The 2024 Pacific Region Cadet Competition results look familiar. with the top two 2023 performers again leading the field.
The Washington Wing cadet team, hailing from the Overlake Composite Squadron, took first place, followed by the Alaska Wing entry from the Kodiak Island Composite Squadron — just like last year.
In 2023 both teams also came in second and third — though in reverse order, with the Alaska Wing cadets as runners-up — in the National Cadet Competition, which has been discontinued.
Previously, the top two performers in each of the eight region cadet competitions faced off at the national level. The new approach, which ends at the region level, is intended to expand participation throughout the organization, allowing squadrons and wings to reduce demands on time and resources.
Third place this year in the Pacific Region competition went to the California Wing’s San Diego Cadet Squadron 144.
First place — Washington Wing, Overlake Composite Squadron
The Overlake team consisted of:
Cadet Maj. Braden Russell
Cadet Capt. Misha Check
Cadet Capt. Matteo Maricich
Cadet Capt. Andrew Poole
Cadet 1st Lt. Brenton Natale
Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Sofia Luferenko
The team finished:
First in Indoor Drill, Element Drill, Written Exam, and Physical Fitness
Second in Inspection
Third in Standard Drill
In addition, Check finished first in Physical Fitness for female cadets.
Russell, Check, Natale, and Poole all participated in 2023 as well.
Second place — Alaska Wing, Kodiak Island Composite Squadron
Making up the Kodiak Island team were:
Cadet 2nd Lt. Connor Burnside
Cadet 2nd Lt. Liam Long
Cadet 2nd Lt. Hunter Simeonoff.
Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Kaylin Burnside
Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Isaac Hall
Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Vivian Lorch
The team placed:
First in Standard Drill and Inspection
Second in Indoor Drill, Element Drill , Written Exam, and Team Leadership Project
Long, Lorch, and the Burnsides also competed as team members last year.
Third place — California Wing, San Diego Cadet Squadron 144
The San Diego cadets were:
Cadet Capt. Jace Blake Frazier
Cadet 1st Lt. Benjamin Hartle
Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Sebastian Gaspar
Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Nicolas Richard Hartle
Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Itski Charles Ng
Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Lauren Michelle Smith
The team finished:
First in Team Leadership Project
Second in Standard Drill
Third in Element Drill
Eight other teams also participated —
Alaska Wing, Lake Hood Cadet Squadron
California Wing, Diablo Composite Squadron 44
Hawaii Wing, Maui Composite Squadron
Nevada Wing, Henderson Composite Squadron
Nevada Wing, Jack Schofield Cadet Squadron
Oregon Wing, Gorge Composite Squadron
Oregon Wing, Salem Composite Squadron
Washington Wing, Columbia Basin Composite Squadron
Those teams accounted for the following category performances:
Lake Hood Cadet Squadron— Indoor Drill, third place , and Inspection, third place
Jack Schofield Cadet Squadron— Physical Fitness, second place
Gorge Composite Squadron— Written exam, third place
Henderson Composite Squadron—Physical Fitness, third place
Maui Composite Squadron — Team Leadership Project, third place
Two cadets from the Gorge Composite Squadron, Cadet Chief Master Sgts. Conner Plumb and Isaiah Walker, were recognized for achieving, respectively, Highest Written Exam and Physical Fitness for male cadets.
