BATTLE GROUND — Battle Ground High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC Marksmanship team took home the top honors at a regional event in Sandy, Utah, earlier this month. This is the first time since 2015 that the Tigers have finished first at the event. Sponsored by the Civilian Marksmanship Program, the Western Regional Junior ROTC Service Championships are a series of matches held annually for Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force Junior ROTC cadets.
Precision marksmanship teams in Junior ROTC programs use Olympic-style rifles with 0.177 pellets on a 10-meter target. The athletes must demonstrate endurance over the course of 90-minute relays across the span of several days. There were more than 320 cadets from 11 states and five services represented at the event. The Battle Ground High School team is made up of seniors Blake Miller and Sofia Avalos Willis, juniors Rheanne Harpe and Matthew Long and freshman Fletcher Harpe.
“We really felt like a team this week; supportive of each other and in an amazing venue,” Rheanne Harpe said. “Plus we had a lot of fun too!”
“Walking on to a range with 90 targets and more than 320 cadets at the top of their game is the moment when our cadets see the importance of the preparation they put in during the season,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Woodrow, Air Force Junior ROTC teacher and adviser at Battle Ground High School. “To come away as the champs against some very tough competition is a reflection of this team’s dedication to excellence.”
This meet was a qualifier for the nationals. The Battle Ground Tigers are now waiting on other regional results to determine if they will get an invitation to the nationals in Ohio next month.
