Cadet Squadron 34 takes 1st place in Polaris Warrior competition

Published May 2, 2014
By Capt. Ricky Ricciardi
Academy Public Affairs

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo -- Cadet Squadron 34 took first place in the annual Polaris Warrior competition here April 26.

CS-35 and CS-28 placed second and third respectively in the competition, designed to test the Cadet Wing's leadership and expeditionary skills.

The competition comprised a total of six courses, including land navigation, combat arms training and military operations on urban terrain among others. Each Cadet Wing squadron divided themselves into multiple six-to-eight-person teams for each event.

Two new events were added this year: the Fireman's Challenge and the "Mudder" -- an addition to the endurance course that left cadets covered from head to toe in mud.

"The Fireman's Challenge inspired great stamina and the "Mudder" required a significant amount of teamwork to complete," said Cadet 1st Class Christian Brechbuhl.

Polaris Warrior is spread across Academy grounds and features an endurance course comprised of seven checkpoints and challenges.

"If you didn't take the training seriously throughout the year, then Polaris Warrior was going to be very difficult," said Cadet 1st Class Andrew Zaldivar.

Times and scores were tallied as each team made their way through the entire event.