Every single member of SNI tossed this name out first!
2024 Nationals Spirit Award Winner - Cibola HS / Albuquerque, New Mexico / USMC
Every year at the National High School Drill Team Championships, Sports Network International selects a single school that epitomizes the hard work, excellence in the face of adversity, overall champion spirit, grit and determination and glorification of drill & JROTC to reign as the Nationals Spirit Award winner for the following school year. For the school year ending at the 2024 Nationals, the school selected was the dynamic drillers from Cibola High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico..
This unit has been on the map for DECADES as their love and prowess at drill has been a constant since their many of their cadets over a decade ago attended the Nationals Drill Camp under the then drill leadership of Gunny Flores who still masters the art across the Southwest. But now, a new sheriff's in town but the excellence still rings throughout the entire state and the nation under the training of MSGT Pedro Chamorro. The team is solid winning many trophies within their local area. But they are a shining example of how you do business on and off the drill floor. MSGT Chamorro said it best by stating, "wins like these are wins for the whole community". He get the big picture that drill is the tool to excellence in life, and not just in drill competitions.
EVERY JROTC IN THE PAST FEW YEARS HAS FACED ADVERSITY but Cibola HS faced it, and made every member of the program a better cadet and a better citizen because of the lessons they learned. They lost a valued member of their team but rather than dance around it and keep it something nobody talked about, they shared their pain but moved forward in a positive way truly exemplifies how NOTHING can stand in the way of a great program with great leadership! In their service championship competition at the Marine Corps JROTC Drill Championships against the best of the best in Devil Dog drill, they hung a banner celebrating their deceased team member and even had the mother of the cadet present. They looked at it as "Jason is with us" and it gave them motivation and comfort in a time when other program may have become decimated.
What an unbelievable honor and frankly long overdue to recognize this over-achieving collection of winners as our 2024 Spirit Award winner!
