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On Saturday, March 25, Buckingham High School hosted the 4th Brigade Best of the Best Raider competition for the second consecutive year.

The event was sponsored by the U.S. Army Cadet Command, out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to be eligible to compete at this level, a Raider Team must have won a Brigade sanctioned Raider Qualifier. Raider Qualifiers are held in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina. Raider teams consist of nine members and offer two Divisions, Male and Co-Ed. The Divisions are separated from each other and compete within their individual division. To be eligible for the Co-Ed Division, the team must have four females on the team out of nine.

Twenty teams ascended on Buckingham High School March 25. That included 10 male and 10 co-ed teams, all with one goal: winning Best of the Best Raider. Raider programs prepare for Best of the Best Raider the entire school year.

Buckingham JROTC Raiders fielded two teams for the Brigade Championship. Senior Jamal Palmer led the male team and senior Parker Knight led the co-ed team.

Heavy rain started off the 5 Kilometer run, but that didn’t slow down any of the teams. Buckingham’s male team placed fourth in the 5KM run, while the co-ed team came in first. The male team placed first in Rope Bridge, Team Physical Fitness Challenge, Logistics Relay and second in Litter Carry.

The Buckingham co-ed team, meanwhile, placed first in Litter Carry, second in Rope Bridge and Team Physical Fitness Challenge and third in Logistics Relay. Hayden Talbott was named overall top female athlete for Best of the Best Raider Individual Physical Fitness Challenge by placing first on the Obstacle Course. In the end, both teams won overall Raider Championships and for the first time in 4th Brigade Raider history, won dual Championships.