AIR FORCE NATIONAL
JROTC DRILL CHAMPIONSHIPS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

QUESTION #1 - What Determines Who Gets Accepted Into The AFNJDC?
All schools will complete a brief registration form and on the back page, schools will complete a short questionnaire which will highlight their current and recent past accomplishments on the drill field at other drill competition. This, along with any other pertinent information that they feel strengthen their entry, will be submitted. This will allow all schools who petition for entry a fair shot at gaining a competition slot (so long as your entries are received no later than the entry deadline).

That being said, SNI will make determinations on entry status regarding who gets into the AFNJDC based on numerous criteria. The first criteria is to accept teams who are in contention for an overall title FIRST. This means that schools entering all four team events within a division (Armed or Unarmed) are given a priority over schools who are entering just a few events. Other important criteria to be used will include (in order): overall team strength as presented on the application , returning teams and/or past champions, geographic diversity (to ensure more and more of the United States is represented), and team location diversity (urban, rural, suburban), and a mixture of armed and unarmed teams.

The final decision is somewhat subjective but based on making the AFNJDC exactly what it is -- the finest gathering of Air Force JROTC drill and ceremony units ever assembled on a single weekend! It is filled with second guessing and mind-numbing detail but hard choices have to be made. The most important single piece of advice that can be imparted is to fill out the back of your entry form with solid facts -- make your best case why YOUR SCHOOL BELONGS AT THE AFNJDC!

QUESTION #2 - How is the date for the AFNJDC Selected Each Year?
The dates for the AFNJDC are dictated in concert with the space available nature of the event venue. as well as waiting long enough into the Spring to reduce the risk of extreme cold or snow that could disrupt the event. The date for the AFNJDC is always south to be in March.

QUESTION #3 - What Regulations are in Use at the AFNJDC?
The AFNJDC S.O.P. outlines all of the drill areas, entry sizes and positions, as well as all other items particular to this competition. The most basic guidelines all schools will be expected to follow and judges will be utilizing will be those outlined within AFMAN 36-2203. Several maneuvers and other items that are not covered in sufficient detail if at all within 36-2203 (rifle maneuvers within the Armed Regulation competition, color guard sequence regulations, etc.) are covered under Army FM 3-21.5. Pertinence segments from FM 3-21.5 are provided to all competing schools well in advance of the competition.

QUESTION #4 - Do We Have to Enter Every Event or Can We Just Enter One or Two?
There is no requirement that a team must enter all events within a division to attend the AFNJDC. However, with the huge interest from schools looking to capture an overall event title, teams that are looking to enter just an event or two are accepted ONLY AFTER teams looking to compete for an overall title are accepted. Our first priority in accepting any team for entry is, are they competing for an overall title? If they are not, they go to the bottom of the pile of entrants. Therefore, we suggest any team serious about gaining entry look at entering every team event within their division.

QUESTION #5 - Why does the Regulation and Color Guard competition utilize a different cadence than the one outlined within AFMAN 36-2203?
AFMAN 36-2203 was written for the Air Force masses. It was designed to ensure Air Force personnel move both individually and as a group in a uniform manner. IT WAS NEVER WRITTEN TO BE USED AS A SET OF REGULATIONS TO DETERMINE A CHAMPIONSHIP AFJROTC DRILL TEAM. The teams attending the AFNJDC are "the best of the best" and many times face tighter and tougher regs at this event than those outlined within AFMAN 36-2203. Therefore, where there are aspects of the manual that it is felt are either too vague to be used to judge precision maneuvers, or they are just too easy for schools to execute as written in a uniform manner where the goal is to separate the best from the very best, these may be modified. We at SNI feel that JROTC units who have been training for years should use a far more lofty standard than the 100-120 steps per minute outlined within AFMAN 36-2203. Therefore, just as is prescribed in every other service drill manual (Army, Navy, Marine Corps), the cadence at the AFNJDC has been fixed at a much tighter window to better test the skills of the competing cadets.

QUESTION #6 - Why does the AFNJDC not maintain Solo and/or Dual Exhibition competition?
Primarily, the AFNJDC competition is designed to find the finest AFJROTC drill team in both Armed & Unarmed Overall competition. Schools historically have not been in favor of counting solo and/or dual points towards the overall scoring totals, therefore the competition would have little event value. And the only option that makes feasible sense is to eliminate the knockout competition to maintain a solo & dual competition. We do not feel this is a good solution as the solo & dual competition would have very limited participation from each school (whereas knockout maintains almost 100% cadet participation). The knockout drill gives all cadets an event to participate within just prior to the start of the Awards Ceremony, while also allowing our score tabulators time to finalize, total and prepare all of the scoring from the eight different drill events that have competed throughout the day.

