Entries for the CMP events in the 2007 Camp Perry Centennial National Matches continue to come in at a fast pace. Total entries in the CMP phases of the 2007 National Matches now are over 2,600 and growing every day. The Pistol Small Arms Firing School is already full and two or three other events are now expected to fill. Several improvements are being completed at Camp Perry and a number of special Camp Perry Centennial events are scheduled. Camp Perry will definitely be the place for rifle and pistol shooters to be this summer.

National Matches Entry. Except for the Pistol Small Arms Firing School, which has been full for three weeks, there are still plenty of entry spaces in other CMP National Matches events. Schedule changes last year increased entry capacities in popular matches like the John C. Garand, Springfield and Vintage Military rifle matches, but even with those increases, some 2007 CMP matches appear destined to exceed range capacity. With only 60 open spaces remaining, the Rifle Small Arms Firing School is likely to fill in the next two or three weeks. The Springfield-Vintage Military Rifle combination on Friday, 3 August, also looks like it will reach capacity. It is also possible that the Carbine Match, which was new in 2006, and the President’s Rifle Match will reach entry maximums. The CMP will continue to keep you apprised of entry status on all of its matches, but the most important thing is that if you plan to attend the Camp Perry Centennial National Matches, you should get your entry in as soon as you can. For more information and to submit entries, go to the CMP home page at http://www.odcmp.com and open the drop-down box that says “Click here for 2007 National Match Information.”

Pistol SAFS Full. This year, due to reductions in the number of military shooters who can come to the National Matches, it was necessary to reduce the number of students who could be accepted in this popular school. The 300 student maximum was reached by the first of June and the CMP has been placing subsequent applicants on a waitlist. As cancellations are received, individuals on the waitlist are moved up in waitlist priority order. This means it is especially important for anyone who has registered for either Small Arms Firing School who finds that they will not be able to attend to notify CMP (call 419-635-2141, ext. 1107 or email lmandell@odcmp.com) as soon as possible so their spots in the schools can go to someone who can attend. All SAFS students are reminded that they must check in at Camp Perry on the day before the school starts (NLT 9:00 PM on 8 July for Pistol, NLT 9:00 PM on 27 July for Rifle). If this check-in requirement poses a hardship for any SAFS students, they must contact Dana Bacak at 419-635-2141, ext. 1123. There will likely be a small number of openings that will be available at Camp Perry when Pistol SAFS registrations close at 9:00 PM on Sunday, 8 July. Shooters who want to get into the school may standby that evening. SAFS standbys will be called according to their waitlist priority to fill vacancies created by SAFS registrants who have not checked in by 9:00 PM on 8 July.

Theodore Roosevelt Poster. 2007 is the Camp Perry Centennial year. One of the things the CMP will do to recognize the Centennial is to provide each competitor in the 2007 CMP National Matches events with a large 17” x 24” poster of President Theodore Roosevelt at the time they check in at Camp Perry (actual check in at Camp Perry is required). The poster commemorates President Roosevelt’s role in promoting marksmanship and creating the National Matches. Both the National Matches (1903) and Camp Perry (1907) were established during the Roosevelt Presidency. Customers who purchase rifles at the CMP Store during the National Matches will also receive one of these posters free of charge.

First Shot Ceremony. The First Shot Ceremony that traditionally opens the National Matches promises to be bigger and more exciting than in previous years. The full 122nd Army Band will play a half-hour concert before the ceremony, starting at 5:00 PM on Monday, 9 July. A larger than normal array of dignitaries and VIPs plan to attend this year since the ceremony will inaugurate the Centennial National Matches. The First Shot Speaker is the Honorable John McLaurin III, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Army – Human Resources. Mr. McLaurin is an active shooter and hunter who has oversight responsibility for the Army Accessions Command that includes both the Army JROTC program and the Army Marksmanship Unit. He is also the Department of the Army’s primary point of contact with the Civilian Marksmanship Program. The highlight of the ceremony comes when the First Shot Speaker fires the “first shot” of the matches. A Shooter Welcome Reception in the Camp Perry Clubhouse hosted by the Ohio National Guard and Chambers of Commerce in Ottawa County will follow the ceremony.

