CPO SELECTEE COMPETITIONS

CPO Pride Day JAX competitions are designed to showcase Chief Petty Officer heritage, teamwork, physical readiness, military bearing, knowledge, professionalism, creativity, and Mess pride.

For 2026, participating Chief's Mess teams will compete across five championship events:

1. Introduction March, Drill & Cadence Competition
2. CPO Pride Day Jeopardy
3. Push-Ups
4. Forearm Planks
5. Guidon Competition

Each event earns Championship Points toward an overall team score.

At the conclusion of all competitions, CPO Pride Day JAX will recognize:

OVERALL 1ST PLACE CHAMPION
OVERALL 2ND PLACE
OVERALL 3RD PLACE

The maximum possible overall score is 100 Championship Points.

• ALL Selectees must have prior authorization from their Command Master Chief, Command Senior Chief, or Senior Enlisted Leader to participate.
• ALL competitors must be FY-27 CPO Selectees, or Selectees participating in the current Chief Petty Officer Initiation Season, representing their Command's Chief's Mess.
• Each Command/Mess must designate a Point of Contact responsible for competition registration, accuracy of submitted information, competitor coordination, and communication with the CPO Pride Day JAX Competition Committee.
• Last-minute and day-of competition registrations will not be accepted.
• Team conduct will be exemplary at all times.
• Explicit language, rude gestures, inappropriate behavior, offensive or suggestive material, or conduct inconsistent with good order and discipline will not be tolerated.
• Guidons, cadences, performances, uniforms, props, and other competition materials must remain professional and in good taste.
• Conduct violations may result in immediate termination of a performance or competition entry and disqualification from that event.
• Serious conduct violations may result in disqualification of the entire Chief's Mess from the CPO Pride Day JAX Competition Championship and/or removal from the venue at the discretion of Event Leadership and the Chief Judge.
• Decisions involving rules interpretation, scoring disputes, disqualification, or competition integrity will be adjudicated by the designated Chief Judge.

Each competition has its own method of determining event placement.

Once the event's official results are determined, each participating Mess receives Championship Points based on its finishing position.

 CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS — EACH EVENT

EVENT FINISHCHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1st Place 20 Points

2nd Place 16 Points

3rd Place 13 Points

4th Place 10 Points

5th Place 8 Points

6th Place 6 Points

7th Place 5 Points

8th Place 4 Points

9th Place 3 Points1

0th Place 2 Points

11th Place & Below — Qualified Finish 1 Point

DNS / DNF / Event Disqualification 0 Points

Five Events × 20 Maximum Points = 100 Maximum Championship Points

The Championship Point system—not the raw score from an individual event—determines the overall CPO Pride Day JAX Competition Champion.

This ensures that Jeopardy, physical fitness, military performance, and Guidon competitions all contribute equally to the championship.

Consistency matters.

A Mess does not have to win every individual event to compete for the Overall Championship.

If two or more Chief's Mess teams finish with the same total Championship Points, ties will be resolved in the following order:

1. Most individual event 1st-place finishes
2. Most total podium finishes — 1st, 2nd, or 3rd
3. Highest combined raw score from Introduction March/Drill/Cadence and Guidon
4. Highest raw CPO Pride Day Jeopardy score
5. If still tied, one sudden-death Naval/CPO Heritage question administered by the Chief Judge

INTRODUCTION MARCH, DRILL & CADENCE COMPETITION

Each Chief's Mess will perform an introductory march incorporating drill, cadence, military bearing, teamwork, and CPO pride.

REQUIREMENTS

All Introduction March, Drill & Cadence entries must be present at the beginning of CPO Pride Day at the Veterans Memorial Wall.

Any registered Mess competition team not present at the start of the event may be disqualified from this competition.

The entire participating team must take part in the cadence performance in its entirety.

FIVE-MINUTE LIMIT

 
Each Mess has a maximum of five (5) minutes to complete its Introduction March, Drill & Cadence performance.

The official timer will call TIME at 5:00.

If the routine has not been completed by 5:00, a 10-point deduction from the raw judging score will be assessed and the performance must immediately conclude.

Failure to stop when directed by the official timer or Chief Judge may result in disqualification.

JUDGING — 100 RAW POINTS

Formation, Precision & Synchronization — 25 Points Alignment, spacing, coordinated movement, command response, and overall precision.

Drill Execution — 20 Points Quality, control, execution, and transitions between drill movements.

Cadence Execution & Projection — 20 Points Clarity, rhythm, command presence, energy, and participation.

CPO Pride & Professionalism — 15 Points Military bearing, professionalism, and connection to Chief Petty Officer pride and heritage.

Team Participation & Cohesion — 10 Points The team performs together as a coordinated unit.

