The culmination of countless hours of training and preparation were rewarded this past weekend for 129 Army, Marine Corp and Navy Cadets as they came together to compete for the 2007 National JROTC Air Rifle Championship. For these athletes, and their coaches and families, being able to compete in this championship is a testament to hard work and a commitment to excellence. Only one team and individual in each class, sporter and precision, could earn the top crowns, but all who competed could be considered champions in their own right.

It was not an easy feat to earn a berth in the JROTC National Championship. The field began with 5336 Army, Marine Corps and Navy JROTC athletes last November when teams representing 947 units began sending postal targets to the Civilian Marksmanship Program to be scored. These targets determined who would advance to the JROTC Eastern and Western Region Championships which were held respectively at Fort Benning, GA 15-17 February and the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO 1-3 March. In turn these events determined the field for the JROTC National Championship which took place 12-14 April at Fort Benning, GA which is the home of the Army Marksmanship Unit.

The USAMU’s Pool Range at Fort Benning is a world class facility offering electronic targets systems. Just two weeks prior to the JROTC National Championships Pool Range played host for a International Shooting Sports Federation World Cup Event, attracting Olympic class athletes from all over the world. For the JROTC National Championships the USAMU and Pool Range played host to the top JROTC air rifle athletes from across the country.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program conducted the event providing their top notch staff. Fresh from officiating World Cup and the USA Shooting Spring Selection Matches, Bill Wayda and Larry Pendergrass were the event’s lead officials. David Woodard, Richard Whiting and several CMP staff also were involved in conducting firing and compiling results. Also there to meet all the gunsmithing needs of the shooters was Buck Parson of Pilkington Competition Equipment. He was a life saver for several shooters who experienced rifle malfunctions over the weekend.

It turned out to be quite a weekend with new records being set and new champions crowned. This three-day event began with a training day on 12 April, allowing athletes a chance to get comfortable with the range and make any last minute adjustments before the match began the following day. The match itself was a three-position air rifle 3x20 event shot over two days. Athletes shot a 3x20 on both days and aggregate scores were used to determine the National Champions. For the Individual Championship, a daily final held for the top eight individuals each day was added to their aggregate score.

In the sporter class Elizabeth Lyon of King George HS NJROTC from King George, VA jumped out into the lead on the first day with a 3x20 plus final score of 641.4. The next day she added 639.7 to her aggregate to give her a total of 1191.55 to claim the Individual Sporter National Championship. Daniel Hilario of RL Paschal HS AJROTC from Fort Worth, TX was in second with a 1186.9, and Michael Hill of South Effingham HS NJROTC in Guyron, GA was third with a 1177.8.

Lyon’s two-day score of 1102, aggregate without final added, helped lift King George HS to win the Sporter Team National Championship. She and teammates Amanda Smith, 1078, Nicole Heitmeyer, 1076, and Sam Green, 1072 combined for a total of 4328. The team was coached by CDR Fred Duckworth and team captain James Morgan. Hailario and RL Paschal HS placed second with a team total of 4308. Rounding out the top three with a 4258 was Pharr-San-Juan-Alamo HS AJROTC from San Juan, TX.

The Individual National Championship in the Precision class was decided by only tenths of a point in one of the closest matches in JROTC National Championship history. On day one Amber Criss of Walla Walla HS AJROTC from Walla Walla, WA, jumped out into the lead with a 3x20 plus final score of 690.1. This gave her a 4 point lead over Kyle Phillips of Luella HS NJROTC from Stockbridge, GA who shot a 686.1 on day one. But Phillips came back strong on day two and closed the gap to two points going into the final. The final went down to the last shot with Criss hanging onto the Championship with a narrow lead of 1273.7 to Phillips 1273.15. Finishing in third place was April Dunn of East Coweta HS MCJROTC from Coweta, GA with a score of 1261.1.

The Precision Team National Championship was also decided in a close race between Henry Co HS NJROTC from McDonough, GA and last year’s National Champion Shelby Co HS from Shelby, KY. In the end only two points separated the two teams. Henry Co edged out Shelby Co 4600 to 4598 to win their first National JROTC Championship. The team’s scoring members were Matthew Branyon, 1163, David Garman, 1160, Caitlyn Wells, 1141, and Stephen Krieger, 1136. The team was coached by CAPT Joe Tucker. Shelby Co finished with a 4598 to claim second place, and East Coweta HS earn third with a 4575.

