2012 Small Arms Firing School Brings Rookies and Veterans Together to Improve Marksmanship Skills

CAMP PERRY, OHIO – The Small Arms Firing School for rifle continues to be a huge draw to the National Matches for inexperienced and veteran shooters alike. Each year hundreds of new and seasoned rifle enthusiasts take part in the two-day program that covers the basics of safety and marksmanship for beginners and more in-depth material for those seeking greater detail.

PO1 John Brubaker, U.S. Navy Reserve, of Sanford, FL, was the highest-scoring shooter in the points-eligible SAFS EIC match, firing an aggregate score of 386-12X out of 400 possible. Judith Legerski, Chairman, CMP Board of Directors, presented Brubaker a plaque and Colt Match Target heavy barrel rifle for his accomplishment. The rifle was donated by Colt Manufacturing.

More than 690 shooters participated in this year’s SAFS rifle schools combined, all gaining greater familiarity with the AR-15/M16 highpower rifle platform. The two-day course carried from Hough Auditorium in the morning of 28 July to the firing line for practical training later that day and culminated in the Excellence-In-Competition match on Sunday morning, 29 July. The EIC match tested skills earned the day before and also served as a stepping off point for shooters looking for introductory leg points toward the prestigious Distinguished Rifleman Badge.

PO1 John Brubaker, 44, U.S. Navy Reserve, of Sanford, FL, was the highest-scoring shooter in the points-eligible EIC match, firing an aggregate score of 386-12X out of 400 possible. Brubaker and 642 others in the eligible category fired prone slow-fire, prone rapid-fire, sitting rapid-fire and standing slow-fire stages at 200 yards on Viale Range.

Kaylynn Owens, 10, of Elkins, WVA, turned a number of heads with her 305th place out of 643 shooters with a score of 328-3X in the EIC non-Distinguished class.

Stuart DeMotte, 25, of Kagel Canyon, CA, who fired an aggregate score of 390 with 12X was the overall winner of the match. The overall category included all shooters in the match – those who are already Distinguished, those with points already earned plus those looking for their first EIC points.

Shooters who finished in the top 10 percent of the no-points group earned four introductory points. A shooter needs to accumulate 30 points to earn a Distinguished Rifleman badge, also called “going Distinguished.”

Young and veteran shooters fire shoulder to shoulder in the SAFS class and EIC match. Many attendees return to the school each year to pursue EIC points, to brush up on skills already learned or just for the fun of it.

Kaylynn Owens, left is pictured with her dad Jimmy, sister Lauren, 14 and mom Lisa (inset photo) on the SAFS firing line.

Kaylynn Owens, 10, of Elkins, WVA, a member of the West Virginia Junior Marksmanship Program, attended her first SAFS school this year and turned a number of heads with her 305th place out of 643 (328-3X) in the non-Distinguished class. Too small to safely handle the rifle in the offhand position, Kaylynn was allowed to shoot her standing stage of the match in the prone position. She and her sister Lauren, 14, were on the firing line while their father Jimmy, 43, mother Lisa, and grand-dad were on hand in support.

Mike Vrsansky, left, is joined by his uncle Mike Jozefov, friend Kyle Sapara and their SAFS rifle coach, MSGT Joe Braswell, USAR, of Griffin, GA, following their SAFS rifle outing. It was Vrsansky’s and Sapara’s first SAFS rifle experience.

Two firing points over, Mike Jozefov, Jr., 69, of Brunswick, OH, a veteran shooter, brought his nephew, Mike Vrsansky, 19, of Brunswick, and Vrsansky’s friend Kyle Sapara, 22, of Strongsville, OH, to their first SAFS rifle course.

“It’s a good time, Sapara said after shooting in his first EIC match. “This was a great learning experience – I feel like I’m a more well-rounded shooter because of it,” Vrsansky said.

All three shooters are members of the South Cuyahoga Sportsmen’s Club and they plan to return for both SAFS pistol and rifle schools next year, they said. Jozefov returned to Camp Perry for CMP rifle week to fire in the Garand, Springfield and Vintage Bolt Gun matches.

The SAFS courses are a natural family activity for many regular and new shooters at the National Matches.

