Area junior and adult shooters attend the Inaugural Air Rifle and Air Pistol Matches at Camp Perry in October.

CAMP PERRY, OHIO - A competitive group of individual and club junior and adult shooters from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Canada help CMP successfully kick off its first Air Rifle and Air Pistol Marksmanship Competition at the new Competition Center North on 24-25 October.

The event drew a number of talented junior precision and sporter air rifle participants and adult air pistol shooters to the first of a series of indoor season competitions. The session was conducted at the 80 firing point joint use facility which was opened in June by the CMP and Ohio National Guard.

The competition featured a junior 3x20 three-position 10-meter match and final in both precision and sporter classes, a 60-shot precision air rifle 10-meter match and final plus a 60-shot adult 10-meter air pistol match. In addition, several shooters fired in a simulated rifle and pistol practice final match prior to the 60-shot matches.

"We're very pleased with the turnout by some really talented junior shooters - many of whom traveled a significant distance on short notice for our inaugural match," said Rob Harbison, CMP Director of Program Operations. The program was announced at the beginning of October with the next planned for 12-14 December. Future matches will span two days and lodging will be available to competitors on base.

The matches were fired in International Sport Shooting Federation format and in accordance with 2008-2010 National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules and USA Shooting rules for the 60 shot matches.

Nehemiah Gillman, 17, of Fort Wayne, Indiana led all precision air shooters after the 3x20 match, firing an aggregate score of 591 and he held onto his lead after a 101.0 10-shot final to finish with a total of 692.

Abbey Stanec, 16, of Sharon Center, Ohio finished second to Gillman, her Ashland Eagles Junior Rifle Club teammate, but she got revenge in the 60-shot standing match at the close of the day's competition.

Stanec fired a 582 in the 3x20 and a 99.1 (681.1 total) in the final to finish within nine points of Gillman. She fired a 581 to Gillman's 574 in the 60, holding off a 100.3 charge by Gillman in the final. Stanec's 98.9 was good enough to keep a five point margin at the conclusion of the final.

Gillman, who said he is hopeful of one day landing a spot on a collegiate rifle team, was gracious after winning the 3x20 and losing to Stanec in the 60 Standing.

"I got blown away," Gillman said in reference to Stanec's win in the 60. "I had a couple of eights, and that's just not a good thing," he said.

Stanec was pleased with her afternoon rebound. "I didn't like the morning," she said. "Prone was okay and kneeling was okay, but standing kind of ticked me," she followed. "My 60 was not that bad," she said.

Stanec continued to fire winners through the 10th shot in the final and attributed her cardio training for helping her endure the standing 60 and final. Women traditionally fire a shorter, 40-shot match.

Sarah Strader finished third in the 3x20 precision air rifle and final with a total aggregate score of 668.8.

Angelina Taylor finished third in a hard-fought 60 final with scores of 564 and 98.6, respectively, for a 662.6 aggregate. Taylor overcame a narrow lead by Ashland Eagles teammate Jennifer Smith who held third (565) after the 60-shot match. Taylor's 98.6 topped Smith's 97.3 in the 10-shot standing final to win the bronze slot.

In the CMP's first-ever gold achievement medal presentation for 3x20 sporter air rifle, Jason Bailey, 13, of Port Clinton took home the honor with an aggregate score of 486.5. Bailey topped his nearest competitor, shooting buddy Brian Wyss, who fired a 457.8.

In Air Pistol, Alice Wang of Lansing, Michigan carried a commanding lead from the 60 shot match with a score of 526 and won the final comfortably. Raymond Dress finished second with a score of 485 and Rob Scherer captured third with a 483. Wang made the most of her time, pacing her shots at a rate that used virtually her entire one hour and 45 minute allotment.

Three-position match winner Gillman is a home-schooled senior who splits time shooting for two clubs - the Ashland Eagles of Akron, Ohio and his local club, Bishop Luers Rifle Club in Fort Wayne. Originally a 4-H shooter who began at the age of 10, Gillman began shooting competitively about four years ago in both air rifle and smallbore.

The 60 shot standing match winner Stanec says her Ashland Eagles team has a membership that sprawls throughout Ohio and beyond. She's been shooting for about six years and began competition shooting four to five years ago.

"I'm looking forward to coming back," Stanec said. "Camp Perry is the best."

Air pistol winner Wang said this match was her second "big" event - the first being a grand prix match in Toronto, Canada.

"This was amazing - I love shooting here," Wang said. "I'm very lucky to be a member of a shooting community that is so unselfish with their time and advice," she said.

A very methodical shooter, Wang said she has been working on her shot process and claims to be a rookie. Her experience includes winter bull's-eye league competition and Michigan State University club matches.

The sporter air rifle winner, Jason Bailey said he got interested in shooting two years ago when he was invited to go hunting with a friend. His father Geoff said he made some phone calls and enrolled Jason in a hunter safety course.

Soon after Jason got his first shotgun and his shooting career has taken off. His memberships include the Ottawa County 4-H where he shoots air gun and rimfire, the Mud Creek Shooting Club where he shoots trap and the Oak Harbor Conservation Club. He enjoys duck, deer and pheasant hunting and looks forward to return trips to Camp Perry.

He and his dad have participated in the Rimfire Sporter Match, Small Arms Firing School, the Carbine Match and was a part of this year's CMP air rifle camp in June.

"More people from right here in the Ottawa County area and Ohio need to come out here and take a look around - there are lots of things to get involved in here," Geoff Bailey said.

The next CMP Monthly Match will be held 12-14 December and registration information can be found on the Web at http://www.odcmp.com/MarksmanshipCenters.htm. Results from the October Match can be viewed at http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=3926.