Putting the “Ham” in Championship Shooting

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The shooters uncase their rifles. They take out their CBI’s, load their pellets and set up their line of sight downrange. They fire, check the targets, set down their rifles and adjust their . . . bunny ears?

Megan Denenea and Seth Bearjar of Patuxent High School in Lusby, MD wore bunny ears and colorful socks as they fired during the Marine Corps & Navy JROTC Service Championship in Salt Lake City, UT.

There’s no question that the air rifle athletes in the JROTC program show great commitment and dedication to the sport. Countless hours of training and perseverance bring these individuals to the highest peaks of championship shooting through postal, local, state and regional contests.

But along with keeping the competitive nature of the sport intact, there are those who also remember the other part of air rifle shooting: the fun.

Moments between shots can reveal smiles or laughter from the shooters on the firing line, remembering not to take each shot too seriously. Some even go above and beyond to bring a lighter side to the sport.

On the lobby benches of the Davis Conference Center for the Marine Corps & Navy JROTC Regional Service Championships near Salt Lake City sat two shooters, waiting for their relay to begin. Their uniform for the day: a sweatshirt, jeans, knee-high, multi-colored, zebra-striped socks, and, every shooter’s essential prop, bunny ear headbands.

Seth Bearjar and Megan Denenea in all of their bunny glory.

“We’re just trying to keep it fun,” said Megan Denenea of Patuxent High School in Lusby, MD.

She and her teammate, Seth Bearjar, always try to break the tension during the matches by wearing silly hats, socks and even Batman boxers.
“He doesn’t always want to do it, but I kind of make him,” Denenea admitted.

Bearjar confirmed her remark with a slight smirk, almost confessing that although he may pretend not to like it, he secretly finds the unusual apparel to be entertaining.

Katlyn Belcher of Redmond High School in Redmond, OR added color to the firing line.

Katlyn Belcher of Redmond High School in Redmond, OR added to the fun by wearing her rainbow tutu. After receiving a thumbs up from other shooters on the line, acknowledging her unconventional attire, she gave a smile, a wink and a thumbs up in return.

But the shooters aren’t the only ones attempting to keep the amusement in the sport. Coaches, though always expecting the best effort and performance from their shooters every time they pick up a rifle, also expect one more thing.

Coach Lance Martini from Westview High School in San Diego, CA emphasis having fun when talking strategy his shooters.

“We hope the kids are having fun,” said Coach Lance Martini from Westview High School in San Diego, CA. “It’s all really about them going out there, and above all else, having a good time. We try to remind them of that.”

If it isn’t the wardrobe or encouragement keeping the fun alive, tiny quirks around the range keep the smiles going.

Spectators watched in awe as one shooter chose not to use the standard kneeling roll for the kneeling position. He, instead, turned his foot in a way that made most eyes boggle and mouths drop wide open.

“I’ve never before seen anything like that in my life,” said Brad Donoho, CMP match director of the Salt Lake City event. “It doesn’t seem humanly possible.”

Daniel Sims of Cibola High School in Albuquerque, NM brought a unique kneeling position technique.

Daniel Sims was born bow-legged and duck-footed. A senior at Cibola High School in Albuquerque, NM, Sims simply bends his right knee, kneels down, turns his foot outward 90 degrees to the right and sits on top of it for the kneeling position when he shoots. He confesses that he’s been shooting that way since he was 5 years old.

“It’s the only way I can sit,” he said as he laughed. “My foot won’t go any other way. I’ve never needed a kneeling roll. My foot works just fine.”

His coach, CWO2 Dan Flores, was just as shocked as the competition-goers the first time he saw his shooter sit on his awkwardly turned foot. When describing what it was like seeing the technique, he explained, “I said, ‘You can’t sit on your foot like that!’ He said, ‘Yes I can.’ I said, ‘No you can’t – it’s not legal!’ He said, ‘Yes it is.’ I said, ‘OK.’”

Others in the crowd watched in amazement as Sims demonstrated how he can twist his entire right leg almost 180 degrees perfectly in a standing position as well. His teammates just stood and laughed as their fellow shooter suddenly became a spectacle amongst the competition.

Sims can turn his right leg nearly 180 degrees.

“He does this all the time. We don’t see the big deal,” they said.

Whether bunny ears, a tutu or a foot, smiles are generated all over the often-somber championship range atmosphere. But not only do the shooters find enjoyment in the oddities, they also gain the satisfaction of giving their highest effort in a sport they love. Championships are where the best of the best come to give their finest efforts and prove how extraordinary the sport of shooting can be – and that’s something to smile about.

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