Stage 2 Marksmanship Competition

I held the Stage 2 Marksmanship Competition on the evening of February 22.  Each team member shot two targets prone and one target standing.  I mailed the targets down to Winnipeg to be scored.  The marksmanship team & I hope their scores are high enough to advance to the Stage 3 regional competition in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Wednesdays are usually regular training nights, but I had to hold Stage 2 that night.  Cadets who weren’t on the team could stay to watch, cheer, and help with cleanup.  The cadets turned the gym into an air rifle shooting range using tables, chairs, backboards, mats, spotting scopes, pellets, competition paper targets, and of course, air rifles.

The marksmanship team practiced for thirty minutes, zeroing their rifles, regulating their breathing, and improving their concentration.  Once they were satisfied, I gave them a five-minute break.  The competition began thereafter.

The cadets shot prone first.  They had thirty minutes to shoot 20 targets.  They recovered their targets at the end of the relay and handed them to me.  I placed them in an envelope and instructed the cadets to get out a few tables for the standing relay.  It took a few minutes to set everything up.

The team had 15 minutes to shoot 10 targets.  I advised them to take their time because shooting while standing is a lot more challenging than shooting prone.  The obvious reason being you can’t rest your rifle on a flat surface.  The cadets shot all their targets before the timer reached zero.  Once again, I collected their targets and placed them inside a large envelope.

The cadets & I spent the next 15 minutes putting everything away and cleaning the gym.  I formed up the team for a quick debriefing.  I congratulated them for shooting their targets and that I would be mailing them to Winnipeg as soon as possible.  I dismissed the cadets for the remainder of the night.

We’re now playing the waiting game.  I hope the team gets to compete at Stage 3.