How Some Kids Spent Their Labor Day Weekend For Michele Makucevich, the CMP State Junior Director for Rhode Island, the experience that defined her pathway as a shooting sports volunteer was the 1985 Oregon Junior Olympic Shooting Camp. That experience solidified her interest in marksmanship, boosted her marksmanship skills and ultimately fueled her desire to run a junior camp herself.

Even if it is held on the Labor Day weekend. Makucevich is the driving force behind the Rhode Island State Junior Shooting Camp, an event she started four years ago. Held at the Camp Fogarty National Guard Base in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, the accommodations are, in her own words, "Spartan." The adults and kids both stay in Quonset huts on base that "look like soda cans that are cut in half." But the registration fee is low and covers all the basic expenses for the three-to-five day event, even the T-shirt. "My goal when I run these camps to provide the opportunity to learn." The 32 youthful participants in the smallbore and air rifle training camp ranged in age from 10 to 19 and came from as far away as Oregon and Alabama. The camp also boasted a stellar cast of coaches-familiar names such as Bob Foth, Ken Gathman, Marcus and Janet Rabb, Richard Hawkins, Trevor Gathman, Shane Barnhart, Beth Herzman, Paul Davis, Don Rummler, Don Ridenour and Bill Johnston. Makucevich also works nearly year-round gathering whatever she can from a growing list of friends and sponsors. That list includes the CMP and the NRA (the Rhode Island event is also an NRA National

One of the Rhode Island camp juniors, Jillian Szmonifka (NJ), prepares to shoot air rifle. She fired an excellent 400x400 in a 40-shot air rifle competition at the camp.

Advanced Camp), ISS, Champion Shooter Supply, Centershot Sports, Pilkington Competition Equipment, 10-Ring Products and Eley ammunition. Donations range from financial assistance and top-notch trainers to things that Makucevich can include in event packets. From her experience, kids love stickers, and "what they're excited most about is opening up their shooter packets and getting cool stuff." Many of the junior shooters belong to school teams or shooting clubs. The level of experience, however, ranges from national champions to "a kid who never shot 3-positions in his life and we actually loaned him equipment to get him started." Most importantly, camps like the Rhode Island camp serve as a focal point for local programs, "local coaches can observe and learn, kids are exposed to more competitors and have their batteries charged-they get a renewed sense of excitement for the upcoming season." And two months from now, Makucevich will be back at it again, planning and preparing for next Labor Day and a whole new batch of shooters.