National JROTC Showcase Weekend returns to the Ocean Center May 5-7

For over four decades, Sports Network International, Inc. of Ormond Beach, Florida has hosted the National JROTC Showcase Weekend in Daytona Beach. This patriotic gathering brings to town several of the largest High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) Championship events in the nation.

The largest single-service military championship in the country kicks off the weekend on Friday, May 5, as Army schools from across the nation compete in drill and ceremony events in the U.S. Army JROTC National Drill Championship. Thirty-six evaluators brought in specifically for the event will have watchful eyes on these talented young men and women.

The National High School Drill Team Championships (NHSDTC) is the core event of the weekend, having taken place at the Ocean Center annually since the facility opened in 1985. This world-famous event once again returns Saturday and Sunday, May 6-7. The 2023 championship will feature over 2,400 individuals from 166 schools representing the four JROTC service branches of the military—Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force—who will participate in four distinct drill and ceremony events in both the armed and unarmed divisions of competition. The NHSDTC culminates with an elaborate awards ceremony on Sunday night in the arena.

Additionally, with an added emphasis on physical fitness in recent years, 55 male, female and mixed JROTC teams will compete in the National JROTC Fitness Challenge Championships held on the shores of Daytona Beach. The event takes place on the beach behind the Plaza Resort and Spa, 600 N. Atlantic Avenue, in the morning and at the Ocean Center in the afternoon and culminates with an award ceremony at the convention center that same night. The Army JROTC HQ sponsored event features many individual tests of strength, speed, and teamwork across several rigorous events.

The event is a true military spectacle with scores of colleges, military programs, static displays and other related entities hosting booths at the Ocean Center throughout the weekend. General officers, special performance units and countless VIPs are also slated to attend. Lead among them, the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team from Washington, DC, will be performing around the lunch hour on Saturday on the main arena floor during the NHSDTC. Special keynote speakers include U.S. Army Cadet Command Major General Antonio (Andy) Munera, as well as Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, CMSAF JoAnne S. Bass, representing the highest enlisted level of leadership within the United States Air Force.

Over just three days, JROTC programs from across the country will make Daytona Beach the most famous location on the globe. The combination of events is expected to total well over 6,000 cadets, instructors, parents and spectators.

“Each year, we commit to providing participants with an unparalleled weekend of military excellence,” said National High School Drill Team Championships Director Justin Gates. “To say we’re proud of how much we’ve grown since we started this event weekend over 40 years ago is an understatement. From the Ocean Center facility to the destination, competitors can look forward to a first-class, professional event in a beautiful, family-friendly location. It’s the ultimate wrap-up to their competition season.”

“The Ocean Center is honored to be the longtime host of the National High School Drill Team Championships,” said Ocean Center Director of Sales and Marketing Tim Buckley. “This event brings thousands of competitors, along with their friends and family, to experience our facility and the surrounding destination. We look forward to hosting such an upstanding organization each year.”

“We’re proud to have the destination continue to serve as the host of this long-standing event that attracts thousands of visitors to the Daytona Beach area,” said Lori Campbell Baker, Executive Director of the Daytona Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We hope the participants, as well as spectators, enjoy the numerous activities within the destination and bring positive economic impact into the community.”

JROTC is a 100-plus year-old program run by the Defense Department as an elective whose mission is to teach high school students’ citizenship, leadership, character and community service. Students take part in both classroom and hands-on activities and participate in community service events. A key part of these programs is drill training, which is on display at the National Championships.

The event takes place May 5 through 7 and no admission fee is charged for entry. For more information, visit https://thenationals.net/nhsdtc.htm.