event could also be seen as a way to draw kids into the ROTC program at Michigan State."
The event brought in 14 cadets. Their ages ranged from seventh-graders in middle school to seniors in high school and they represented Traverse City, Muskegon and Ogemaw Heights.
The event kicked off at 9:30 a.m. as the MSU Accafellas sang a well-received rendition of the national anthem.
The rest of the day was spent with the drill team showing the younger cadets various drilling techniques and tricks that could be used in a drilling competition.
One specific move, called the waterfall, is when the rifle is hoisted onto the right shoulder, turned horizontally so it rests on the back of the shoulders, then dropped so it slides down the back and is caught with the opposite hand, they said.
Zanotti, an engineering sophomore, said the one thing he wanted less of during these teachings was the rough-edged military discipline.
He said he believed it would be more helpful to both parties if a more laid-back approach was taken.
"It is important that we take on an instructional layout, allowing for more one-on-one time with the cadets," Zanotti said. "We want to stay away from any type of military discipline."
Many of the younger cadets said they appreciated that so much of the day was one-on-one help.
Knight, a high school sophomore in the Muskegon JROTC branch, enjoyed how much motivation the senior staff was giving him.
"They do a really good job of motivating everybody," Knight said. "It is not just a one-time thing either; they are constantly motivating us to do better."
Cadet Luke Walter, a seventh-grader from the Traverse City Civil Air Patrol, was the youngest cadet there. He said it was a lot easier to learn everything because no one treated him differently because he was younger.
"I never felt any intimidation," Walter said. "Everyone treated me like an equal."
As the day progressed, the team was constantly making sure that each JROTC cadet had each technique down. The atmosphere during these sessions was also very bright.
Everyone encouraged each other and the older cadets didn't put pressure on younger cadets to get things done right away.
"This is the first time this year we get to teach younger cadets these certain skills," said Hodyna, a Silver Eagles Drill Team member and history junior.
The younger cadets said they want to teach their new moves to JROTC members back home.
"My biggest goal of the day is not only learning these new skills but being able to go back to Muskegon and teach them to my fellow cadets," Knight said.
Many people were impressed by how the event was handled, such as retired drill Sgt. Earnest Knight, who came with the Muskegon unit.
"The Silver Eagles handled themselves very professionally," said Earnest Knight, who is not related to Jay Knight. "The way they acted today I could have mistaken them for active duty."
