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Two members of the Kennesaw MT HS rifle team were
presented with the “Commemorative Target”.
Their school was drawn during the first Fort Benning, GA Air
Rifle Camp to receive the target.
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The oldest German shooting club was established in 1139, and with it many rich shooting traditions began. One of those traditions made its’ way into the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s 2005 Junior Three-Position Summer Camps for the first time. Dr. Dan Durben, CMP Camp Director, wanted to commemorate each of the camps with a
traditional painted wooden target similar to the ones that hang in German shooting clubs still today.
The use of commemorative targets is as old as the German shooting clubs themselves. They are used to commemorate special festivities for the club, such as the annual crowning of the club’s Shooting King or Queen. Normally the targets are used in one shot matches in which club members shoot at a designated spot on the target. The shot closest to the bulls-eye wins. This contest often determines the Shooting King or Queen for the coming year. Because these targets are only used for special occasions, the club commissions local artist to elaborately paint them. After a competition is over, the competitors sign their shots and the target is hung in the range. Over time the commemorative targets become a colorful record of the club’s history.
For the 2005 CMP Three-Position Summer Camps wooden commemorative targets were painted for each camp. Durben luckily found two artists on staff this summer, Ben Jochum and Sommer Wood, who could share in the task of painting the targets. Jochum is studying Art Education at the University of Nebraska, and Wood graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from Clemson University. Assistant Director Dan Jordan added his creative touch by completing most of the lettering on the targets.
For the commemorative shot, campers did not shoot at the painted target as is the tradition in Germany, because the wood was too hard for the pellets to penetrate. Instead, the camp staff held the commemorative shot on paper targets, which were shot at the end of finals training. This shot was then signed by the shooter and attached to the wooden target to be viewed by everyone. The target was then either given to the host of the camp, or a drawing was held among the schools in attendance for the winner.
“The campers really got into it, it was really neat to see them get nervous when we announced for them to load for their commemorative shot. Dan (Jordan) always made sure to remind them before he gave the ‘Start’ command that this shot was going to be viewed for the next 700 years. This seemed to do the trick, because we had very few shoot tens,” joked Durben.
This German tradition turned out to be a memorable CMP addition this summer, and will hopefully become a CMP tradition in summers to come.
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Counselors Ben Jochum and Sommer Wood worked on a
collaborative effort to design and paint six commemorative targets for
the 2005 Summer Air Rifle Camps. Each
target was designed to reflect the area the camp was held.
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