MIAMI TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Over at Live Oaks Career Center in Miami Township, you can spot a wolf pack running through the forest.
But this wolf pack isn't howling at the moon; it's a group of dedicated students who make up the Live Oaks Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC).
You'll see them scaling walls, climbing out of mud ponds and racing through obstacles as their training reaches the highest level.
"Citizenship, character development, personal responsibility, hard work," Chief Heath Phillips said. Phillips is the senior Army instructor at Live Oaks alongside 1st Sergeant Donald Eynon, who's the program's assistant instructor.
“We teach leave it better than you found it and our main focus is to motivate young people to be great citizens," Eynon said.
Watch to hear how teamwork and friendship are what drive these national champions:
Thursday morning, the cadets went through the events that teams compete in, including an obstacle course and passing over tire swings.
This team has already seen the fruits of their labor.
The female and co-ed team took home national championships at the National Raider Challenge in Fort Knox last weekend.
“Our team is excellent; they put in all the hard work they can do, they’re always here every single day," Cadet Thomas Hoods said.
“Without having a team with good chemistry or good teamwork, it would not have been possible to win this weekend," Cadet Rebecca Buck said. Buck is the cadet's battalion commander.
“I’ve been a part of several teams through this program, female, co-ed, and each one just brings it’s own gift to my life," Rebecca said.
The soldiers who run the program said each team competed against dozens of other schools from across the United States.
Thursday, Great Oaks President and CEO Harry Snyder presented each cadet with a special medal and congratulated them on their achievement.
But according to Raider Commander Elijah Lamberjack, it's the people that make the work worth it.
“You can always buy a trophy or win a trophy, find a trophy, but you can’t just build friendship; it takes time," Elijah said.
The instructors said that the team will be back in action for competitions in the spring.
