Writer – Cadet 2LT Elizabeth Berg
Photographer – LTC (Ret) Jon A. Ring and SGM (Ret) Allen Ashton
Captions were written by Cadet/SFC Trevor J.P. Savage.
On March 20-22, the Wiesbaden Warrior Battalion Marksmanship team competed in the JROTC National Air Rifle Championship in Camp Perry, Ohio against 18 teams and 18 individuals from all for services. The team was composed of C/LTC Cydnee Lassiter, C/SGT Aiden Sweney, C/SGT Sophia Durant, C/1LT Kai Malaga, and C/SGT Benjamin Pollak. The first four listed were the final team line up while C/SGT Benjamin Pollak stood by as a back up. The competition was divided across two days. During these two days cadets competed in kneeling, prone, and standing matches.
When asked about her personal experience, C/SGT Sophia Durant said, “Personally, it was definitely something different from the first Ohio match. Having been bumped up to the team that made it in the first place to jumping into one of the 4 shooting spots was something I never counted on. But it was great. Though there was always encouragement and help out floating around, the fact that the All-service Championship was an all-time first for our school multiplied that. I feel like we were closer as a team in preparation due to the new height of this competition. It was new to all of us in terms of new levels of competition seeing where other schools, at or above our ‘level’, were at.”
Overall, our team placed 16 of 18, shooting a score of 4,582 with 236 center bulls. Our top shooter was C/SGT Sophia Durant with a 1,151 score and 56 center bulls. While we didn’t break any CMP records, we did set our first-ever score for a match at the JROTC All-Service Championships. The success of this competition has propelled the team to new heights and inspired its members to strive for even greater. When asked about what this means for the future of the team, team captain C/LTC Cydnee Lassiter said, “The success we had in this season will be a sort of beacon for next year’s team; setting an overall goal of what we can and might achieve with continuous practice and patience. It goes to show that even if you didn’t shoot your personal best, or feel like you didn’t do enough, you are not alone in the competition. It’s all four who set the final score, and one bad shot is not going to end it all.”
The Warrior Battalion Marksmanship Team competing in the National Air Rifle Championship for the first time did set a school record for a National Event, and this is now a goal for which future teams can strive to achieve. There is a repeating pattern in team sports. After every season closes out, there comes a new team that takes up the mantle in competition, sets their course, and prepares for the next match. The future looks bright for the Wiesbaden Team with five athletes that competed in the CMP JROTC Service Championships returning next year.