Creativity & Overall Impact — 10 Points

Memorable and appropriate presentation without sacrificing military professionalism.

The highest final raw score receives 1st Place.

Event placement is then converted into Championship Points.

CPO PRIDE DAY JEOPARDY

NEW FOR 2026!

CPO Pride Day Jeopardy becomes part of the overall CPO Pride Day JAX Competition Championship and replaces the previous Heritage Skit/Level of Knowledge competition format.

This is a fast-paced, Jeopardy-style competition built around Naval heritage, Chief Petty Officer history, Navy programs, terminology, customs, leadership, popular culture, and sea power.

TEAM COMPOSITION

Each participating Chief's Mess will submit a team of:

2–4 CPO Selectees

Each team must designate a Primary Spokesperson.

Teams may collaborate before giving their response, but only the recognized spokesperson may provide the team's official answer unless otherwise directed by the Quizmaster.

LUNCH-SPLIT FORMAT

Jeopardy will operate during the designated lunch rotation.

While one assigned competition group is at lunch, the other group will participate in Jeopardy.

Separate but equivalent question boards will be used for the two competition groups to protect competitive fairness.

JEOPARDY CATEGORIES

THE ANCHORS AWEIGH

Naval and Chief Petty Officer History

MCPON BEFORE AND AFTER

Word-overlap clues connecting Master Chief Petty Officers of the Navy with Naval/CPO concepts, traditions, terminology, and history.

THE SAILORIZATION TOOLBOX

Navy programs, acronyms, resources, and initiatives used by Chiefs to lead and mentor Sailors, support families, and maintain mission readiness.

THE NAUTICAL WORD

Naval and Chief Petty Officer vocabulary and terminology.

THE MESS AND THE CUSTOMS

Naval and Chief Petty Officer customs, traditions, and heritage.

HOLLYWOOD AT SEA

Naval movie and popular-culture trivia.

SEA POWER

Global geography and maritime knowledge.

JEOPARDY FIRST ROUND

The First Round consists of:

6 Categories × 3 Questions Per Category = 18 Questions

Each category will contain:

200 — 2 Raw Points 600 — 6 Raw Points 1000 — 10 Raw Points

Questions increase in difficulty as their value increases.

A maximum of 108 raw points is available during the First Round.

SEA POWER CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

Following the First Round, teams will compete in the:

SEA POWER CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

This round consists of five questions:

400 — 4 Raw Points 800 — 8 Raw Points 1200 — 12 Raw Points 1600 — 16 Raw Points 2000 — 20 Raw Points

A maximum of 60 raw points is available during the Sea Power Championship Round.

MAXIMUM JEOPARDY RAW SCORE: 168 POINTS

Raw Jeopardy points determine final Jeopardy placement.

Jeopardy placement is then converted to Championship Points toward the Overall Championship.

JEOPARDY GAME RULES

All responses must be provided in the form of a question.

Examples include:

"Who is...?" "What is...?" "Where is...?"

Teams will have approximately five (5) seconds to signal after a clue has been completely read.

Once recognized by the Quizmaster or Signal Judge, the spokesperson must begin the team's response within five (5) seconds.

A correct response earns the assigned raw points.

An incorrect response earns zero points. There is no negative-point deduction.

Following an incorrect response, the clue may be opened for one rebound opportunity to another properly recognized team.

If the rebound response is also incorrect—or no eligible team signals—the clue is closed and no additional points are awarded.

A team providing the correct response receives control of the board and selects the next clue.

If no team answers correctly, control remains with the team that originally selected the clue.

Electronic quiz buzzers are preferred.

If electronic buzzers are unavailable, a numbered signaling system and designated Signal Judge will be used.

The Quizmaster's recognition of the team permitted to answer is final.
 

JEOPARDY TIES

A tie affecting final Jeopardy placement will be resolved by Sudden-Death Jeopardy.

The tied teams will receive one Naval/CPO Heritage clue.

The first properly recognized team to answer correctly wins the higher placement.

Additional sudden-death clues will be available if required.

JEOPARDY QUESTION INTEGRITY

All competition clues will be reviewed prior to the event.

Each question will have:

• An official correct response
• Acceptable alternate responses      when appropriate
• A documented reference/source
• A designated validator/reviewer

Current Navy programs, policies, leadership, and initiatives should be validated using official Navy sources whenever available.

The validated competition answer key will be used by the Chief Judge to resolve any challenge involving the accuracy of an answer.

PUSH-UPS

Each participating Chief's Mess will designate:

ONE (1) CPO SELECTEE COMPETITOR

The objective is simple:

Complete the highest number of valid push-ups within two (2) minutes.

COMPETITION STANDARD

The competitor will begin in the front-leaning-rest position.

