Our first year in CyberPatriot saw us push all of the rules. The competition started as an added piece for ROTC. It really hadn’t considered the open division, so when they made it available to all schools, the rules had to be challenged. The first thing we brought to their attention was the number of teams. Since ROTC is a small group they didn’t envision multiple teams from a school. Within the first week of practices, we had enough for 2 teams and asked about it. They scrambled and said we could but each team had to have a separate coach. This would be later changed so that each coach could have 5 teams. We also had the notion that there might be flexibility in teams. They have now set a deadline for the team to declare who is on it but it is later than before. We also had the luxury of having a Northrop Grumman office in the area. Northrop Grumman was a sponsor so we had mentors from the local office. This picture for today is the first group of CyberPatriot competitors from Rangeview.
With the help of our mentor, we somehow made it through several hundred teams to be in the top 12 and earn a trip to Washington DC. We stayed at the Gaylord in National Harbor Maryland. We finished 5th but were thrilled. It was a chance to show the might of Rangeview on a national stage. The trip was fun and our sightseeing was conducted by the executive director of the program. Brigadier Gen. Bernie Skoch gave an informative tour of Washinton DC. His insights on the city and little-known facts were shared. We visited the new Air Force Memorial which is on the back side of Arlington National Cemetery. I also asked the all-important question of why Aif Force Generals are shorter than other branches. His response was that many of them were fighter pilots and smaller is an asset in a tight cockpit. The other important trip was to the shopping district in National Harbor and the Peeps Store. Nothing is more fun than those sugar-encrusted marshmallow delights. More about this first group and the promise I made and how it came true.