Heightened Participation Marks 2025 Gary Anderson Invitational
January 15, 2026
By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer
Regarded as one of the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) most anticipated youth events of the year, the Gary Anderson Invitational sporter and precision air rifle competition welcomed a group of nearly 670 athletes to the firing line in late 2025.
Traditionally, the match is held over one weekend at CMP’s Competition Centers in Ohio and Alabama, but, for the first time, the 2025 event was opened to other qualifying venues across the country to allow even more juniors the opportunity to compete.
With seven guest host sites in Massachusetts, West Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas and Utah, all utilizing the Orion scoring system, the new format provided a remarkable increase of athletes compared to participation in previous years.
“The 30th reenactment of this traditional junior three-position air rifle championship made a great step forward this year, with a resulting 143 percent increase in participation,” said the match’s namesake and Director of Civilian Marksmanship Emeritus, Gary Anderson.
“I offer my sincere congratulations to the winners, thanks to all the teams and athletes that participated and commendations to the CMP for organizing a great junior championship.”
The Gary Anderson Invitational is a three-position, 60-shot match that includes kneeling, prone and standing positions for qualification scores as well as a 10-shot final fired by all athletes. It’s an excellent introduction to competitive marksmanship as well as a worthy challenge for those more experienced in the sport.
Gold, silver and bronze cut score awards were presented to athletes who met certain score thresholds. Overall individuals and four-person teams throughout all locations were also recognized with first, second and third place precision and sporter awards.
Alexandria Orr, 15, of Poquoson, VA, earned the overall sporter title with a score of 652.2. Following in second was Kaitlynn Burrell, 18, of Walhalla, SC, with a score of 648.6, as Kenna Jordan, 18, of Walhalla, SC, fired a score of 646.0 for third.
In precision, Maggie Palfrey, 17, of Indiana, PA, led overall with an outstanding score of 697.8. Viola Allen, 18, of Granbury, TX, found second with a score of 695.9, topping third place competitor, Katelynn McEntee, 17, of Tampa, FL, by just three-tenths.
Leading teams of the 2025 Gary Anderson Invitational:
Precision:
- Granbury Gold, Texas – 2359-168X
- Mason Dixon Jr. Rifle Club Blue, Pennsylvania – 2339-152X
- American Legion Post 295, Ohio – 2328-140X
Sporter:
- Zion Benton High School, Illinois – 2157-68X
- Walhalla High School – 2140-57X
- Zion Benton High School, Illinois – 2132-61X
Another significant step forward in this year’s match was the return of the New Shooter Category, designed to encourage clubs and teams to enter beginner youth into competition. Athletes who began after April 1, 2025, were eligible to compete as New Shooters, with 151 participating in the GAI competition.
Leading New Shooter of the precision category was Bronson Ashburg, 16, of Oakdale, CT. Matios Titizian, 17, Richmond, TX, was the leading new sporter athlete.
Find a complete list of results of the 2025 Gary Anderson Invitational at https://ct.thecmp.org/2025GAIResults.
View and download free event photos from CMP’s Competition Center locations at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f1050082119.
About Gary Anderson:
Mr. Anderson is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and holds seven world championships, six world records and 16 national championships. He has won more Olympic and world championship three-position titles than any other American in history. In 1999, Anderson began a 10-year reign as Director of Civilian Marksmanship and retired in December 2009.
Today, Anderson serves as DCM Emeritus and remains a mentor for new and experienced, old and young shooters around the country through his articles and classes. Anderson’s advice is regularly featured in CMP’s junior magazine, On The Mark, and throughout the year during the clinics he leads at CMP events. In 2014, the CMP North Competition Center was renamed the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center, in honor of his years of dedication to the sport.
Learn more about the Gary Anderson Invitational at https://thecmp.org/cmp-matches/gary-anderson-invitational-air-rifle-championship/.
Gary Anderson Invitational History:
The Gary Anderson Invitational has become a traditional first major competition of the marksmanship season for school-age Three-Position Air Rifle juniors. Originating at the Wolf Creek Olympic Complex, the first Gary Anderson Invitational was organized by Gary Anderson himself as the Atlanta 500. The facility hosted the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where Anderson served as the Shooting Competition Manager for the 1996 Olympics.
To use the Wolf Creek 10m fixed electronic targets for Three-Position Air Rifle, competitors had to shoot their prone and kneeling positions from tables. The competition became known as the Wolf Creek 600 in 1997.
In 2001, the match location changed from Wolf Creek to the Army Marksmanship Unit ranges at Fort Benning, Ga. That year the Wolf Creek Young Shooters Association renamed the match the Gary Anderson Invitational.
In 2009, the CMP took over sponsorship of the Gary Anderson Invitational and conducted it at the CMP Marksmanship Center in Anniston, Ala. The CMP subsequently hosted this competition at both CMP Competition Centers and is conducted as a CMP Cup match, where athletes may earn credit points that count towards the awarding of the Junior Distinguished Badge.