|
|
The CMP’s Anniston (Alabama) Air Gun Range was the location for the 2010 JROTC National Air Rifle Championship.
|
ANNISTON, ALABAMA - Several individual and team champions were crowned at the Eighth Annual JROTC National Air Rifle Championship here on 25-27 March, but according to the event's founder, the biggest winner of all was the sport of JROTC marksmanship.
Gary Anderson, CMP Director of Civilian Marksmanship Emeritus, explained to participants, coaches and guests at the awards banquet that JROTC air rifle marksmanship scores are nearing the same level as junior air rifle shooting disciplines across the country.
Anderson established the current JROTC competition format eight years ago and said he has seen scores rise through the 570s and now into the 580s, which puts JROTC shooting on par with the best in junior shooting.
|
Richard Calvin, 17, of Siegel High School Army JROTC, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, won the precision class championship with a consistent two-day performance, shooting an aggregate score of 1282-87. Carrying Day I and finishing second on Day II, Calvin maintained a high average to outdistance the field to win his final high school match. He will report to Army basic training on 28 June and has been accepted to the US Military Academy at West Point and will compete on their rifle team.
Calvin said he spent a considerable amount of time in practice and participating in as many matches as possible this past year.
"It was just a great one to finish on - it was my last big competition in high school." Calvin said. "It was good to go out on top. And I'm really proud of my team, especially our sophomore (Teodor Ilkov), who really stepped up.”
He also credits his success to goal-setting. "I read a book by Lanny Bassham about setting goals. I followed that process and through a lot of practice and dedication I was able to reach my biggest goal."
In the process of winning his championship, Calvin also set a new Army JROTC record in 3x20 individual of 594-46 and 3x20 individual plus final of 693.8. He also tied the Army JROTC 20-shot kneeling record of 200-17.
|
Thomas Wheeless, 16, of Phoebus High School Marine Corps JROTC, Hampton, Virginia, won the sporter class championship, coming back from a fifth place finish after Day I and a Day II second place to win the crown after a typical topsy-turvy sporter final on Day II.
Wheeless fired an overall score of 1199.1-39 to win the sporter championship.
Wheeless said the finals "were pretty crazy." He was right. The start list in the two finals were dramatically different with Wheeless emerging from the pack as the most consistent finalist. There were at least 10 other shooters combined in the two sporter finals who had a realistic opportunity to beat him.
When asked about riding the roller coaster ride to the top Wheeless said "To be honest, it came as a surprise to me after those finals. I thought I wouldn't even be in the top three and when they called Phoebus High School I was amazed."
"It's crazy in the final sometimes because it seems anyone can win - there was a lot of jumping around in there," Wheeless said.
Reflecting on his road to the championship, Wheeless credits his work ethic. "My goals were to constantly beat my own scores - to improve on my position and make myself a better shooter by competing against myself and not worrying about the other competitors."
Both Calvin in precision and Wheeless in sporter said they were looking forward to participating in the upcoming Junior Olympic championships in Anniston in July.
|
In team competition, Siegel High School Army JROTC captured the precision class title with an aggregate total of 4633-280. Siegel's team of Richard Calvin, Maya Arredondo, John Carter and Teodor Ilkov was coached by MSG (Ret.) Jim Thurston. Siegel High School also set a new Army JROTC team record of 2321-141 on Day I competition.
|
Ozark High School Army JROTC of Ozark, Missouri won the sporter championship with an aggregate total of 4376-151. The Ozark team of Chelsy Howald, Tessa Howald, Tyler Ferguson and Lacie Norris was coached by 1SG Terry Thompson.
Also in precision shooting contention were Alivia Yeager, 18, of Seneca High School Marine Corps JROTC, Louisville, Kentucky, who placed second with an aggregate score of 1273.35-69 and Maya Arredondo, 17, of Siegel High School Army JROTC with an aggregate of 1271.6-77 placed third.
