The 2007 National Trophy Matches logo features images of five major champions in the 2006 National Matches (clockwise, starting top left), SFC Lance Dement, USA, President’s Rifle; Chad Cleland, Rimfire Sporter T-Class; SSG James Henderson, USAR, President’s Pistol; SGT Brandon Green, USA, NTI Rifle and SFC Adam Sokolowski, USA, NTI Pistol.

The National Matches, which were founded in 1903, celebrated their 100-year anniversary during the 2003 National Matches. This year, another National Matches Centennial will be celebrated. 2007 marks 100 years since the matches first came to Camp Perry. In addition to the traditional National Trophy Pistol and Rifle Matches, the newer CMP Games Matches and the NRA National Championships, a series of memorable special activities commemorating the Camp Perry Centennial, will take place during this summer’s matches.

If you have not done so already, now is the time to finalize your plans to attend the 2007 National Matches. The CMP has released and posted on its web site, the Official Program, 2007 National Trophy Pistol Matches, the Official Program, 2007 National Trophy Rifle Matches, and the 2007 CMP Guide to Rimfire Sporter, which includes the program for the 2007 National Rimfire Sporter Match.

In addition, the CMP Competition Tracker On-Line Entry System for all 2007 CMP National Matches events is now open. The easiest way to find the programs and the matches you want to enter is to go to the CMP home page at http://www.odcmp.com. Click on either the 2007 National Matches logo icon or the pull-down tab telling you to “Click here for 2007 National Matches Information.”

Once again, the First Shot Ceremony will officially open the matches. This year’s ceremony is on Monday afternoon, 9 July. The 2007 First Shot Speaker is John McLaurin, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense. The ceremony, which takes place at the end of the first day of the Pistol Small Arms Firing School, will be followed by the first of two large “National Matches Visitor Receptions” in the Camp Perry Club House that are hosted by the Ohio National Guard and the Ottawa County Chambers of Commerce.

The official program for the Pistol and Rifle Small Arms Firing Schools is posted at http://www.odcmp.com/NM/safs.htm. The pistol schedule is unchanged from 2006. The Pistol SAFS program again includes the new M9 Pistol EIC match that awards 4-point legs to the top 10 percent of competitors who have not previously earned any EIC points. The M9 EIC match will be fired on the second day of the school, on Tuesday morning, 10 July. The Rifle SAFS includes the M16 Rifle EIC Match that will be fired on Sunday morning, 29 July.

The official program for the National Trophy Pistol Matches is posted at http://www.odcmp.com/NM/
pistol.htm. The schedule of events for the 2007 Pistol National Trophy events that will be fired on Sunday, 15 July, is unchanged from last year except that the CMP Pistol Award Ceremony is moved up to 4:00 PM. This is to make is possible for additional competitors to attend the ceremony before they depart for home.

One new pistol trophy will be awarded this year. The Rose B. Krelstein Trophy will be presented to the High Woman in aggregate of scores from the President’s Pistol and National Trophy Pistol Individual Matches.

The official program for the National Trophy Rifle Matches and CMP Games Events is posted at http://www.odcmp.com/NM/rifle.htm. The schedule of matches is the same as the new schedule that was implemented in 2006 with one significant change. The President’s Rifle Match will conclude with a shoot-off among the top 20 competitors in the traditional 30-shot course of fire. Those scores will still determine who makes the President’s 100.

The top 20 of those shooters will carry their 30-shot totals forward to a new fourth and final stage. Shortly after all scores for the six relays are posted, the top 20 shooters will be called to the line for a 10-shot final stage, fired shot-by-shot at 600 yards. This will assure that the shooters who are contending for first place in this prestigious match all finish the match together on the same range at the same time. Just as soon as the tenth final stage shots are scored, the winner will be announced and recognized on the range. This should also give the other 1300 or so competitors who are expected to shoot this match an exciting opportunity to see the day’s winners in action.

Shooters who attend the Rifle SAFS and USMC Junior Highpower Rifle School must arrive on Friday, 27 July to check in. USMC Clinic classroom instruction actually begins that afternoon. The Rifle SAFS takes place on Saturday and Sunday, 28-29 July. The school ends on 29 July with the firing of the M16 EIC match.

Competitors who compete in the National Trophy Rifle Matches that start with the President’s Rifle Match on Monday, 30 July, should plan to arrive on 28 or 29 July to check in. For those who want to confirm Camp Perry zeros, service rifle squadded practice will begin at 11:00 AM on 29 July. The practice session will include a ten-minute firing period at 600 yards. There were long check-in lines at Camp Perry In-Processing on the morning before the 2006 squadded practice and CMP staff is looking at several ways to speed up that process.

The President’s and National Trophy Individual Rifle Matches will be fired on Monday and Tuesday, 30-31 July. Six relays of competitors will be randomly squadded in these matches.

The traditional Whistler Boy Junior Highpower Team Match will be fired on Wednesday, 1 August. The Hearst Doubles Match, a two-person team match where both team members will fire the President’s Match course of fire (10 200 standing, 10 300 rapid, 10 600 slow) with regular competition service rifles, will be fired at the same time as the Whistler Boy Junior Match. Teams will pair fire the 200 and 600 yard stages. Team members can coach each other, but they may not have another person coach them.

The Hearst Doubles Match will again experiment with a handicap system that allows the presentation of a second set of awards based on handicapped scores. This handicap system is an experiment designed to gather data and experience to assist in determining whether the handicaps that have been so successful in building interest and participation in sports like golf and trap shooting can work in shooting. Handicaps are based on scores fired by competitors in the President’s and National Trophy Individual Rifle Matches. With the CMP’s computer-based results system, determining handicap scores is easy and instant. The Hearst Trophy is awarded to the best two-person teams based on raw scores, but an additional set of awards will be awarded on the basis of handicapped scores.

The current National Trophy Rifle Matches schedule gives service rifle competitors an unbroken six or seven-day series of competitions that begin with the Marine Corps Clinic for juniors and the Rifle Small Arms Firing School on Saturday and Sunday or the Squadded Practice on Sunday, the President’s Match on Monday, the National Trophy Individual Match on Tuesday, the Hearst Doubles Match on Wednesday, the National Trophy Team Match on Thursday and the Infantry Trophy Match on Friday.

The CMP Games Matches at the end of National Trophy week offer a full three-day series of events beginning with the M1 Carbine Match on Thursday. 2 August. That is followed by the Springfield and Vintage Military Rifle Matches on Friday, 3 August and the John C. Garand Match on Saturday, 4 August. The Garand Match, which concludes the week, is the only event fired on Saturday, 4 August. Both Rodriguez and Viale Ranges will be used, as many as 1860 competitors can be accommodated. There is expected to be plenty of room for everyone who wants to shoot this always colorful match.

There will also be one new trophy for the CMP Games Matches. A new Springfield Rifle Trophy is now in the works and will be awarded to the winner of the Springfield Match.

With an historic Camp Perry Centennial taking place, you will want to be part of the 2007 National Matches. Enter any of the CMP events on the schedule by going to the CMP home page at http://www.odcmp.com. Click on either the 2007 National Matches logo icon or the pull-down tab telling you to “Click here for 2007 National Matches Information.” From there select the programs you want to download or the entry forms you want to complete. Since the entry system was turned on a few days ago, over 300 shooters have already entered the 2007 matches.