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, 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 36 squads from each of the West Point companies, visiting service academy teams included the Naval, Air Force and Coast Guard 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. That 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,