Finishing second in sporter class was Michael Hudson, 18, of South Effingham High School Navy JROTC, Guyton, Georgia, with an aggregate score of 1198.9-33. Hudson came within two-tenths of a point of tying Wheeless overall. On Day I, Hudson set a new Navy JROTC record of 95.9 in 3PAR.
Tyler Ferguson, 18 of Ozark High School Army JROTC took third place in sporter with an aggregate score of 1196.2-45. Ferguson held the lead entering the Day II final. He also set a new open/overall and Army JROTC record in the kneeling phase of his 3x20 Day II match, firing a 197 with 14 center shots.
The runner-up in precision team competition was Chattahoochee County High School Army JROTC, Cusseta, Georgia, with an aggregate score of 4609-237. Team members are Alex Malagon, Breanna Kasl, Andrea Vautrin and Andrea Malagon and they are coached by LTC (Ret) Gary Keown.
Seneca High School Marine Corps JROTC took third place in precision team competition with a aggregate of 4600-241. Alivia Yeager, Karina Schmidt, Joe Zoeller and Amanda Schmidt are team members and they are coached by SgtMaj. (Ret.) Gary Wilson.
In sporter team competition, Zion Benton High School Navy JROTC, of Zion, Illinois capture second place with an aggregate score of 4336-118. Team members are Ariel Morales, Yvonne Swiontek, Renz Ibarra and Alyssa Siegfried. The team is coached by Dan Hackstein, USN.
Third place was won by Daleville High School Army JROTC, Alabama. Team members are Mikaelah Atchley, Joshua Ranes, Daniel Ord and Joshua Nabinger. Daleville is coached by LTC (Ret.) Ralph Aaron.
The event concluded the 2009-2010 JROTC season and featured 142 cadets, representing 53 JROTC units from 23states in qualifying for the event. The championship capped a season which began in the fall of 2009 with postal competitions fired by Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force cadets.
The field of more than 6,768 cadets from Alaska to Maine and everywhere in between began their quest for a chance to shoot in the national championship by firing in matches at their home ranges and mailing their targets into CMP for scoring. Shooters whose scores meet qualifications received invitations to participate in semifinal matches by service at Camp Perry, Ohio, and eventually the national championship in Anniston, Alabama. Less than one percent of the entire field of shooters qualified for the championship.
For the competition, shooters fired two 3x20 matches over the course of two days. The top eight individuals in both the sporter and precision classes then shot a final on each day and their final average was added to their two-day aggregate score to determine the Individual National Champions in each class. Team scores consisted of the two-day aggregate scores of the four-person teams.
The overall winning precision and sporter teams received $2,000 each, while the top sporter and precision teams representing each service received $1,000 each.
Gary Anderson, who retired from the CMP at year-end 2009 as Director of Civilian Marksmanship, was also recognized at the banquet. Anderson was lauded by several dignitaries during the awards program for his lifelong contribution to youth marksmanship development and his past 10 years of service to CMP.
Anderson will continue his involvement in shooting sports as Director Emeritus of CMP and as Vice President of the International Shooting Sports Federation and President of the USA Shooting Board of Directors.
