Competition Details/Schedule

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THE OPERATIONAL ORDER FOR THE 2026 SKILLS COMPETITION WILL BE POSTED IN JANUARY OF 2026.

PLEASE NOTE: Starting in 2026, there will be a 15-minute time limit placed on each team for the Obstacle Course; if your team has not completed the Obstacle Course in 15 minutes or less, your team will be stopped at the 15-minute mark and your score will be DNF (Did Not Finish) for that particular event for the Skills Competition.

Go Hard or Go Home

Skills, strength, character, communication, and determination. How do you perform as individuals and as teams against your national and international peers? Find out by participating in our Skills Competition.

The Skills Competition is designed to test skills, training, endurance, communication, and teamwork, but these competitions are not training. From marksmanship, to hostage rescues, to our obstacle course, you'll find our competition exciting and challenging every year.

Test Your Mettle

Just as the title of the event implies, it is a skills competition, not a training event. (The Mock Prison Riot portion of the tradeshow comprises training events, but the Skills Competition portion does not.) In the development of each event, every effort is made to put in place specific tasks that are universal in nature and need. Whether you are a part-time operator from a small department or a full-time operator from the largest department, there are skills that any and all team members should be able to demonstrate on demand. As previously stated, this is not a training event, though competing in the event does have some definite and extensive training value. Stress inoculation is recognized in training circles. The competitive nature of this event provides the real stress that is often very difficult to incorporate into your regular training.

The skills events themselves are designed to reward a team that conducts the proper intelligence gathering, team preparation, and task/mission rehearsals and then properly executes the plan. The competition has repeatedly proven the idea that a good plan, which is well rehearsed, is far better than the perfect plan with no rehearsal.

The Obstacle Course event rewards well-conditioned teams and teams who exhibit sound teamwork.

In any given year, the team competition draws anywhere from 15 to 30 competing teams from local, state and federal corrections, law enforcement (both domestic and international) as well as military. This provides an excellent networking opportunity as well as a broad base of knowledge from which to draw and gauge your own team’s mission readiness and performance under stress.

For 2026, the Skills Competition will be held on Sunday, Monday: 3-4 May. There will be a mandatory Team Leader meeting on Saturday, 2 May 2025, starting at 5 pm at the MV Coleman Training Center onsite at the decommissioned West Virginia Penitentiary. The site will be open from 9 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday, 2 May 2026, for Team Leaders and their Teams for walk-throughs and briefings. The day will culminate with the Team Leader only meeting at 5 pm. A standard safety briefing is conducted as well as any basic housekeeping issues. A review of the Operations Order for each event is conducted, followed by a walk-through of the event area with the Lead Judge of the event reviewing or demonstrating each scored task(s). Questions are permitted.

It is then the Team Leader’s responsibility to properly relay the information provided at the briefing to his or her team. Just as in a real-world mission, this is a critical skill for the Team Leader. It may not be scored, but deficiencies in this area will absolutely show themselves during the competition. Communication skills are just as important as physical skills. 

Command and Signal

The following applies to all Team events:

• An Event Coordinator/Senior Judge will be located at the event starting area to provide event briefing, monitor times and pre/post event weapons inspections.
• Additional Judges will be stationed throughout the event area to monitor hits/misses, dummy placement, safety violations etc.
• The competing Team Leader will be the only team member authorized to address issues/concerns to the Senior Judge at each respective event.
• All team communications will be face to face.
• Hand held devices (phones/radios) of any kind are prohibited from use or carry by participants during the event.
• Judges will utilize 2-way radios to coordinate the events.

We look forward to hosting your team for this event, and hope you enjoy the team building skills and camaraderie our competition offers!

Please note that the Tactical Skills Competition is designed and judged by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Special Operations - Tactical Section. The WV DCR does not compete in the event. The WV DCR has extensive experience executing the Mock Prison Riot and Skills Competition. 

THE OPERATIONAL ORDER FOR THE 2026 SKILLS COMPETITION WILL BE POSTED IN JANUARY OF 2026

PLEASE NOTE: Starting in 2026, there will be a 15-minute time limit placed on each team for the Obstacle Course; if your team has not completed the Obstacle Course in 15 minutes or less, your team will be stopped at the 15-minute mark and your score will be DNF (Did Not Finish) for that particular event for the Skills Competition.