CAMP PERRY, Ohio – This summer, the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) Advanced Rifle and Junior Highpower clinics saw a wider collection of helpful guidance, with an even greater number of seasoned coaches placed on the firing line to better benefit those participants hoping to enhance their skills.
The clinics are a staple to the annual Camp Perry National Matches – training hundreds of competitors through each of the rifle and pistol phases – from those who have several years of experience behind them to those who are just beginning. As the world of marksmanship continues to evolve, the CMP works hard to maintain the same growth within its course curriculum.
“We always get a great deal of positive feedback from these clinics, and we try to adjust the content every year to make sure that we are staying current with the new trends and techniques,” said Brian Williams, CMP Highpower Manager.
The Advanced Highpower Clinic for both adults and juniors offers complex instruction in service rifle competition using classroom and live-fire range discussion. For youth, a three-day CMP Junior Highpower Clinic gives more focused training on weather conditions, wind reading, equipment use, positioning and rulebook standards. Juniors in the clinic spend one day in the classroom followed by two days of live fire on the range at 200, 300 and 600 yards.
The 2024 Junior Clinic saw 50 participants overall, while the Advanced Clinic had nearly 100. Training is led by accomplished CMP instructors and members of military marksmanship teams, including national-level champions like James Fox, Joe Hendricks, Dan Duitsman and accomplished Marine Corps marksman Maj. Richard Martinez.
CMP’s Dan Arnold, another decorated marksman, also worked directly with junior athletes and has been essential in preserving high-quality training on the range at the National Matches and other CMP events.
Though both clinics have always been highlighted by unparalleled, personalized coaching for each competitor, this year, the CMP was able to provide one coach per firing point. Williams and CMP staff members also decided to have coaches rotate down the firing line for the chance to work with participants individually, allowing students to compare and contrast each coach’s approach.
“I think the best thing about these clinics is the one-on-one contact that participants have with some of the best in our game,” Williams went on. “There are few opportunities outside of these clinics that a competitor would be able to talk, ask questions and interact with individuals of this caliber.”
With the 2024 clinics now over, staff members are already looking toward the future, with talk of utilizing CMP’s E-Targets in all National Matches events.
“I think the clinics went great and they’ll continue to grow,” said Sara Rozanski, CMP’s highpower rifle coordinator, who helped organize the courses. “Once we utilize E-Targets, I foresee waiting lists exceeding entry capacity.”
“I do think that the addition of the E-targets will make this program even better,” Williams agreed. “With the most beneficial time of the clinic being the time spent with the coaches, if we can keep people out of the pits pulling targets, they can benefit more on the line.”
SAVE THE DATE! The Advanced Rifle and Junior Highpower clinics will be returning with even more helpful instruction at the 2025 National Matches. Learn more about these educational offerings and more on the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/cmp-national-matches/clinics/. Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind opportunity!
— Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.