2008 WESTERN CMP GAMES - More Events--More Entries--More Wind! - The 5th Western CMP Games Matches and the second Western CMP Games to take place at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility north of Phoenix, Arizona concluded this past week. There were three new events on the program as well as new award categories. Shooter entries were more than double 2007 numbers. Winds were bad enough that the Bronze Achievement Medal cut scores had to be adjusted downward, but never as bad as in 2007 when high winds caused the cancellation of one day of shooting. In spite of strong winds, there were lots of excellent shooting highlighted by Californian Mike Miller’s win in a newly introduced GSM Three-Gun Aggregate. Most important of all, the Games trademark value of giving every shooter a great experience was at the forefront during the four days of shooting.

New Three-Position Air Rifle Rules Released, 2008-2010 Rulebooks Available - The 2008-2010 7th Edition of the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules, with changes approved by the National Three-Position Air Rifle Council, are now available in printed version or as a downloadable *.pdf file. The new rules may be accessed immediately through the CMP website at http://www.odcmp.com/3P/Rules.pdf. Printed copies of the new rulebook may be ordered from the CMP at a cost of $2.00 each.

CMP Hosts National Youth Leadership Conference - CAMP PERRY, OHIO - As a coach looking for ways to motivate and train junior shooters, wouldn't it be ideal to spend a couple of days listening to tips, real life experiences and advice from some of the shooting world's best shooting instructors, coaches and match organizers?  Well, in case you missed it, that's what many of your colleagues experienced during the 2008 National Youth Shooting Sports Leadership Conference at CMP's Bataan Armory conference center on 26-28 September. The conference concluded a week of training courses for junior shooting coaches and club leaders.

Bavarian Sport Shooting Federation of Germany Sport Director, Ralf Horneber, Featured Speaker during the National Youth Leadership Conference - CAMP PERRY, OHIO - The nation of Germany is so familiar to generations of Americans for a number of reasons including ancestral and cultural ties, military assignments and countless books, films, documentaries and television shows featuring German content, yet we're still learning about its people and shooting culture.  At the National Youth Leadership Conference in September, Ralf Horneber, Sport Director, Bavarian Sport Shooting Federation of Germany opened the door to his homeland and its rich sport shooting heritage a little wider.

U.S. Olympic Team Rifle Coach, Maj. David Johnson, Speaks at the National Youth Leadership Conference - CAMP PERRY, OHIO - So, what has the U.S. Olympic Team rifle coach been doing since two of his competitors in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing brought home silver and bronze medals in our nation's finest collective Olympic shooting performance at least since 1964?  Major David Johnson, USAR, who is on active duty in the Defense Department’s World Class Athlete Program as the National Rifle Coach, is already preparing for the next four-year Olympic cycle that will culminate with the London Games in 2012. The budgeting process, a primary consideration for training, is well underway at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

JROTC COMPETITION SEASON OPENS, JROTC Postal Targets Can Now Be Ordered - CAMP PERRY, OHIO - It's time for an estimated six to seven thousand Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force JROTC Cadets to gather targets, get their gear bags zipped and head to their ranges to prepare for this year’s JROTC Air Rifle Postal Competitions that kick off this month, to mark the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year’s shooting season.

New Jersey Junior is Awarded the John C. Garand Handicap Presentation Rifle - CAMP PERRY, OHIO – If you ever woke up as a child on your birthday, rubbed the sleep from your eyes and walked into your living room to find a new bike with a ribbon on it, then you can relate to how a New Jersey teen felt when a pristine presentation grade M1 Garand rifle arrived on his doorstep after winning the 2008 John C. Garand Match handicap award.