Physically Strong and Mentally Tough: Women in the ROTC at Marist
The Army Combat Fitness Test, taken by all members of the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Marist, was implemented this fall to test the physical fitness and stamina of all members of the program.
Kristen Kimble (second from right) poses with other members of Charlie Company and Frankie the Fox. Source: Kristen Kimble, '23
From standing power throws to hand-release push ups and the dreaded “sprint-drag-carry,” which consists of a variety of 50 meter sprints including pulling a 90-pound sled and sprinting with two 40-pound kettlebells. The test is meant to simulate the physical challenges of combat.
Unlike years past, the test does not differentiate between the physical standards for men and women. The old physical fitness test included different targets for each gender in the two-mile run, timed push ups and sit-up categories. Now, regardless of gender, size or weight, every cadet completes the same Army Combat Fitness Test — 90-pound sled and all. “We’re all held to the same standards,” Alexa Speranza ‘23 said, a second-year cadet in Marist’s ROTC. “It makes more sense this way because we’re all going to be fighting the same fight on the battlefield.”
Of Marist’s three dozen-member Charlie Company, only five cadets are women — a disproportionate, but not unexpected statistic. As of this past July, only 16% of the military’s enlisted forces and 19% of the officer corps were women. “Being in the program as a woman, it’s kind of a lot of pressure. I don’t want to feed the stereotype that women aren’t as strong as men,” Speranza said. “If I mess up this physical challenge, I feel like [the failure] might be applied to women in general rather than just myself.”
Cadets in Marist's ROTC program, part of the Ram Battalion along with NYU and Fordham. Source: Kristen Kimble, ‘23
In a battlefield setting, there’s no differentiation based on gender, therefore this is being implemented into training. For women in the ROTC program, it might be more difficult to catch up to the strength and stamina of their male counterparts, “but if you put in the work, you can do it,” Kristen Kimble ‘23 said, also a second-year cadet.
Regardless of the stereotypical expectations of womens’ physical abilities compared to men’s, each gender trains the same in the ROTC. Three days a week, Charlie Company trains at 6:05 a.m. with group runs around campus, HIIT and strength workouts, or six-mile “ruck marches,” carrying 35-pound rucksacks on their backs. On Thursdays, they participate in “Military Class,” the in-classroom learning of military etiquette, values and leadership skills. Members also attend “Military Lab,” the hands-on, tactical training that takes place on the Gartland Athletic Field.
Along with sharing double majors in criminal justice and psychology, both Speranza and Kimble have always been interested in joining the military. They believed that ROTC would be the perfect opportunity to get their college degree while still preparing to serve.
“I like the discipline of the army, and joining the ROTC was life-changing for me,” she said. “[It has] shaped who I am as a leader and what my morals and priorities are. I’ve grown more in the last year in the program than throughout much of my life.”
Meghan O’Loughlin ‘23, majoring in computer science and cybersecurity, believes that the army allows her to be a part of something bigger than herself. “I like the discipline of the army, and joining the ROTC was life-changing for me,” she said. “[It has] shaped who I am as a leader and what my morals and priorities are. I’ve grown more in the last year in the program than throughout much of my life.”
When they first joined the program, each of the women found it difficult to adjust to the physically demanding schedule. Now one year in, they’ve found the motivation to push themselves each day. “The challenges have made me physically and mentally stronger, and I’ve realized I can do things that I didn’t know I could before,” Speranza said.
O’Loughlin notes that in her first months of being in the ROTC, she was nowhere near the physical shape that she’s in now. “I came in failing all of my physical fitness tests — running the 2-mile in like 23 minutes. Now I actually enjoy going to training,” she said. “One thing anyone should know coming into the program — male or female — is that you will absolutely be supported, taught everything you need to know, and you will become physically capable.”
O’Loughlin said that the ROTC at Marist is one of the most welcoming groups she has ever been a part of, and has never felt left out or ostracized as a female. It’s likely the intense training and physical challenges of the program that make camaraderie and a sense of kinship easy to come by.
Female members of Marist's ROTC, and Charlie Company, conduct field training. Source: Kristen Kimble, ‘23
One of those challenges includes spending three days in the woods at Fort Dix, simulating an active warzone. During this weekend-long experience, called the Field Training Exercise (FTX), Charlie Company and the rest of the Ram Battalion, made up of students in the ROTC from Fordham, NYU and more, have this opportunity to practice the leadership and tactical skills that they learned throughout the semester.
Sleeping in the woods in the cold, executing combat operations, participating in ruck marches and conducting land navigation exercises at 3 a.m., are just some of the challenges the cadets face. “Last year, it was the best and worst experience I’ve ever had. I was hungry, I was tired, I barely slept,” Speranza said. “It was kind of miserable, but I had so much fun at the same time.”
FTX is the most authentic experience students will have before they enlist, but training for it takes up most of their time. For many, it becomes a competition against themselves to do the best they can. On her first fitness test, Speranza scored a 293 out of the 300 maximum. “You want to do really well, especially as a first-year cadet,” she said. “It’s the adrenaline in the moment, I promise you. You’ll start push ups and you’ll just keep going. And the two-mile run… I’ve never run that fast in my life.” Kimble believes that although the training sessions are intense, they pay off. “Yes, you’re sore afterwards, but it feels good,” she said. “Every time I take the physical fitness test my score is better than the last time. So the training is working.”
Although fitness tests this year look a bit different for cadets in Marist’s ROTC, one significant incentive for combat-preparedness — aside from simply being able to uphold one’s duties on the front lines — still holds true. Each semester, whichever cadet scores the highest on the fitness test becomes the physical owner of the Myrmidon Hammer, a large sledgehammer resembling that of a Greek god’s, representing strength, excellence and army values. The highest-scoring cadet in the company keeps the hammer for the semester.
Speranza said she knows of no female cadet who has ever won it, but hopes that will change soon. “Next time, I’m going to get it.”