By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer
ANNISTON, Ala. – The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is set to host the 2019 JROTC Three-Position Air Rifle National Championships, March 21-23 at the South CMP Competition Center in Anniston, Ala. Athletes from Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force JROTC units will compete shoulder-to-shoulder at this 3×20 scholastic match.
During the two-day event, competitors fire 20 record shots from three positions: prone, standing and kneeling. The Top 8 competitors of the day from the precision class and the Top 8 from the sporter class then compete in a 10-shot final, vying for daily gold, silver and bronze medals.
Aggregate scores of each athlete from each day of competition (plus finals) are then combined to determine the overall best junior marksmen in the country amongst all four military branches.
Visitors are welcome into the range to observe the National Championships at any time during the match, with free admission.
Along with competing towards a National Championship title, athletes will also have the opportunity to earn thousands of dollars in monetary funds, administered by the CMP to teams and individuals at the JROTC National Championship.
The road to Nationals began with leading junior athletes of the JROTC Postal Competition qualifying for the JROTC Regional Service Championships held in February 2019. Top shooters and teams from each Regional location (Ohio, Alabama and Arizona) earned a spot at the National Championship, where overall winners will be determined.
Guests to the National Championship will also be able to personally see CMP’s own air gun electronic targets, installed at the range. The high-tech Kongsberg Target System (KTS) targets used in the range are powered by OpticScore technology, which are scored optically by internal LED lights. The range also features monitors at each firing point and large overhead monitors for spectators to keep track of scores.
Scores and targets can also be viewed online through the CMP’s Live Target page: http://thecmp.org/competitions/live-targets/.
For more information on the JROTC Service Championships, visit http://thecmp.org/air/jrotc-air-rifle-national-championship/.
About the South Competition Center:
Along with its 80-point electronic air gun range, the South Competition Center includes the CMP South Store that is stocked to fulfill equipment and memorabilia needs. Marksmanship Nights, held year-round at the range for the public, allow visitors of virtually any age and experience levels to try their hands at air rifle or air pistol shooting. For more on the South Competition Center, visit http://thecmp.org/air/cmp-competition-centers/.