Some students despise waking up early, but for senior Larry Cornelio, waking up early was only one of the necessities to being a part of Raiders. Cornelio had an enlightening experience meeting new people by joining Raiders his sophomore year at Phoenix Military Academy.

“Sure waking up in the morning hasn’t been very good but I got to collaborate with other people and I got to know more people,” said Cornelio.

Cornelio also recalls a variety of events he was able to participate in, as a result of being a part of Raiders. These events also allowed for Cornelio to get to know new people from other schools.

“We compete on the cadet challenge, raider challenge, we do orienteering and once we finish with all the events we go paintballing for fun,” said Cornelio.

Although Raiders “mostly consists of muscle failure and building endurance,” as Cornelio said, Raiders is also about staying committed.

Practice is cadet guided but Sergeant Walker is the overall monitor. Practice takes place outside of the courtyard of Phoenix Military Academy on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 am, although in winter the practices take place inside of PMA.