Ranger Challenge

Part of becoming an Army Officer is challenging yourself beyond what you can do. We include adventurous activities into our program allowing cadets to push themselves to the edge and beyond and to do things most Americans do not get to do.  We rappel down a 40-foot tower, run through challenging confidence courses, conquer a Field
Leadership Reaction Course, and learn how to survive in the water.

Cadets, who want more adventure and like to compete on teams, may try out for our outstanding Ranger Company and possibly make the Ranger Challenge Team.  Only the best compete in ranger challenge, a competition where your 9 person team goes up against others schools in a series of military skills events.

Ranger Challenge is the Army ROTC Varsity Sport.  The team forms early in the semester and trains rigorously nearly every morning of the week.  Ranger Challenge team members accomplish more before 8am then most college students accomplish in an entire day.  The team trains all the way up until the Brigade Ranger Challenge Competition at Fort Devens, Massachusetts.  Like most sport teams, cuts have to be made and only the best remain. The remaining members will go on to represent the Mohawk Battalion in the Brigade Ranger Challenge Competition in mid-October. 

The Brigade Ranger Challenge Competition is a two-day event conducted on a non-tactical course.  The mission is to challenge cadets’ mental and physical toughness and to develop leadership while fostering teamwork and esprit-de-corps.  Teams participate in nine graded events.  A typical breakdown of events is as follows:

1. Teams will arrive at Devens (Friday evening).
2. Military Stakes.  Teams are responsible for conducting class I, personal hygiene, and PCI’s prior to 0700.  Team coaches are responsible for ensuring teams are at the designated start point NLT 0700.  The Brigade TOC will direct the start of the military skills course and direct movement of the teams.  The military skills course is negotiated by team vehicle with designated stations each team must negotiate.  The start point for each team depends on their group.  At each station the team performs a military skill.  Upon completion of the task, teams rotate following the order of events to the next designated point.  The military skills course ends at 1700.  The groupings of schools for the competition will be determined the day prior to the competition.
3. 10 K Forced Road March Course.  On Saturday evening followed by a night orienteering course.
4. APFT.  Teams execute the APFT on Sunday morning.  The APFT is evaluated by rotating Ranger Challenge coaches. The APFT is the culminating event for the Ranger Challenge.
5. Awards Ceremony.  One hour after the completion of the APFT, First Brigade conducts the Ranger Challenge 07 awards ceremony vicinity of the Parade Field.