2008 National Trophy Pistol and Rifle Matches Programs Available, On-Line Entry System Open - It’s hard to believe that the time to make plans for another National Matches is already here. The Official Program for the CMP National Trophy and CMP Games Matches that will take place this summer at Camp Perry, Ohio, is now posted on the CMP website and the CMP Competitor Tracker system is now open to receive on-line entries. Competitors who want to secure their places in this year’s matches can now do so.

Air Rifle Tournament at Winterfest 2008 - On 1-3 February 2008 the Gatlinburg Convention Center in Gatlinburg, TN was converted into a rifle range for the Boy Scout Explorer and Venture Crews Winterfest 2008. Winterfest is an exciting weekend focusing on competitive events for all Boy Scout Explorer Posts and Venture Crews, and this year the event drew over 2,600 participants. Of those, over 300 took part in an air rifle tournament that was set-up at the request of the Northeast Georgia Boy Scout Council and USA Shooting Manager of Youth and Coach Programs, Bob Foth.

2008 National JROTC Championship - Pool Range at Fort Benning, GA is known as the Home of Champions, a name that usually refers to the Army Marksmanship Unit’s International Rifle Team that calls Pool Range their home. On 27-29 March 2008 the range was home for the 6th annual National JROTC Three-Position Air Rifle Championship. 140 JROTC cadets and 26 Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force JROTC unit teams qualified for the championship. Reaching the National Championship was an outstanding achievement for all athletes and JROTC Units involved, they were all champions in their own right.

2008 Small Arms Firing Schools Enrollment Now Open - One of the best ways for new shooters to learn good pistol and rifle marksmanship skills and get started in service pistol or rifle target competition is to attend the Small Arms Firing Schools at Camp Perry, Ohio during the National Matches. The official program for the 2008 schools is now available and on-line entry in the CMP Competitor Tracker system is now open.

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.