Marksmanship Season Commences
The beginning of the marksmanship season is at hand. After the completion of last year's and competitions Vilseck finished #5 in European Championships and #17 in the national rankings. I feel the need to provide some context to the competition level we face year in, year out and what makes what our athletes do quite remarkable. Shooters typically begin their freshman year and have never been exposed to Olympic style precision air rifle shooting. Within a two year period we are able to produce elite marksmanship athletes competing at some of the highest level of competition outside of NCAA or Olympic level. Yet the JROTC programs continue to put 2-4 athletes into Division I NCAA level teams at universities over the last decade. The team this year has several returners for the base of the team with three of them competing at the national level last year. I am excited this year as my new crop of 1st year shooters has shown exceptional aptitude for this sport. Last year here is how teams finished overall, K-Town #1 Euros and Air Force Champion, Wiesbaden #2 Euros and #3 National Ranking, Ansbach #3 Euros and #10 Nationally, Stuttgart #4 at Euros and #12 National Ranking. There is no state or district stateside that has this level of competition. It only happens at the national championships or those that compete in remote national leagues (Vilseck does this in the fall).
Vilseck’s marksmanship team will host Vicenza, Hohenfels, Stuttgart, and Ansbach on 6 DEC in the MPR starting at 0900. The match will also be livestreamed. We have led the way having the first electronic target system where you will be able to see live pellet strikes and scores as the match progresses. It makes for some high tension and drama as we try to qualify for the European Championship. The top 6 teams in Europe attend from a total score from all season matches. Below is the list of the competitors for this week. If you see them wish them “Good Skill” as there is no luck in air rifle, it is all skill.
| Varsity | Junior Varsity |
|---|---|
|
Jasmine Tetterton – 3rd Year Shooter – Senior – Co Captain Jonathan Talbot – 3rd Year Shooter – Senior – Co Captain Camdyn Deese – 3rd Year Shooter – Junior Mia McAfee-Bonaldi – 2nd Year Shooter – Junior Emma Eggert – 1st Year Shooter – Freshman |
Justin Friebe – 3rd Year Shooter – Junior Russell Beargeon – 2nd Year Shooter – Sophomore Landon Hill – 2nd Year Shooter – Senior Evelyn Chadwick – 1st Year Shooter – Freshman Skylar Taft – 1st Year Shooter – Freshman |