Dave Hill and his son Eric, of Royal Oak, Michigan, attended the SAFS rifle class for the first time this year. They learned about SAFS through fellow shooters at their home range at the Bald Mountain State Park public shooting range in Michigan’s Oakland County.

Dave Hill, 51, and his son Eric, 11, of Royal Oak, MI, attended the SAFS rifle class for the first time this year. They learned about SAFS through fellow shooters at their home range at the Bald Mountain State Park public shooting range in Michigan’s Oakland County.

Rich Newell and his son Seth of Delaware, Ohio made their first trip to Camp Perry from the Columbus area for both SAFS pistol and rifle this year.

Rich Newell, 48, and his son Seth, 13, of Delaware, OH, made their first trip to Camp Perry from the Columbus area for both SAFS pistol and rifle this year, with plans of coming back for more in the future.

Don Duda brought his son Donny to Camp Perry from Berlin Center, Ohio to participate in their first SAFS rifle program.

Don Duda, 47, and son Donny, 15, of Berlin Center, OH, attended their first SAFS rifle school this year. Duda said his son, who is a member of 4H Shooting Sports, “needs someone other than me” to coach him,” he said jokingly. Duda Sr. said they have been to Camp Perry many times to visit the CMP store and vowed to one day get into SAFS and they made good on their plans this year.

Mary Taylor shot a rifle for the first time at the 2012 SAFS rifle school with her son Deven, 14, of Covington, OH. Deven is a member of the Miami County 4-H Trapshooting Club in Piqua.

Mary Taylor and her son Deven, 14, of Covington, OH, enrolled in SAFS rifle for the first time in 2012. It was Mary’s first time behind a rifle and afterward she said she thought she did fairly well for her first time out. Deven is a member of the Miami County 4-H Trapshooting Club in nearby Piqua.

Joe Starwood, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, returned to Camp Perry to work on his sitting position and follow through at this year’s SAFS rifle class. It was his third SAFS experience.

Joe Starwood, 52, of Grand Rapids, MI, was back for his third time to the SAFS rifle school, having participated in 2008 and 2009. A member of the Rockford Sportsman’s Club in Michigan, Starwood said he came to Camp Perry to work on his sitting position and follow-through.

Shane Bury, 12, and his dad Tim, 39, of Canton, Ohio, enjoyed their first SAFS rifle school together in 2012. Earlier in the season Bury and his daughter Alissa participated in SAFS pistol.

Tim Bury, 39, and his son Shane, 12, made the trip to Camp Perry from Canton, Ohio for their first SAFS together. Bury attended SAFS pistol with his daughter Alissa, 15, at the outset of the National Matches on 9 July.

Caylie Shover, 14, of Milan, Ohio, and her friend Jennifer Feathers, 17, of Vermilion, Ohio, enjoyed their first SAFS class. Both shooters have CMP airgun experience and also fired in the 2012 Rimfire Sporter Match.

Caylie Shover, 14, of Milan, OH, and her friend Jennifer Feathers, 17, of Vermilion, OH, came out to neighboring Camp Perry to enjoy the shooting experience in the National Matches environment. Shover and Feathers are CMP airgun competitors and both fired in the CMP Rimfire Sporter Match in July.

The Red Wolf Battalion of the Arkansas State University ROTC rifle team traveled to Camp Perry for the SAFS rifle school for the first time. Senior Cadet Nathan Cumming, 28, was among a group of 10 cadets and a pair of Lieutenants who traveled to Ohio from Arkansas State U. to get a taste of the National Matches atmosphere and he said they look forward to coming back for more.

SGT Sherri Jo Gallagher, winner of the 2012 National Trophy Individual Match, talks about offhand rifle positioning with a cadet from the Arkansas State University ROTC rifle team during SAFS rifle. More than a dozen members of the ASU Red Wolves attended this year’s school.

“We need to learn to compete on a more consistent basis to improve our performance. This trip is a part of that process,” Cadet Cumming said.

U.S. Army LTC Cecil Clark, professor of military science at Arkansas State was responsible for bringing the team to Ohio. LTC Clark served as an instructor on the SAFS firing line.

For complete results of the 2012 M16 EIC Rifle Match, log onto http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=7982. To view and download photos from the 2012 National Matches and CMP Games, log onto http://cmp1.zenfolio.com/.

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