University of Wyoming ROTC will run the game ball from the Wyoming-Colorado border for the upcoming Border War game against Colorado State for the fiftieth battle of the Bronze Boot.
“This is a long and prestigious tradition,” Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Haas said.
Wyoming ROTC will meet the ROTC from CSU along with both teams’ coaches, athletic directors and the cheer teams. The Bronze Boot will also be there on display. After a few words from both teams, the ball will be passed from the CSU ROTC, after running the ball from their home stadium, to the Wyoming ROTC.
After this point the Wyoming ROTC will run the ball from the border in groups of two with one cadet carrying the ball and the other cadet carrying the ROTC battalion flag.
“The first mile we will do as a group from the ceremony,” Cadet Ethan Hall, who is in charge of coordinating the run, said.
“We will have twenty four of our cadets there,” Hall said. “We will move for the first mile then from there we will break off in increments of two.”
It is 26 miles from the border to the rally point at the south parking lot for the UW busing routes.
50 cadets will be participating in the running portion of the event, with each pair of Cadets running about a mile each.
“Enjoyable experience when you are doing it, no, it is always windy and cold,” Cadet Jimmy Butts, who will be participating in his third border run, said. “The whole aura that surrounds the Border War game, CSU-Wyoming. Taking part is the fun part.”
Once the ball reaches the south lot, the Battalion of 130 Cadets will get into formation and march to the stadium.
The Battalion will march north down fiftieth street and turn right on to Grand Avenue then on to the stadium.
At the conclusion of the march their will be a BBQ in the War Memorial Stadium parking lot. All students and members of the community are invited to attend.
ROTC’s connection to the Bronze Boot goes back to the Vietnam War. The boot was originally worn by an instructor at the CSU ROTC program, who was a veteran of the Vietnam War and wore the boot throughout his tour in Vietnam. The CSU instructor donated his boot to both programs as the traveling trophy and the boot has become a sense of pride for both athletic programs.
