LTC Paul L. Davis, USA (Ret.)
UNION, SOUTH CAROLINA
State Director Info
Background
- NRA NCDS Level 1 and Level Three Instructor
- Active member of the NRA/USAS/CMP National Coach Development Staff
- I have been coaching juniors for 32 years and our high school team won 12 National Junior Indoor Smallbore and Air Rifle Championships in the Scholastic category.
- I was the Head Coach at the former NRA Junior Olympic Shooting Camps at USOTC for several years where I have coached rifle there with juniors.
- Currently the Head Coach, CMP National Matches Junior Camp (Smallbore & Air Rifle).
- I assist clubs, individuals, teams and organizations throughout the country with their smallbore rifle and air rifle programs and performance
- Program produced two All Americans and 11 college shooting scholarship recipients
- Participating Founder USA Shooting Coach Academy
- USAS Master Instructor
- Assistant Rifle Coach, All Marine Wounded Warrior Rifle Team
- Leaps buildings in “two bounds” now and only run as fast as a “speeding BB”
The GOAT Sporter Coach – Col. Sean Mulcahy
By Sheri Trusty, CMP Feature Writer
Sporter Air Rifle Coach, Col. Sean Mulcahy, led the Nation Ford High School MCJROTC rifle team to an extraordinary championship record with a unique philosophy: he doesn’t focus on winning. Between the time he formed the team in 2008 and his retirement in June, Mulcahy’s teams earned 64 national championship titles and claimed 26 national record certificates. His coaching success came, he said, because he was more concerned with fostering character than creating winners.
“I don’t focus strongly on winning. The joy of winning is fleeting,” Mulcahy said. “I focus on performance and personal goals. I don’t judge them on whether they came in first place or won a medal. I ask them, ‘Did you do your best?’ ‘Did you refuse to give up?’ If the answer is yes, then they have met my expectations. If you do your best, you can celebrate your success.”
Mulcahy’s philosophy doesn’t mean he is soft on his cadets. On the contrary, he places high demands on them. Accountability is an underlying principle to his coaching style, and he insists his cadets meet standards of conduct that will breed lifelong success. Students who arrive late for practice or express sloppy commit to the team are called out.
“I instill basic life skills in them to make them successful in life. When you come in here, the golden rule is respect yourself and others,” he said. “I hold them accountable. If I don’t, I’m letting them down.”
Part of that discipline is a heavy practice schedule. Mulcahy offers ten practice sessions every week, and his athletes must commit to five. Mandatory double practices begin two weeks prior to every national championship match. That means athletes are on the range for two hours before and two hours after school for two weeks. That discipline leads to strong character and a lot of championship titles.
“We haven’t lost a match in almost five years at every level, and we’ve won championships by 100 points. Nine of my kids now shoot at the NCAA sporter level, which is pretty rare,” Mulcahy said. “Basically, we out-practice and out-prepare every other team. We shoot 12 months a year. What makes a champion is weeks of training.”
Mulcahy’s JROTC rifle team has come a long way since he formed the group at Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill, South Carolina, after retiring from the Marine Corps. In the beginning, the team hauled their equipment into classrooms, the cafeteria, or any other school space that was available for practice.
“Every time, we had to set up and take down equipment. We had to share space with cheerleaders, dance classes and other sports teams, so we could only practice three times a week,” Mulcahy said. “We shot corner to corner. We were literally shoulder to shoulder.”
Then Nation Ford built the team its own JROTC building equipped with a 25-point firing range, and the team converted from pump rifles to Crosman Challenger sporter class rifles. Those changes pivoted the team to success.
“I could control the space, and I began offering practices in the morning and after school. I had a number of kids come to two practices a day, and they became national champions,” Mulcahy said.
Dedicated students who thrived under Mulcahy’s coaching drove the team to success.
“My kids are hardworking, smart kids. I teach them to think for themselves,” he said. “Shooting is so dynamic and multidimensional. You have to analyze every shot, call the shot, look at trends, and adjust the shot.”
Mulcahy created an atmosphere at Nation Ford that allowed his athletes to focus more on developing character than winning medals. In the end, they did both.
“I tell my kids that it’s not how you finish but how you perform. Most coaches don’t understand the pressure they put on athletes with their expectations. This sport is measured in degrees of millimeters. The stress and anxiety will mess you up,” Mulcahy said.
He has watched competitors on other teams have meltdowns under the pressure, so Mulcahy strives to create athletes with strong minds.
“We focus on sports psychology and protective thought. I tell my kids to clear their minds and meditate for 20 seconds before every shot,” he said.
