By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer
Each year, the CMP hosts a premier series of hands-on, informative Junior Rifle Camps for high school-age students and coaches during the summer months. Participants in the camps receive valuable lessons on intermediate and advanced marksmanship skills through various exercises and demonstrations, all led by current collegiate rifle athletes.
The Junior Rifle Camps are designed to train rifle fundamentals and techniques through group discussions and personal guidance from experienced mentors on the firing line. The schedule also includes instructional smallbore camps for even more opportunities to learn on the range. The camps are excellent tools in developing each athlete’s strengths within the physical and mental aspects of the sport while refining trouble areas that may need more attention.
Types of Camps:
3-Position Air Rifle: The 3-Position (3P) air rifle camps are by far the most popular camp CMP offers. Over five days, athletes will learn the fundamentals of 3P air rifle, including but not limited to how to build a stable position, how to develop and use a shot process and how to compete like a champion. Athletes will get to know other competitors of similar skill levels from around the country and learn from some of the best collegiate rifle athletes in the sport. Cost of the 3P Air Rifle Camp is $300/athlete and $75/adult chaperone.
Advanced Standing Air Rifle: The advanced standing camps are tailored for athletes who want to take their game to the next level. Whether to improve the most difficult position or to continue working toward reaching a Division 1 NCAA school, this camp is for you. The three-day camp consists of in-depth instruction that builds off the fundamentals learned at the 3P air camp. Since there is only one position to work on, athletes spend the majority of their time fine-tuning their shot process and testing out advanced positional techniques. The advanced nature of the camp also allows for group discussions and special insights on the collegiate athlete experience. Cost of the Advanced Standing Camp is $225/athlete and $75/adult chaperone.
3-Position Smallbore Camp: Similar to the 3P air camps, this four-day camp will teach athletes the fundamentals of 3-Position smallbore, with special attention given to the advanced techniques when shooting outdoors. Athletes will learn how to develop positioning, optimize equipment and to perform shot processes to the fullest in challenging but iconic Camp Perry wind conditions. With smallbore making up half of the collegiate scores, this camp also provides details and discussions related to the collegiate shooting experience. Cost of the 3P Smallbore Camp is $300/athlete and $75/adult chaperone.
Camp Dates for 2024 include:
- 3P Camp #1 – Anniston, AL – May 27-31
- 3P Camp #2 – Anniston, AL – June 3-7
- 3P Camp #3 – Anniston, AL – June 10-14
- 3P Camp #4 – Denver, CO – June 10-14
- Standing Camp #1 – Anniston, AL – June 17-19
- Smallbore Camp #1 – Tacoma, WA – June 25-28
- Standing Camp #2 – Anniston, AL – June 26-28
- Standing Camp #3 – Camp Perry, Ohio – July 1-3
- Smallbore Camp #2 – Camp Perry, Ohio – July 1-4
- 3P Camp #5 – Anniston, AL – July 15-19
- 3P Camp #6 – Anniston, AL – July 22-26
- 3P Camp #7 – Camp Perry, OH – July 29 – Aug 2
The 2024 Junior Rifle Camp schedule is also available online! View all camp information on the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/camps/.
Registration for the CMP Junior Rifle Camps opens Jan. 9, 2024. Late fees will be added to those who register after April 14. NOTE: All campers must have at least one adult leader in order to attend.
Questions on the CMP Junior Rifle Camps may be directed to CMP camp director, Ryan Hinson, at rhinson@thecmp.org or you can visit the CMP Podcasts page at https://thecmp.org/news-media/cmp-podcasts/ and click on the “Junior Rifle Camps” episode to hear Hinson speak in more detail!
INTERESTED IN BEING A CAMP COUNSELOR? Find more info here: https://thecmp.org/youth/junior-air-rifle-camps-and-clinics/junior-camp-counselors/.
WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR VENUE TO HOST A CAMP? Find an application here: https://thecmp.org/youth/junior-air-rifle-camps-and-clinics/application-to-host-a-cmp-summer-camp/.
A Brief History of CMP Junior Camps:
The CMP Junior Air Rifle Camp mission has always been to help juniors who have a desire to improve their marksmanship skills and to develop leaders on and off the range. In 1997, the Director of Civilian Marksmanship Emeritus, Gary Anderson, established the Junior Air Rifle Camps while serving as Director of Wolfcreek Shooting Complex in Atlanta, Georgia – setting the precedent for how the program would be conducted. The camps received support from the CMP in 1999 and were fully adopted as a CMP program in 2000.
Since then, the Junior Air Rifle Camps have expanded their footprint through the addition of new camp disciplines, new host locations across the nation and first-class instruction. Though many things have changed, the core mission of the Junior Rifle Camps has remained the same – provide quality instruction to support athletes in reaching their goals.
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.