Colonels Rifle Team Attends Clinic Held by U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Shooters

On Nov. 19, the MMA Colonels rifle team attended a rifle clinic held by two professional shooters from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit from Ft. Benning, Georgia. The clinic was hosted by Leavenworth High School in Leavenworth, Kansas. Cadets were accompanied by Coach Balvanz and Rick and Tonya Dehlinger.

The two shooters validated the cadets’ techniques and habits, as well as explained the best practices for the team. 

"It changed the point of view I have on competitive shooting,” says Cadet Bravo. “Seeing them made me want to do even better.” 

After four hours of classroom training, the team got individual training with the shooters for over an hour. Several cadets were very pleased with the direction they were given and were excited to put the new pointers into practice. 

 "It validates that what we're learning and being taught in our range are the best practices for our team," says Cadet Morais. "It gives us a boost of confidence that we have been on the right track for the last four years." 

Cadet Afane says the clinic was very necessary and should be repeated often for the benefit of the team. “It was really cool to hear the perspective of professional shooters,” he says. 

The clinic helped the rifle team prepare for the postal qualifier for the JROTC sectional championship at Camp Perry, Ohio. If they shoot well enough to be invited to the sectional championship, it will be the fifth year in a row the team has earned the honor. The match will be in February and funded in large part by the U.S. Army. The sectional match will determine which teams shoot at the national JROTC championship in March. If the Colonels make it this year, it will be their second year in a row attending nationals.