Camp Perry Housing Expansion. Competitors coming to this year’s National Matches will have more Camp Perry on-post housing opportunities available than in the past. Earlier this year, the CMP provided a $20,000 grant to the Ohio National Guard for use in fixing up 55 additional huts so that they can be leased during this summer’s National Matches. That means more than 200 additional beds are available during National Trophy Rifle week from 27 July through 4 August. The Camp Perry RV Park, which was funded by the Ohio National Guard and a grant from the CMP and established in 2006, still has spaces available through most of this year’s matches. The Ohio National Guard has just announced that 12 primitive or tent-camping sites also will be available to shooters at $18.00 per night during this year’s National Matches. The Camp Perry Lodging and Conference Center is now taking reservations for tent camping as well as for other types of housing. Contact 614-336-6215 or check their website at http://www.cpmr-oh.org.

Junior National Match Entries. The CMP wants to encourage more adults to bring junior shooters with them to the National Matches. There are several excellent opportunities for juniors in this year’s National Matches. The National Trophy Pistol Matches have special competitions for juniors who fire .22 cal. smallbore pistols during the President’s, National Trophy Individual and National Trophy Team matches. The Junior Team Match is a two-person team match to make it possible for more junior pistol programs to compete. The CMP provides trophies and awards for the top juniors in each of the three National Trophy Pistol events.

This year, in recognition of the Camp Perry Centennial, junior entries in the National Rimfire Sporter Match are free. This is one match where relatively inexperienced juniors can compete and enjoy to excitement of coming to the National Matches. Shooting together in the National Rimfire Sporter Match could be a great way for a father or mother and son or daughter to spend a weekend at Camp Perry. They can attend the Rimfire Sporter Clinic on Saturday, 22 July, shoot in the match on 23 July, take in Commercial Row and the CMP Store, and relax at the post-match cook-out on Sunday evening.

Last year over 300 junior shooters participated in the CMP highpower rifle events that began with the Rifle Small Arms Firing School and continued through a full week of shooting. Juniors who compete in the President’s and National Trophy Individual Matches and the Whistler or Hearst two-person team matches may be eligible for support from the CMP Junior National Match Highpower Support Program. Advanced junior highpower rifle shooters can sign up for the USMC Junior Highpower Rifle Clinic. There are lots of great opportunities for junior shooters to participate in the CMP National Trophy Pistol, National Rimfire Sporter and National Trophy Highpower Matches. For more information and to submit entries, go to the CMP home page at http://www.odcmp.com and open the drop-down box that says “Click here for 2007 National Match Information.”

Camp Perry Improvements. The Ohio National Guard and the CMP have been working hard in the last few weeks to get Camp Perry ready for the matches. Lots of clean-up projects have been completed on post and new flowerbeds are now in place at the main gate and selected other locations. New trees were planted in the RV Park. New nameplates have been erected on the Camp Perry ranges. The CMP recently completed the redecking of all the shooter shuttles that are such a prominent feature during highpower week. A wireless network that will be available to shooters while they are on post is in the works.

National Matches Competitions. If results in the recent Interservice Pistol Matches at Fort Benning are any indication, the competitions at this year’s National Matches are shaping up to be some of the best as well. GySgt. Brian Zins of the Marine Corps and SGT James Henderson of the Army are both entered in the 2007 pistol matches and are sure to renew their rivalry. At the Interservice matches, Zins won the three-gun aggregate with an impressive 2376-168X total. Henderson dominated service pistol to win the overall four-gun championship with a 3542-192 aggregate. Enroute to their victories, Zins fired a 896-22X .22 cal. aggregate while Henderson posted a 296-17X score in the service pistol individual match and followed that with another 296-9X in the service pistol team match. Rifle scores fired by the top service rifle shooters are shaping up to be every bit as impressive. Add to that the fact that the 2007 President’s Rifle Match winner will be decided by a shoot-off between the top 20 shooters after the traditional 30-shot course of fire. For the top 20, the ten-shot final stage scores will be added to their 30 shot results. And the Shooting USA television crew will be there to record the President’s Match shoot-off. It should be an exciting show.

This year will be a great year to be at Camp Perry for the National Matches.