The top teams and individuals in each service were also recognized. Hilario was the top Individual representing the Army JROTC in the sporter class, and Kaitlin Chaffin of Siegel HS from Murfreesboro, TN received the top Army precision class award with a score of 1255.6. The top Army teams were PL Paschal HS in the sporter class and Spanish Springs HS from Sparks, NV with a 4548 in the precision class.

In the Marine Corps the top individuals were Jordan Myers from Sapulpa HS in Sapulpa, OK with a 1176.7 in the sporter class, and Dunn of East Coweta HS in the precision class. The top Marine Corps teams were Kentwood HS from Kentwood, WA with a score of 4205 in the sporter class, and Shelby Co HS in the precision class.

The top individuals for the Navy were Hill of South Effingham HS in the sporter class, and Phillips of Luella HS in the precision class. The top teams were South Effingham HS from Guyron, GA with a score of 4226 in the sporter class, and Luella HS from Stockbridge, GA with a score of 4529 in the precision class.

Also recognized were John White of Joshua HS NJROTC from Joshua, TX, Darrell Robbins and Charles Lee of Tuba City HS MCJROTC in Tuba City, AZ, Danielle Poteete of Spanish Springs HS AJROTC, Daniel Hilario of RL Paschal HS AJROTC and Chase Wininger of Shelby Co HS MCJROTC. Each of these cadets earned their Junior Distinguished Badges for consistent excellence in major three-position air rifle events. It is a considerable achievement and since the Badge was introduced in 2001 only 151 athletes have gone Distinguished. Three of the athletes presented their Badge at the Nationals earned their last points over the weekend.

Many National Three-Position Air Rifle Records were set during the National JROTC Air Rifle Championship. Congratulations to the individuals and teams listed below on their achievement: Elizabeth Lyon, of King George HS Naval JROTC, tied a Navy JROTC records for Sporter Individual 3X20 with a score of 556. Daniel Hilario, of RL Paschal HS Army JROTC, tied an Army JROTC record for Sporter 20-shots standing with a score of 185. Amber Criss, of Walla Walla HS Army JROTC, set a new Army JROTC record for Precision Individual 3x20 with a score of 589. April Dunn, of East Coweta HS Marine Corps JROTC, tied a Marine Corps JROTC Record for Precision 20-shots standing with a score of 195. Danielle Poteete, Kira Brown, Maximilian Stovall, and Joe Stevens of Spanish Springs HS, set a new Army JROTC Precision 4-Member team record with a score of 2303. The Spanish Springs HS is from Sparks, Nevada, and is coached by LTC Michael Coger. T. Chase Wininger, Logan Fox, Kent Wilcox, and Stephen Jenkins, of Shelby County HS Marine Corps JROTC, set a new Marine Corps JROTC Precision 4-Member team with a score of 2309. The Shelby County HS is from Shelbyville, Kentucky, and is coached by MSgt Gerald Lyons. Matthew Branyon, David Garman, Caitlyn Wells, and Stephen Krieger, of Henry County HS Naval JROTC, set a new Navy JROTC Precision 4-Member team record with a score of 2307. Henry County HS is from McDonough, Georgia, and is coached by CAPT Joe Tucker.

The National JROTC Championship concluded with an impressive banquet held at the Columbus Convention Center in downtown Columbus, GA. Nearly 400 people were on hand for the event which featured keynote speaker Rear Admiral James Symonds, the current Director of the Chief of Naval Operations Environmental Readiness Division. Also in attendance to provide closing remarks was Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, John McLaurin.

To view a complete listing of scores from the National JROTC Air Rifle Championship please visit the CMP website at http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=1950. To view photos from the event visit http://www.odcmp.com/Photos/07/NationalJROTC/index.htm. The Final Results Bulletin from the 2007 National JROTC Air Rifle Championship can also be downloaded at http://www.odcmp.org/0407/07JROTCBULLETIN.pdf. Thank you to everyone who made the 2007 National JROTC Air Rifle Championship a huge success!