QUESTION #7 - The "No Crossing Over" Rule -- What Does That Mean?
Cadets may only compete on one TEAM at the AFNJDC. Therefore, while a single cadet may compete in each EVENT within either the Armed or Unarmed division, he/she may not compete on BOTH the Armed teams and the Unarmed teams. Teams found in violation of the this rule will be disqualified from the event. ENSURE YOUR TEAM DOES NOT HAVE ANY CADETS WHO ARE "CROSSING OVER", COMPETING IN TWO DIFFERENT DIVISIONS (i.e. both the Armed and the Unarmed events). The easiest way to understand this is to think of your two teams as being from separate schools.

QUESTION #8 - What Is The Per Cadet Package Cost - Can't we just Opt Out of that Fee?
In setting up the AFNJDC, it was decided that the event should maintain certain extras that give the event more of a first-class atmosphere, as well as making the event better and more memorable for all participants. Rich or poor, city or suburbs, every school and every cadet attending is treated exactly the same.

The per cadet fee will allow the addition of many extras. These include:
   - a specially designed AFNJDC event T-shirt
   - a beautiful AFNJDC medal
   - a beautiful 8" x 10" glossy color team photo
   - upgraded and expanded individual & team trophies
   - more comprehensive post-event scoring packages
   - post-event commendation certificates to all participating cadets

These extras help to provide the hard working cadets with the recognition and the mementos that are commensurate with the effort and sacrifice that is necessary to be accepted to attend a drill competition of this caliber

QUESTION #9 - What About Parents, Chaperones, Instructors, etc.?
Your unit may have cadets and instructors, as well as chaperones and team followers (parents, other non-competing cadets, etc.) planning to attend. If you have adult team followers not a part of the team that plan to stay at nearby hotels, your AFNJDC Team Folder will have hotel names and phone numbers you can contact. Make these plans early as these properties tend to fill up rather quickly.

QUESTION #10 - We Want to Get a Ballpark Cost for the Trip -- HELP!
There are several factors that any school should consider when trying to estimate a cost to attend the AFNJDC. Several of the most important things to consider are:

  1. Transportation
  2. Food
  3. Housing
  4. the Team Package Costs
Transportation: Teams traveling from any great distance must decide whether they will drive or fly. If the team decides to fly, teams should consider flying into all nearby airports (to comparison shop prices). Schools that fly to the AFNJDC must make arrangements for local transportation to and from the competition site. Taking a bus (either charter or school bus) to the event has the advantage of generally being much less expensive and giving you total flexibility to control all of your own transportation needs. This is why many teams bus to the event from throughout the bulk of the country.

Food: Meals in the area are plentiful and reasonable. Pizza subs, and hamburger places are EVERYWHERE! Also available are tons of family dinner chains, as well as cafeterias, etc. In general, I can see where $12-$15 per person, per day is a VERY ADEQUATE amount to feed all of your attendees.

Billeting:All competing schools are welcome to stay overnight anywhere they wish. The AFNJDC maintains no regulations on when or where your team should stay in the area. SNI has worked out an agreement with several nearby area hotels that would welcome your stay, treat you right, and keep the costs down for your group. Staying at these properties does help the event as these properties are official supporters and bringing them business helps the event. Additionally, units may look at local Armories or other military facilities that likely have no cost.

Team Package Plan: The price of the Team Package Plan, as outlined above, is $20 per cadet. Tangible items this will provide each cadet: the custom AFNJDC Nationals T-shirt, ordered to size, an 8" x 10" color glossy photo of your unit; the custom AFNJDC Nationals medal, as well as personalized participation certificates presented to every competing cadet. Also of course, this fee will allow your cadets the ability to participate within all aspects of the AFNJDC competition.

Looking at each of these items, most schools should be able to put together a fairly accurate estimated cost to attend.

QUESTION #11 - Is it a requirement that our program maintain an official AFJROTC status?
While it is conceivable that the future could bring other parallel programs similar to AFJROTC into the competition, for all practical purposes the answer to the question is, YES. For now, the unit must maintain an AFJROTC moniker in good standing to be given the ability to attend this competition.

QUESTION #12 - How do the locations of the events get chosen?
The Air Force Nationals are designed to parallel the Army Nationals event. Doing this allows SNI to reduce the costs to there lowest possible levels for both groups.

Regarding specifically how a competition location is chosen is subjective, but in reality quite simple. First, the city must be able to provide a first-class, indoor venue at a reasonable price. This price is usually in the neighborhood of roughly 4K-5K dollars, all totalled (wow! yes, that is reasonable!). Then this city must be able to provide ample, qualified judges within a reasonable driving distance. Those are the two biggies.

Now ideally, the city should be in a relatively climate-positive location to ensure bad weather does not cancel the event. Also, the city should have some comelling reason to be there. This can be proximity to historic landmarks (Washongton, DC), central location to vast majority of strong drill programs Central Texas or Macon, Georgia. The Air Force Nationals will look in the future at other locations as well should the primary objectives outlined above be met.


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