The Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) annual 3P Regional air rifle events were recently fired throughout the month of April, with over 450 talented junior athletes vying to qualify for the National Championship in June. Each Regional match is a 3x20 (three-position) air rifle competition, where sporter and precision class athletes from 4-H, Scouts, American Legion, club or JROTC rifle programs fire 20 shots at three positions: prone, standing and kneeling.

 

Three separate matches were held at CMP venues around the country, including the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center at Camp Perry, Ohio, the CMP’s south air gun range at the South Competition Center in Anniston, Ala., as well as through the use of its Mobile Range in Sandy, Utah. Qualifiers for the National competition are chosen from the overall scores from the combined regions.

 

Leading overall in the precision Regional event was this year’s JROTC Nationals winner Taylor Gibson, 17, of North Salem High School in Oregon. Another Taylor, Taylor Saulters, 17, of Gulfport MCJROTC in Mississippi, led the tight sporter competition by only a margin of three points.

 

Earning second overall in the precision class was Jared Eddy, 17, of the Ole Mill Rangers from Georgia, followed by Gavin Barnick, 15, of the Minnesota Centershots. Emma Thompson, 17, of Freeport High School in Illinois, claimed the second place spot overall in the sporter class, while Jared Zollner, 17, of Post 38 Jr. Legion 4-H from Minnesota stayed close in third.

 

In a close team race, members of Zion Benton from Illinois bested their in-state rivals from Freeport High School by only 10 points to earn the overall spot in the sporter competition. DuBois Junior Rifle Team from Pennsylvania overtook the Ole Mill Rangers from Georgia by only eight points in precision match.

 

Top performers at each location include:

 

Camp Perry, Ohio:

Sporter:

1. Jared Zollner, Post 38 Jr. Legion 4-H, MN – 1201.1
2. Emma Thompson, Freeport HS, IL – 1198.5
3. Regina Raquino, Zion Benton, IL – 1189.4

Precision:

1. Gavin Barnick, Minnesota Centershots – 1280.1
2. Ashley Sprague, Ferry Brook Junior Shooters, NH – 1275.8
3. Scott Rockett, Patriot Shooting Club, VA – 1275.1

 

Anniston, Ala.:

Sporter:

1. Taylor Saulters, Gulfport MCJROTC, MS – 1202.0
2. Mackayla Bourgeois, Gulfport MCJROTC, MS – 1197.3
3. Simon Krauthamer, Nation Ford HS MCJROTC, SC – 1196.3

Precision:

1. Jared Eddy, Ole Mill Rangers, GA – 1282.8
2. Ryan McAndrews, MCGC Kats, AL – 1273.7
3. Veronica Stanley, Ole Mill Rangers, GA – 1268.3

 

Sandy, Utah:

Sporter:

1. Katerina Slingluff, Lebanon HS, OR – 1179.3
2. Nicole Masteller, Des Moines North MCJROTC, IA – 1175.7
3. Logan Hibbert, Lebanon High School, OR – 1169.5

Precision:

1. Taylor Gibson, North Salem HS, OR – 1292.6
2. Jonna Warnken, Hellgate Gold, MT – 1268.0
3. Athena Baty, Borealis Bullseyes, AK – 1259.2

 

Overall teams:

 

Sporter:

1. Zion Benton, Illinois
2. Freeport High School, Illinois
3. Nation Ford High School MCJROTC, South Carolina

 

Precision:

1. DuBois Junior Rifle Team, Pennsylvania
2. Ole Mill Rangers, Georgia
3. MCGC (Magic City Gun Club) Kats, Alabama

 

Leading teams and individuals are invited to the 2018 CMP National Three-Position Air Rifle Championship, June 21-26, at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center in Ohio. The event is free and open to the public.

 

Junior marksmen participating in the CMP National Championship will also be automatically entered in the USA Shooting National 3P Junior Olympics, also held at the Gary Anderson Competition Center on June 22 (sporter) and June 25 (precision).

 

For a complete list of results of the CMP Regional Championships, visit https://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=match&task=edit&match=16045&tab=results. More information about the CMP 3P Air Rifle Championships, including the list of Regional Qualifiers, can be found on the CMP website at http://thecmp.org/air/national-three-position-air-rifle-championships/. 

 

Photos of the events can be found on the CMP Zenfolio page at http://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f315296764.

 

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.

 

  By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer