KU Army ROTC Ranger Buddy Competition set for April 7

LAWRENCE — University of Kansas Army ROTC cadets will be among 456 cadets from across the United States testing the limits of their physical and mental strength on Saturday.

Two-person teams from 42 colleges and universities in 16 states will compete at the 24th annual KU Army ROTC Ranger Buddy Competition on April 7 at Rim Rock Farm, 2276 Burnett Lane, which is home to the Kansas Jayhawk cross country teams. Cadets hail from as far as North Dakota, Texas, Utah and Connecticut. This spectator event is free and open to the public.

Male, female and co-ed teams participate in a series of challenges requiring physical skills, individual movement techniques, first aid tasks, weapons tasks, knowledge of knots, military reporting formats and more as they vie for the title of Best Ranger Buddy Team. KU Army ROTC seeks to defend last year’s Top Battalion overall and improve on its second-place male, female and co-ed finish. The school with the best overall finish in all divisions wins the Top Battalion award.

The competition clock is continuous and begins with a 15-kilometer Buddy Team ruck march at 5:15 a.m. for the female and co-ed division and 9 a.m. for the male divisions, followed by basic skill tasks and a final 5-kilometer buddy run.

The event timeline is as follows:

• 5:10 a.m.: First formation/opening address
• 5:15 a.m.: Female and Co-ed Buddy Team 15-kilometer forced ruck march
• 9 a.m.: Male Buddy Team 15-kilometer forced ruck march
• Closing/awards ceremony will be no earlier than 2:30 p.m.

For more information regarding this event, please visit the KU Army ROTC Ranger Buddy Competition website at or contact Joe Midgley at 785-342-1562 or joemidgley@ku.edu.

Photo: The 24th annual KU Army ROTC Ranger Buddy Competition will take place April 7. Credit: Meg Kumin, KU Marketing Communications.