NROTC Life — Finding Your Niche
New midshipmen should take a very positive learning attitude into the NROTC experience. The best way to succeed in and enjoy an NROTC career (and a career in the Navy for that matter) is to become INVOLVED. Georgia Tech NROTC provides many avenues for a midshipman to pursue growth and excellence.
Drill Team
The Drill Team at Georgia Tech NROTC is a motivated group of midshipmen who choose to go "That Extra Mile" and stand out among their peers. Through hard work and dedication, the members of the Drill Team put in the time to become the best at everything they do. What they do is drill, and they do it very well. The Drill Team trains with drill rifles, organizes and trains color guards, and performs other ceremonial duties for the Battalion. The Drill Team demonstrates its precision marching and exhibition skill in many parades in and around Atlanta, as well as on it yearly trip to Mardi Gras (for the 2005-06 school year the trip could not be made due to clean up from Hurricane Katrina). Besides performance for the public, the Drill Team also competes with other drill teams from around the country at field meets, usually twice a year: Auburn in the winter and Tulane during Mardi Gras. Although the Drill Team is demanding of time, it offers returns in self-pride, esprit de corps and motivation that other organizations cannot. There is no requirement for previous experience; all we ask is that if you choose to join Drill Team, you come prepared to work, learn, and have fun.
Extracurricular Activities
The midshipmen at Georgia Tech organize and participate in many campus activities throughout the year. Sports, recreational activities, and community service project are incorporated into battalion life to strengthen character and help develop well-rounded officers.
Intramural sports are played all year round at Georgia Tech. NROTC sponsors football, soccer, basketball, softball, volleyball, and racquetball teams. The battalion also enters sports tournaments hosted by other ROTC units in the southeastern United States.
The NROTC unit is very active in Homecoming activities. Each year the battalion enters a float, made by the midshipmen, in the Georgia Tech Homecoming Wreck Parade. To help decorate the campus for the Homecoming festivities, they also construct a pomp display, made of wood and chicken wire and then adorned with tissue paper. Several teams are also entered in the "MINI 500", a grueling tricycle race around Peters parking deck, adjacent to the NROTC unit. A Homecoming Pre-game Party is also held for current midshipmen and Georgia Tech NROTC alumni.
Midshipmen are also involved in the community in which they work and play. They often work at Braves, Falcons, college football games (non-Tech), and other events such as NASCAR and NOPI Nationals. They also work with philanthropies such as the Atlanta Food Bank, participate in clothing drives and help with book drives.
The battalion organizes and participates in many other events during the school year like a fall picnic at Fort McPherson, Staff vs. Midshipmen sports, home football game pre-gamers, movie nights, and platoon outings. There is also the annual John Block field meet, consisting of various sporting events such as flag football, soccer, and tug-o-war; the Navy has won at this meet for the past 8 years running. However, the annual Naval Ball is the highlight of the battalion social calendar. Midshipmen and their guests mix with the NROTC permanent staff and their spouses in a highly traditional and formal setting. Dining In introduces graduating seniors to even more of the customs and traditions upheld by Naval Officers. NROTC social activities help aspiring officers to develop the social skills needed to be successful in the Navy or Marine Corps.