By Kiana Caranto

[email protected]

The MHS Raider team was given the opportunity to participate in their first outer-island competition, the Menehune Adventure Challenge, from Jan. 17 to 19 at Waimea High School on Kauai. The team was comprised of Junior Keoni Borja and Senior Owen Miyahara and Sophomores Brandee Schiller and Darius Usborne. They faced many challenges that tested their ability to communicate and work as a team, leading to the formation of new friendships and positive experiences.

“They actually bonded with several of the other Kauai cadets and became good friends and I think that’s something that they’ll take out of this competition,” said JROTC adviser Lt. Col. Timothy Schiller, “A memory that they’ll always have in their mind for the rest of their life.”

The competition consisted of six different events which included the Modified Physical Fitness Test (MPFT), a 400-meter swim, an obstacle course, a rope bridge construction and crossing, a six mile run and a paddling event. MHS placed first in the MPFT, the rope bridge event and the six mile run and took home the mixed trophy for having the highest score overall.

The team’s success in the competition was due to their devotion and commitment to the program. “They’re very well disciplined, physically fit, they’re very healthy, they don’t eat junk food,” said Timothy Schiller, “When they hit the ground on Saturday, they hit the ground running.”

However prior to the competition, the team faced conflict of schedule, in regards to practice dates. “What happened was they bonded the last week and then they practiced a little bit while we were there in Kauai before the events,” said Timothy Schiller. Despite not being familiar with each other prior to the competition, they were able to pull through. “Even though we didn’t really talk before this, over there we actually had good communication,” said Borja.

Good communication was the key to the win. “You wouldn’t be able to perform a task like (the) rope bridge effectively without communication because you can’t read minds or you can’t tell what the other person is doing,” said Borja. They exemplified teamwork in each of the events, particularly the six mile run. “They would take the weakest runner and that person was the pace person,” said Timothy Schiller, “These guys never stopped, they were like a mile and half ahead of the other teams.”

Although they won half the events, they were modest and presented themselves with maturity and professionalism. “They were encouraging the other cadets from the other teams and it wasn’t like, ‘Hey, we were (going to) go there and win everything and we don’t care about you guys,’” said Timothy Schiller. They viewed this as more than just a competition, but as an opportunity to visit a neighbor island and make new friends. “My favorite part about this trip was getting to meet other kids from Waimea High, they were super nice and humble,” said Brandee Schiller.

The Raider team is determined to improve their performance for next year’s Menehune Adventure Challenge, in addition to adding a second team.