CMP Club News: Lafayette Gun Club Hosts 2024 Yorktown Cup Junior Air Rifle Match
August 29, 2024
Submitted by Kathleen Orr
YORKTOWN, Virginia – For the second year, Lafayette Gun Club (LGC) of Virginia hosted the 2024 Yorktown Cup, which is a Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) sanctioned 3×20 Excellence-In-Competition (EIC) Air Rifle competition for school-age junior athletes.
This year’s match was held over two weekends in May to allow more opportunity for the match to marry-up with family plans. It was held at LGC, inside the Harris Training Facility, which houses 13 Megalink firing points and a classroom for families to relax and watch their kids compete.
Sixty-one juniors competed in either the Precision or Sporter class, doubling the participation over last year’s match. Juniors from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and other parts of Virginia traveled to Lafayette Gun Club to showcase their marksmanship skills.
In addition to the juniors trying to earn points towards their CMP Junior Distinguished Badge, they were also trying to win prizes. Daisy donated a 599 Competition Air Rifle, and Creedmoor Sports donated a box of shooting gear, adding to the prize pool.
The Sporter class had 33 juniors in the individual competition. Lexi Strand of Trigger Time placed first with a score of 550-18x and won a Daisy 599 air rifle. Marisa McDonough of American Legion Post 290 placed second with a score of 548-22x and received a check for $300. Andreyona Smith from Norview High School NJROTC placed third with a score of 548-16x and received a check for $200.
In the Sporter class team competition, Norview High School NJROTC, coached by LCDR Littlejohn, set the bar high during the first relay when the team posted a score of 2153-55x. This score was what the rest of the Sporter Teams chased over the four match days. They ended up holding onto first place, winning a new Daisy 599 air rifle for their program.
Trigger Time, coached by James Strand, placed second with a score of 2140-59x. The team was able to post that great score on the last day of the match and was awarded a check for $300. American Legion Post 290, coached by Mike Flanagan, placed third with a score of 2131-71x and was awarded a check for $200.
Winning a box of new shooting gear donated by Creedmoor Sports, Lafayette Gun Club, coached by Charles Orr, placed fourth with a score of 2069-51x.
The Precision class had 28 juniors in the individual competition. Victoria Koenig of Lafayette Gun Club placed first with an outstanding score of 593-44x. She was able to take over the top spot on day three and received a check for $500. Second and third place saw a pair of Acorn juniors whose scores were right behind Victoria’s. Alyson Snowdall placed second with a score of 590-44x and received a check for $300. Samuel Nickless placed third with a score of 585-40x and received a check for $200.
In the Precision class team competition, the Acorns found themselves on top in first place when four of their members placed second through fifth overall out of the 28 competitors. Coached by Chris Corbett, they shot a strong score of 2339-159x and were awarded with a check for $500.
Lafayette Gun Club, coached by Jason Stout and Matt Allen, placed second right behind the Acorns with a score of 2315-131x and was awarded with a check for $300. Robinson Rifle Team Gold coached by James Miller placed third with a score of 2277-104x and was awarded a check for $200. They were one of two teams from Robinson.
“This year, we decided on a different approach for awards,” said match director, Jason Stout. “Instead of spending so much money for trophies and medals that will just collect dust, I wanted to help programs grow and help offset costs in this very expensive sport.”
“As juniors chase their dreams and have fun, we will continue this help next year at the 2025 Yorktown Cup,” he concluded.
With the success of this year’s match, Lafayette Gun Club looks forward to building on it and other matches hosted at the club. View full results at https://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=match&task=edit&tab=results&match=26733. Learn more about Lafayette Gun Club at https://www.lafayettegunclub.org/.