Ball State University ROTC students will travel to Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh during Fall Break for a three-day training event called Ranger Challenge, Capt. John Dimeling said.
Ranger Challenge is an annual extracurricular activity for ROTC cadets, he said.
"[Students] compete in a variety of different military training events against other teams that come from other Indiana schools and eastern Illinois schools," Dimeling said.
Five cadets and one alternate are scheduled to compete for Ball State against about 12 different schools, he said.
Sophomore Kari Schultz said no female cadets would attend the Ranger Challenge this year because at least six needed to sign up, and not enough did.
Students will participate in activities such as a land navigation course, rope bridge, obstacle course, humvee pull, the Army Physical Fitness Test and a 10-kilometer march, or 6.2 miles, he said.
Senior Philip Vancelette, ranger team commander, said Ball State has participated in the Ranger Challenge for more than 10 years. Last year, the team placed third overall and won the rope-bridge challenge, he said. This year, Vancelette said his goal is to place at least third overall.
The endurance needed to complete the Ranger Challenge will probably be the most difficult part of the experience, he said. Throughout the three days, cadets will be walking about 20 to 30 miles while carrying between 40 and 50 pounds of gear on their backs, Vancelette said.
Ranger Challenge is free to Ball State participants and paid for by the ROTC's cadet fund, he said.
Senior Cardinal Batallion Commander Nick Hoffman, who participated in Ranger Challenge last fall, said the experience helped teach ROTC's primary goal of leadership development.
"It was a great opportunity to work with a team," Hoffman said. "We did a lot of team building, and, for the people that are new to the program, they really get to know people and know what it's all about."
Students also form relationships in the weeks leading up to the challenge, he said. They do a lot of physical training, such as practicing for the 10-kilometer march, to prepare, Hoffman said.
Dimeling said the students have been practicing for about two to three days per week. They wake up around 5:30 a.m. and work for about two hours, he said.
"They definitely learn how to work as a team," Dimeling said. "They improve their individual soldier skills as well and test their physical stamina."
Senior Cadet Sarah Price, who was an alternate last fall, said she liked her time at Ranger Challenge.
"It's a lot of fun," Price said. "Our guys did really well. A lot of the events are completely different than the things we've done in [physical training]...It's very physically challenging."
For example, students must carry all of their belongings across a rope bridge course which reaches across a river, she said.
Dimeling said although students would not receive course credit for their Ranger Challenge experience, participating would help their overall ROTC evaluations.
An awards ceremony for the cadets will take place on Sunday, he said.
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