Sandhurst Competition The Sandhurst Military Skills Competition is a military skills competition at West Point that first began in 1967 with the presentation of a British officer ' s sword to the United States Corps of Cadets by the British Exchange Officer . 2010 ' s event , dubbed SANCOM10 ( SANdhurst COMpetition 2010 ) , was a two - day event conducted at West Point , New York . The 2009 competition featured a record 49 teams and nearly 500 competitors . Besides the 32 squads from each of the West Point companies , visiting service academy teams included the Naval and Air Force Academies , Britain ' s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst ( RMAS ) teams " Red " and " Blue " , Australia ' s Royal Military College Duntroon , Canada ' s Royal Military College ( RMC ) , the National Military Academy of Afghanistan , and the Chilean Military School . This year saw eight ROTC squads : Texas A & M , BYU , East Carolina University , Iowa State University , Florida Tech , Georgetown , University of Hawaii , and Appalachian State . History . In 1967 , the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst ( RMAS ) presented West Point with a British officer ’ s sword . The intent was for the sword to be the prize for a competition , the aim of which was to promote military excellence among the Corps of Cadets . The original purpose statement read as follows - " To provide the Corps of Cadets with a challenging and rewarding regimental skills competition , which will enhance professional development and military excellence in selected soldier skills . " Between 1967 and 1975 , the competition criteria were similar to those for the current Superintendent ' s Award , that is : Varsity Athletic participation , Intramural sports performance , physical fitness tests , drill and ceremonies and Cadet Brigade Company evaluations . In 1975 the then Commandant , BG Philip R . Feir and the British Exchange Officer , Major Robert Hodges , KORBR , studied the criteria and determined that they were inappropriate . They felt that the criteria fell short of the original intent of the award which was to increase ' military excellence in the field ' . More specifically they recommended that the format be changed significantly to test the cadets ability to " shoot , move , and communicate " , stressing teamwork among the classes as a fundamental and essential element in the competition . Thus the competition was set up to be conducted in the Spring during drill and intramural time to include the following - equipment inspection , communications , weapon handling , swift movement , shooting and land navigation . All 36 companies provided 5 four - man patrols and one alternate patrol per company , with all four classes represented in each patrol . Over 864 cadets competed each year , or 20 % of the Corps . The competition was conducted at Camp Buckner during 20 weekdays in April . The logistical problems of the program led to calls for it to move to Summer Training , and so in 1981 , a major placement study took place . It concluded that the advantages of conducting it in the Spring outweighed the disadvantages , and also recommended that it should take place at West Point . So in 1982 , the competition was run in two phases , again in April , in roughly the same format , with a navigation course on one day , set by the orienteering club , and the firing of the M16 sub - caliber device in the indoor range . In 1986 it was decided that the teams should complete the competition on a single day , to include firing the M16 on an outdoor range . In 1988 company team composition changed to 2 nine person squads including one female , instead of the 5 four - man patrols . From 1992 onwards , one team of nine from each company have competed , together with a varying number of ROTC teams . Since 1993 two teams from RMA Sandhurst have taken part , and from 1997 , a team from RMC Canada has also participated . 2002 saw a further increase in the number of external teams competing ; including a team from Germany ( to help mark the Bi - Centennial Competition ) , and teams from the Naval , Air Force and Coast Guard Academies . The 2003 Competition saw the German Team replaced by the Merchant Marine Academy . The Reginald E . Johnson Memorial Plaque is awarded to the competition ’ s highest scoring squad each year . It is commemorated to team leader Cadet Reggie Johnson who died while taking part in the land navigation phase of the competition on Friday , 11 April 1980 . The original plaque was replaced in 1999 with a mounted cadet sabre , to be presented annually to the best team . The competition was won for the first time by RMC ( Canada ) in 2005 and they successfully defended their title during both the 2006 and 2007 Sandhurst Competitions . The competition today . Each USMA cadet company and visiting team selects a 9 - member squad ( at least one member must be female ) with two alternates . A West Point female cadet volunteers to work with the Afghan team ' s squad as there are no females at the NMAA . Each squad is required to perform a series of military tasks along a route which took most teams approximately four hours to complete . Scores are determined by combining the points they earn by performing each military task along the route , with the points earned for completing the course within the 4 - hour time frame . Examples of events include rappelling , building and crossing a one - rope bridge , obstacle course navigation , combat swim ( with full gear ) , rifle marksmanship , a raft paddle , 12 ' wall climb , and weapon handling skills . This year ' s weapons events were held the evening prior to the course navigation phase . In 2011 , Company B3 from USMA won the competition . Winning squad . Since 1994 , when RMA Sandhurst began competing , either a Sandhurst squad or a RMCC squad has won every competition until 2011 when Company B - 3 from West Point won . In only its second appearance at the competition the lone section from the Royal Military College of Australia took the honors in 2012 . 2013 - Sandhurst Blue < br > 2012 - Royal Military College of Australia - Duntroon < br > 2011 - USCC B - 3 < br > 2010 - Sandhurst A < br > 2009 - Royal Military College of Canada < br > 2008 - Sandhurst Red < br > 2007 - Royal Military College of Canada < br > 2006 - Royal Military College of Canada < br > 2005 - Royal Military College of Canada < br > 2004 - Sandhurst Red < br > 2003 - Sandhurst Blue < br > 2002 - Sandhurst Red < br > 2001 - Sandhurst Blue < br > 2000 - Sandhurst 2 < br > 1999 - Sandhurst 1 < br > 1998 - Sandhurst 2 < br > 1997 - Sandhurst 1 < br > 1996 - Sandhurst 1 < br > 1995 - Sandhurst 1 < br > 1994 - Sandhurst 1