On 4 November 2023, Air Force JROTC once again hosted the annual Rocket City Commander’s Cup Drill & Fitness Competition on the campus of Bob Jones High School. Thanks to the overwhelming success of the inaugural event, Cadet Lucy Halter, took the initiative to assemble a dedicated committee to plan and execute this year’s event. 

Bob Jones’ cadre and staff arrived at 4:00 am to set up the gyms, cafeteria, parking lot and turf field in anticipation of over 300 cadets and 100+ supporters arriving at 7:00 am.. The day started with a spectacular opening ceremony, a moment marked by the joint Color Guard consisting of cadets from each branch of service and the playing of the National Anthem. 

Throughout the day, cadets demonstrated their precision and skill in various drill and physical training competitions. The drill competition included events like armed and unarmed inspection and drill, exhibition drill, and color guard. 

In addition to the drill competition, the PT (Physical Training) component of the meet brought a whole new level of intensity and athleticism. Cadets engaged in a series of challenging exercises, including push-ups, crunches, a 4×400 (mile)  relay, and an obstacle course commissioned as the Knight Relay.  Teams from the Marines, Navy, Army, and Air Force battled it out to be the fitness champions.  But this honor went to the teams with the highest number of points in each category: Grissom High School (top female team), Grissom High School (top male team),  and Percy Julian High School out of Montgomery, AL (top coed team).

As the day drew to a close, the awards ceremony celebrated the outstanding performances of the participating teams. Trophies were awarded to the top teams in each category, recognizing their exceptional achievements. Mrs. Lambert presented the Commander’s Cup to the overall top team, Hoover High School Air Force JROTC.