Qualifiers for the JROTC Nationals - 144 JROTC Cadets representing 62 JROTC units in 25 states and one Defense Department high school in Germany qualified for the 2008 National JROTC Air Rifle Championship that will take place on Army Marksmanship Unit facilities at Fort Benning, Georgia on 27-29 March. This year’s qualifiers include, for the first time, Air Force Cadets. The JROTC Nationals now take place in early spring and culminate the shooting seasons for Army, Marine Corps, Navy and now Air Force JROTC Cadets.

2008 CMP Competition Rules Released - Final decisions have now been made on proposals for changes in the CMP rules for service rifle, service pistol and as-issued military rifles. The 12th 2008 Edition of the CMP Competition Rules is now posted on the CMP web site at http://www.odcmp.com/Competitions/Rulebook.pdf. Printed copies of the 2008 rulebook can also be ordered from the CMP.

2008 JROTC Western Region Championships - On 21-23 February, the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO hosted the 2008 JROTC Western Region Three-Position Air Rifle Championship. This competition was the final qualifying round for the 2008 JROTC National Championship, which will be held at Fort Benning, GA on 27-29 March. In all 324 juniors and 61 teams qualified for the Western Region from a pool of nearly 6,000 competitors in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force JROTC Postal Competitions that took place in November and December 2007. Only the top ten percent of the competitors who fired the postal advanced to the Eastern and Western Region Championships. The Eastern Region took place at Fort Benning on 14-16 February, and those shooters will join the qualifiers from the Western in the upcoming JROTC National Championship.

Coats, Gloves, and Mitts - By PFC Evan Hess - Sight Alignment and Trigger Control are the two principles of shooting. A properly constructed shooting position supports these principles. In Highpower rifle competitions, we use both artificial support (either a leather or webbed sling) and bone support (letting the weight of the rifle be supported by your bones instead of your muscles) to help us build a solid shooting position.   Some important factors in achieving this solid shooting position are the use of a shooting coat and a glove or mitt. The choice to use a coat made entirely out of canvas, canvas and leather or solid leather is up to you. The same goes for gloves and mitts, some prefer different combinations than others but most importantly, everything must fit and be comfortable.

CMP North Store Re-Opens - The CMP North Store at Camp Perry officially re-opened on 12 March. A line with anxious customers formed outside in the 30 degree Ohio March weather. The North Store closed at the end of January for remodeling to give the store a “new look” which increased the size of the rifle selection area, improved physical security and the customer shopping experience.

CMP Introduces New Competitor Handicap System - Many competitive shooters who recently looked at competition results posted on the CMP website noted new Handicap Results lists that included scores fired by competitors in that match plus a new Handicap number and Handicap Aggregate. Most CMP competitors who looked at these new results lists have been wondering what these Handicap numbers are and what they might mean to competitors in CMP sanctioned matches.

2008 Eastern U.S. Junior Highpower Clinic and Championship Enrollment Now Open - The Eastern U.S. Junior Highpower Clinic and Championship will take place 22-27 June at Camp Butner, North Carolina.  The Eastern U.S. Junior Highpower Clinic and Championship offers a full week of clinics, coaching and competition for junior service rifle competitors. Juniors attending the clinic will have the opportunity to expand their current level of experience and expertise as well as build friendships and camaraderie within the sport.  This event is sponsored by the Civilian Marksmanship Program and Sir Walter Junior Highpower Team with the co-operation and support of the NC National Guard Training Site, North State Shooting Club (NSSC) and the USMC Rifle Team.  

Oak Ridge Sportsmen’s Association First CMP GSM Clinic of the Year - The Oak Ridge Sportsmen’s Association (ORSA) held its first Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) rifle clinic on Saturday 23 February. The clinic was instructed by CMP-certified instructors. Attendance was high with 23 new shooters braving the cool winter weather. The clinic consisted of a 4-hour class covering CMP History, Range Safety, Range Procedures, Pit Operations, Shooting Equipment, Shooting Positions, and Purchasing Rifles and Equipment from the CMP. Along with the new shooters, more than 20 experienced shooters acted as coaches to assist the new shooters on the range after the classroom session.

Eastern Region JROTC Championship -  JROTC Rifle Shooting Continues to Grow - There could be no better proof of how much junior rifle shooting is growing in the USA than to see the signs of growth on display at the 2008 Eastern Region JROTC Air Rifle Championship. The Championship was conducted by the CMP on U. S. Army Marksmanship Unit facilities at Fort Benning, Georgia on 15-16 February.