The body must remain generally straight from shoulders through hips to ankles.

For a repetition to count:

DOWN POSITION: The competitor must lower the body until the upper arms reach at least approximately parallel with the deck.

UP POSITION: The competitor must return to full arm extension.

The judge will count only repetitions that meet the published competition standard.

Improper repetitions will not be counted.

Competitors may rest in the UP position, but the two-minute competition clock will continue to run.

The knees may not be used to support the body while continuing the competition.

The Fitness Judge will demonstrate the approved standard during the competitor brief before the event begins.

SCORING

Raw score = total valid repetitions completed in two minutes.

Highest valid repetition total = 1st Place.

Competitors will also have their valid repetition totals recorded at approximately 30 seconds and 60 seconds for tie-breaking purposes.
 

PUSH-UP TIE-BREAKER

If two competitors finish with the same total:

1. Higher valid repetition count at 1:00 2. Higher valid repetition count at 0:30 3. If still tied, the competitors share the applicable event placements and the Championship Points assigned to those placements will be averaged.

Final event placement is converted to Championship Points.

FOREARM PLANKS

Each participating Chief's Mess will designate:

ONE (1) CPO SELECTEE COMPETITOR

The objective is to maintain the approved forearm-plank position for the longest valid time.

COMPETITION STANDARD

Competitors will support themselves on their forearms and feet.

Elbows should remain generally beneath the shoulders.

The body must maintain a straight alignment from the shoulders through the hips and legs.

The hips may not remain excessively raised or lowered.

The Fitness Judge will demonstrate the approved position before competition begins.

Timing begins on the official command.

A judge may direct a competitor to immediately correct a minor position deviation.

Failure to immediately regain the approved position—or loss of the plank position—ends the competitor's attempt.

The official recorded time stops when the Fitness Judge determines the competitor can no longer maintain the approved position.

Times will be recorded to at least one-tenth of a second.

SCORING

Raw score = total valid plank time.

Longest valid hold = 1st Place.

PLANK TIES

If an exact recorded timing tie occurs, the competitors will share the applicable event placements and the Championship Points assigned to those placements will be averaged.

Final event placement is converted to Championship Points.

GUIDON COMPETITION

Each participating Chief's Mess may present a Guidon representing:

• CPO PRIDE
• PROFESSIONALISM
• HERITAGE
• MESS IDENTITY

Guidons should demonstrate creativity and pride while maintaining a professional appearance appropriate for CPO Pride Day.

Explicit, inappropriate, offensive, or suggestive material is prohibited and may result in disqualification.

GUIDON JUDGING — 100 RAW POINTS

CPO Pride & Heritage Representation — 25 Points
Clearly represents Chief Petty Officer identity, heritage, pride, and Mess spirit.

Professionalism & Military Appearance — 20 Points
Disciplined and polished presentation appropriate for CPO Pride Day.

Craftsmanship & Construction — 20 Points
Quality, finish, durability, construction, and attention to detail.

Originality & Creativity — 15 Points
Distinctive concept and execution while remaining appropriate and professional.

Readability & Mess Identification — 10 Points
Mess identity and important design elements are clearly recognizable.

Overall Presentation & Impact — 10 Points
Complete, cohesive, memorable overall appearance.

The highest raw judging score receives 1st Place.

Event placement is then converted into Championship Points.

Each competition will have designated judges, scorers, counters, timers, or officials appropriate to that event.

Official event results will be verified before Championship Points are entered into the Overall Competition Score Sheet.

The Competition OIC/Chief Judge retains final authority regarding:

• Rules interpretation
• Competition scoring disputes
• Disqualifications
• Jeopardy answer adjudication
• Tie-breaking procedures
• Competition integrity

Judges will apply the same published standards to every participating Mess and competitor.

 The Overall CPO Pride Day JAX Competition Championship is determined by the combined Championship Points earned in:

Introduction March, Drill & Cadence — Maximum 20
CPO Pride Day Jeopardy — Maximum 20
Push-Ups — Maximum 20
Forearm Planks — Maximum 20
Guidon Competition — Maximum 20

MAXIMUM POSSIBLE SCORE: 100 POINTS

After all event scores are validated, awards will be presented to:

OVERALL 1ST PLACE

CPO PRIDE DAY JAX COMPETITION CHAMPION

OVERALL 2ND PLACE

OVERALL 3RD PLACE

Individual competition recognition may also be presented for event winners.

Commands and Mess Points of Contact are responsible for ensuring their Selectees:

• Are properly registered
• Know their assigned competition events
• Report at the designated time and location
• Understand the published rules
• Are prepared to compete
• Maintain professional conduct throughout the event

Failure to report for an event may result in a DNS — Did Not Start — and zero Championship Points for that event.