CMP Competitions Update

By Gary Anderson, DCM

Two recent CMP activities highlight how the CMP’s shooting competition season is never really over. CMP staff finished conducting the 2007 Western CMP Games Matches at Phoenix on 23 October. Eight days later, on 31 October, the CMP was involved in the Fall National Matches Planning Conference where representatives of the NRA, Ohio National Guard, USAR, Army Marksmanship Unit and USMC Shooting Teams met to evaluate the 2007 National Matches and make plans for the 2008 National Matches. The CMP staff went from that meeting into meetings to finalize details for the 2008 JROTC Championships in February and March and the Eastern CMP Games Matches in May. The purpose of this article is to bring you up to date on recent developments that will be of interest to competitive shooters who participate in this continuous cycle of CMP Championships.

New Air Gun Range at Camp Perry. One of the most exciting developments at CMP is a cooperative endeavor with the Ohio National Guard to build a new Joint Use Facility at Camp Perry. One part of the $1.5 million project will be house Guard Engagement Skills Trainers (EST). A larger part of the building will have an 80-firing point air gun range. Funding has already been secured both from the federal government and the CMP, contracts have been signed and work is slated to start in the next few weeks. The facility is scheduled for completion in time for CMP training events to be conducted there in June. The CMP has already budgeted funds to install electronic scoring targets on all 80 points. This will make the Camp Perry center the largest electronic-target equipped air gun range in the Western Hemisphere. Plans are already being made to move several major junior championships and training events to the new range.

Expansion of Western and Eastern CMP Games Programs. Several competitors who competed in the recent Western CMP Games at Phoenix urged us to consider modifying the schedule to give more shooting opportunities to shooters who travel long distances. Two major changes have now been approved and will be incorporated into the 2008 Eastern and Western CMP Games programs. The clinic that has been so popular as a means of getting new shooters off to a good start in their first Garand and Springfield Matches has, for four years, taken place on Saturday afternoon, with the first competition firing occurring on Sunday morning. In 2008, the New Shooter Clinic will be moved to Saturday morning so that the first Garand-Springfield-Military Rifle Match can take place on Saturday afternoon. G-S-M Matches will continue to be offered on Sunday and Monday mornings, but the addition of Saturday afternoon firing will give shooters three, instead of the current two, opportunities to fire three different matches. It will also allow other shooters who can only attend during the weekend an opportunity to shoot two matches instead of just one.

Carbine and Rimfire Sporter Matches at Western Games. Moving the Western Games Matches to the Ben Avery Shooting Facility with its multiplex of ranges now opens the door to using other BASF ranges to conduct Carbine (100 yards) and Rimfire Sporter (50 and 25 yards) there. The 2008 Western CMP Games schedule will be expanded to offer a Rimfire Sporter Match on Sunday afternoon and a Carbine Match on Monday.

2007 National Matches Souvenir Bulletins. Even though the CMP has pioneered in using Internet-based results bulletins with scores posted on the web almost immediately after scorecards arrive in the stat room, the CMP has continued to publish a printed souvenir results bulletin with feature articles about the matches and trophy presentation photos. The 2007 National Trophy Pistol Results Bulletin has already been published and mailed to 2007 pistol competitors. The 2007 National Trophy Rifle Matches and National CMP Games Events Bulletins are nearing publication and distribution dates. Individuals who were not at the 2007 National Matches can download copies of these bulletins by going to http://www.odcmp.com/NationalMatches.htm.

Bushmaster DCM-XR Rifle. Only a few of the Bushmaster DCM-XR Limited Edition 100th Anniversary Camp Perry series rifles remain. The rifles are numbered one to 100 and bear a special 2007 Camp Perry Centennial logo. These special series rifles can be purchased from Bushmaster for $950.00 each. Bushmaster is donating $100.00 from each sale to the CMP National Matches Junior Highpower Support Program. For more information on these rifles, go to http://www.odcmp.org/1007/default.asp?page=BUSHMASTER.

2008 Pistol Small Arms Firing School. The Small Arms Firing Schools focus on providing outstanding safety and marksmanship instruction to new shooters. The 2007 Pistol School was filled to capacity with a waiting list and with current limits on how many military coaches are available, the number of students that can be accepted will continue to be limited. Starting in 2004, Rifle SAFS students were no longer permitted to use their own rifles; all students were required to use the M16 rifles and ammunition issued for the school. Some SAFS students had been entering the School and then used their own match rifles to get some extra range time. If this happens when there are waiting lists, it means some potential new shooter students are not able to attend. As a result, the CMP and Army Marksmanship Unit have decided that starting in 2008, all Pistol Small Arms Firing School students must fire issued M9 pistols and ammunition during the school. Students will no longer be permitted to bring their own match pistol and fire them in the school.

2008 National Matches Planning. Changes to the 2008 CMP National Matches schedule will be minimal. One change that has now been worked out will make it possible for more shooters to complete in both the Springfield and Vintage Military Rifle Matches. Last year Viale Range, which hosted those two matches on Friday, was filled to capacity with a long waiting list, even with nine relays of firing. Next year, the Springfield Match will continue to be fired on Friday and the Garand Match will continue to be fired on Saturday. In order to provide additional space and entry flexibility, the number of Friday relays on Viale Range will be reduced from nine to eight, but four additional Saturday afternoon relays will be opened on Rodriguez Range, which was not used at all on Saturday afternoon this year. Entry priority for the Viale Range Friday relays will go to the Springfield Match, but competitors will be allowed to enter and fire the Vintage Military Rifle Match on either Friday (space available) or Saturday afternoon on Rodriguez range. These changes will shorten the day on Friday and provide 232 additional entry spaces for Springfield and Vintage Military Rifle competitors. One other change that has been decided will be to squad Carbine Match competitors when they check in at In-Processing so everyone will not have to report early in the morning with later relays having to wait on the range for several hours before they fire.

Camp Perry Improvements. When competitors and volunteers come back to Camp Perry next summer, there will be lots of changes to the old post. The State of Ohio, Ohio National Guard and CMP are investing in a series of improvements that will make Camp Perry an even better site for the National Matches and other events that take place there. The new Joint Use Facility, which will support National Guard training and have a state-of-the-art air gun range, will be a major improvement, but there are others. Davey Road, which runs from the guard post past the CMP Store to the range road, and Scorpion Road, which runs along the east side of the post, are both going to be repaved. The CMP contributed $80,000 to this project. A contract has already been set to construct a new bathhouse that will serve eastside huts and the new tent camping area. This project is due for completion in February. The outer row of cottages is being demolished and will be replaced by new cottages. Camp Perry cottage replacements are part of a phased plan to replace all cottages over the next 3-8 years with modern two-story structures that will provide additional amenities and nearly double the cottage bed space from 116 to an estimated 222 at the end of the project. The cottage area is being completely redesigned to provide more esthetic lake views and green space. State funding is paying for the paving, bathhouse and cottage projects. A $1.5 million federal appropriation to build a new classroom facility is also in the works. In addition, the CMP is currently contracting to complete renovation projects on the CMP Store and the Bataan Armory area where National Matches In-Processing takes place. When you return to Camp Perry in 2008, it won’t look the same; it will be better.

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