Then, when the inevitable bad shots come, Mulcahy’s cadets are prepared.
“Everyone has a bad shot, but what’s your reaction after a bad shot? That’s the difference between success and imploding,” he said. “Coaches don’t get it. They hamstring their athletes with all the stress, and it makes it easier on my team.”
Mulcahy ended his career by leading his team to first place in the 2023 3PAR Junior Olympic and CMP National Sporter Championships at Camp Perry on June 23-24. Mulcahy was proud of his team, but he is leaving them with something more enduring that another medal – the skills to be a good human.
“I want them to be happy and successful, and there’s a formula for that,” he said. “My captain is not my best shooter. My MVP is not my best shooter. It’s the one with the servant’s attitude who will do for others. It’s the one who is unselfish, humble and kind.”
Walhalla JROTC Rifle Athletes Maintain Colorful Tradition on the Range
Athletes of the Walhalla High School Army JROTC rifle team from Walhalla, South Carolina, really stand out on the range – not just for their performances, but for their unique rifles on the firing line.
The stocks are beautiful, rich displays of enthusiasm and perseverance, hand-crafted for the cadet who earned each drop of color. It’s a team tradition set nearly a decade ago that has gone on to keep the Walhalla Razorback athletes aimed toward an exciting ambition – and it’s fun to look at, too.
In April, the team competed in the 2023 JROTC Service Championship series held in Ohio, Alabama and Utah. The event, conducted by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), is a three-position precision and sporter air rifle competition for high school athletes. Walhalla’s Elaine Saint earned third overall in the sporter class at the Ohio match (eighth overall out of nearly 300 Army JROTC competitors between the three locations), while teammate Keagan Dean also finished within the top 10 athletes in Ohio.
COL Kevin Mangan, head coach of the rifle team, was there to witness it all. He’s been coaching at Walhalla for 17 years, always encouraging his athletes to reach higher by setting objectives – no matter how big or small they may be.
“Easy, tangible goals can be a great motivator, from beginners to more advanced athletes,” he explained. “Sometimes, it can be something as simple as, ‘Shoot a PR (personal record) and you get a vote on where we eat on a road trip.’”
Other times, the goal is a little more colorful.
The team’s artful rifle tradition manifested eight years ago when one of Walhalla’s cadets, Matthew Smith, placed at the JROTC Service Championships. After his success, he asked his coach if he could get his stock painted and personalized. To Smith’s delight, Mangan said yes.
Matthew’s theme of choice was a Gator Claw to display his love of his favorite college team, the Florida Gators. Matt Carroll, who, at the time, managed the air gun range at CMP’s southern location in Alabama, designed the rifle himself.
Other team members liked the idea of customizing a rifle stock so much that they asked their coach about decorating their own rifles. Mangan was onboard with the idea, but with a catch.
“I made the standard – shoot a 530 at a sporter match and you can customize your stock,” he explained.
Mangan thought it was a high enough mark that only one cadet a year might make it – but, to his surprise and delight, the athletes started working toward the score and achieving it.
“They cared about meeting the goal more than the results of the match,” he joked.
Now, reaching the honor of a painted rifle stock has become the ultimate focus of the varsity athletes. This season alone, four students have earned their custom stocks, including two freshman athletes, which has never happened in the history of the tradition.
“It gets established as the threshold for success,” Mangan said of the rifle painting. “We have smaller goals set as well, like score 200 and a rifle is assigned to you, and at 250, you name your rifle – just little things to continue to work toward.”
Once an athlete reaches the 530 score, he or she gets to pick the subject of the art on the rifle stock. Mangan’s wife and daughters take on the graphic work along with Walhalla’s art department. From The Lion King to The Chronicles of Narnia to Hunter x Hunter, each athlete’s theme represents their own personalities and the hard work they’ve accomplished on the range.
To commemorate the rifle team’s tradition, Walhalla High School has allocated a trophy case in the student common area to display stocks of graduated athletes. So far, there have been 11 painted rifles, with more added each year.
“It has become the thing to accomplish for the Walhalla JROTC Rifle team,” Mangan said.
Despite the emphasis on performance milestones, Mangan isn’t interested in how well his athletes score – there’s a more profound goal to be met in order to be a successful Razorback.
“Scores are nice but, how good of a teammate are you?” Mangan said.
“Team results are directly affected by support for each other when things are not going well,” he went on. “Embrace the journey and enjoy the experience instead of a score defining who you are.”
What began as a simple question has sparked lasting inspiration within the Walhalla rifle team. Yet, to Mangan, nothing stands out more vibrantly than true sportsmanship.