The results are in for the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) Three-Position Regional Air Rifle Championship! The event was held at CMP’s own air gun competition centers in Ohio and Alabama, March 31-April 2, as well as in Utah using CMP’s mobile electronic range, assembled April 7-9.
The annual, national-level competition series is designed for junior air rifle marksmen involved in 4-H, Scouts, American Legion, club or JROTC sporter and precision air rifle programs. Athletes begin with a postal match, followed by regional and national events. During the match, athletes fire from three positions: prone, standing and kneeling. Qualification scores are recorded each day, with the eight highest scoring marksmen from each discipline participating in a final on the firing line.
The top three teams and top eight individuals were recognized with awards at each location. Third place individuals received $300 from the CMP, while second and first earned $400 and $500, respectively. Teams placing at each location were also recognized and presented with monetary awards: $800 for third, $1,200 for second and $1,500 for third.
Leading over all locations combined in the sporter class was last year’s Junior Olympic national champion Maya Cameron, 18, of Nation Ford High School, South Carolina, with an aggregate score of 1125-45X. Following Cameron was Charles Bratton, 17, of Clover High School, South Carolina, with a score of 1117-40X, as Nanchaya Bailey, 16, of Daniel Boone High School, Tennessee, took third with a score of 1105-32X.
Emme Walrath, 16, of the Grand Rapids Rifle & Pistol Club in Michigan, cleaned both the prone and kneeling stages to gather an overall score of 1195-101X and claim the top spot in the precision class. During her performance, Walrath fired a new Age Group II individual national record for her score of 599-51X. Griffin Lake, 16, of the Ontelaunee Junior Rifle Team of Pennsylvania, trailed closely behind Walrath in second with a score of 1191-97X, while the 2022 JROTC National Three-Position air rifle precision champion, Parker Haydin, 18, of Granbury High School, Texas, earned the overall third place position with a score of 1190-101X.
Also notable was the national record set by Emma Pereira, 18, of the Patriot Shooting Club of Virginia, who fired a new 4-H 3×20 individual score of 597-56X.
Top overall teams of the CMP Regionals from all locations were:
Sporter:
- Nation Ford High School, South Carolina – 4411-139X
- Des Moines Central Marine Corps JROTC, Iowa – 4327-107X
- Zion Benton High School, Illinois – 4297-121X
Precision:
- Granbury Marine Corps JROTC, Texas – 4718-341X
- Lafayette Gun Club, Virginia – 4700-308X
- Palmyra Junior Air Rifle, Pennsylvania – 4682-309X
The final leg of the three-position competition series for qualifying teams and individuals will be the CMP National Championship, held at Camp Perry, Ohio, June 23-25 for sporter and July 13-15 for precision. The match will also include the National Junior Olympic Championship. Good luck to all!
Find a complete list of results of the CMP Three-Position Regional Air Rifle Championship, including listings by location, at https://ct.thecmp.org/20223PARRegionalResults. Photos of each location are available for free download through CMP’s online photo album: https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f951625148.
— By Ashley Brugnone, 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.