 The National Best Warrior competition started today at Camp Ripley, where 14 soldiers representing seven Army National Guard regions will compete. Sarah Winkelman has that story. Competitors who have already made it through their unit, state, and regional level competitions are competing at the four-day-long national event starting today. After lots of time training and preparation, the competitors could not wait for the competition to get underway at Camp Ripley. The hardest part is the anticipation, just waiting. Once the competition gets started, it's kind of like a blur from that point forward. So that's when your training kind of kicks in, and it's all muscle memory from that point forward. Of the seven Army National Guard regions that are competing, there is one competitor that is representing Minnesota. It's a big honor to represent Minnesota and region four here at the national competition. It's a level that really allows you to see where you're at and test your own abilities. To the heat outside today, the outdoor portion was pushed back, meaning that the competition began with the essay and exam. We don't know the order of the event, so really what all the events are, so going into it and being able to think on the fly and be adaptive to the environment is going to be a big test, but I'm looking forward to that. The competition will include several events that test them on their proficiency with weapons and their ability to perform military tasks, all while working under pressure. It's been exciting, been stressful at the same time to add an extra layer of work on top of the daily duties back in Tennessee, but feeling compelled to do this for the soldiers, everybody I'm representing. The event is something new for Camp Ripley to host, and they've also spent months in preparation to make sure they represent Minnesota well. Well, it's a huge honor to be able to do a national event like this. We host a lot of regional competitions and certainly a lot of the activity that the state puts on, but to host a national competition for the National Guard is truly an honor. On Thursday, the competition will come to a close at Lake Itasca, where the public is invited to come and cheer at the finish line. Reporting at Camp Ripley, Sarah Winkleman, Lakeland News. At the end of the competition, one top soldier and one non-commissioned officer will continue on to the all-army best warrior competition in October. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.