The following are overall and service champions from the 2010 JROTC Air Rifle Championship:
Precision Class Overall Team Champion:
Siegel HS, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 4633
Precision Class Overall Individual Champions:
1st Place- Richard Calvin, Siegel HS, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 1282
2nd Place- Alivia Yeager, Seneca HS, Louisville, Kentucky, 1273
3rd Place- Maya Arredondo, Siegel HS, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 1271
Sporter Class Overall Team Champion:
Ozark HS, Ozark, Missouri, 4376
Sporter Class Overall Individual Champions:
1st Place- Thomas Wheeless, Phoebus HS, Virginia, 1199
2nd Place- Michael Hudson, South Effingham HS, Guyton, Georgia, 1198
3rd Place- Tyler Ferguson, Ozark HS, Ozark, Missouri, 1196
Army Final Rankings:
Precision Class Teams:
1st Place- Chattahoochee County HS, Cusseta, Georgia, 4609
2nd Place- Marmion Academy, Aurora, Illinois, 4595
3rd Place- Del Valle HS, Del Valle, Texas, 4593
Precision Class Individuals:
1st Place- Bryan Zavala, Central Catholic HS, San Antonio, Texas, 1270.0
2nd Place- Juan Arceo, Del Valle HS, Texas, 1269
3rd Place- David Hall, Daleville High School, Alabama, 1252
Sporter Class Teams:
1st Place- Daleville HS, Daleville, Alabama, 4315
2nd Place- R.L. Paschal HS, Fort Worth, Texas, 4147
3rd Place- Brandon HS, Brandon, Mississippi, 4098
Sporter Class Individuals:
1st Place- William "Trey" Eades III, C.E. Byrd HS, Shreveport, Louisiana, 1195
2nd Place- Mikaelah Atchley, Daleville HS, Daleville, Alabama, 1193
3rd Place- Tyler Rico, Flowing Wells HS, Arizona, 1191
Marine Corps Final Rankings:
Precision Class Teams:
1st Place- Seneca HS, Louisville, Kentucky, 4600
2nd Place- Eldorado HS, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 4587
3rd Place- LaCueva HS, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 4571
4th Place- Colquitt County HS, Georgia, 4529
Precision Class Individuals:
1st Place- Vincent Ford, Eldorado HS, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1268
2nd Place- Adam Grumbling, East Coweta HS, Sharpsburg, Georgia, 1266
3rd Place- Melissa Quartarone, Parkview HS, Georgia, 1264
Sporter Class Teams:
1st Place- R-S Central HS, Rutherfordton, North Carolina, 4310
2nd Place- Des Moines North HS, Des Moines, Iowa, 4230
3rd Place- Tuba City HS, Tuba City, Arizona, 4208
4th Place- LaCueva HS, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 4127
Sporter Class Individuals:
1st Place- Logan Hartzog, R-S Central HS, Rutherfordton, North Carolina, 1195
2nd Place- Hunter Firebaugh, LaCueva HS, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1194
3rd Place- Stephen Goldtooth, Tuba City HS, Arizona, 1095
Navy Final Ranking:
Precision Class Teams:
1st Place- Luella HS, Griffin, Georgia, 4599
2nd Place- Chugiak HS, Chugiak, Alaska, 4583
3rd Place- Union Grove HS, McDonough, Georgia, 4576
4th Place- Manzano HS, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 4509
Precision Class Individuals:
1st Place- Steven Frazier, Union Grove HS, McDonough, Georgia, 1270
2nd Place- Matthew Martin, Chugiak HS, Chugiak, Alaska, 1264
3rd Place- Beatriz Santiago, Henry County HS, McDonough, Georgia, 1163
Sporter Class Teams:
1st Place- Zion Benton HS, Zion, Illinois, 4336
2nd Place- King George HS, King George, Virginia, 4291
3rd Place- Reed HS, Sparks, Nevada, 4200
4th Place- Westside HS, Macon, Georgia, 4177
Sporter Class Individuals:
1st Place- Ariel Morales, Zion Benton HS, Zion, Illinois, 1193
2nd Place- Yvonne Swiontek, Zion Benton HS, Zion, Illinois, 1191
3rd Place- Elizabeth Hampton, King George HS, Virginia, 1088
Air Force Final Ranking:
Sporter Class Teams:
1st Place- South Anchorage HS, Anchorage, Alaska, 4089
2nd Place- Woodlands HS, The Woodlands, Texas, 4054
3rd Place- Clearfield HS, Clearfield, UT, 4023
Sporter Class Individuals:
1st Place- Cooper Barry, Woodlands HS, The Woodlands, Texas, 1073
2nd Place- Roberto Mota, Clearfield HS, Clearfield, Utah, 1059
3rd Place- Katherine Beasley, South Anchorage HS, Anchorage, Alaska, 1036
Complete scores and rankings from the 2010 JROTC Air Rifle Championship can be found on the CMP website at
http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=5640. Photos can be viewed at
http://cmp1.zenfolio.com/.
NEXT ARTICLE
|
