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‘Late to the Party’ Paula Crenshaw becomes Distinguished at age 67

December 22, 2020

Civilian Marksmanship Program▸The First Shot▸‘Late to the Party’ Paula Crenshaw becomes Distinguished at age 67

Paula Crenshaw, a 67-year-old grandmother, never stops reaching toward new ambitions. This November, Paula earned the prestigious Distinguished Rifleman Badge at the 29 Palms Marine Base.

“I’ve always been late to the party,” she said. “I didn’t start medical school until I was 37.”

Paula Crenshaw earned Distinguished Badge #2521 in 2020 at age 67.

A physician from Reno, Nevada, Paula took up rifle shooting in her early 50’s – an endeavor that began as an aggravating attempt to support her husband’s interests and grew into a profound infatuation that led her to her own Distinguished Badge.

“The fulfillment of my dream,” she said.

She earned her “hard leg” 10 EIC points during the National Matches at Camp Perry in 2019.

Distinguished Badges are awarded to marksmanship competitors who collect at least 30 Excellence-In-Competition (EIC) “leg” points – earned by placing in the top 10 percent of an EIC match. A program that was instilled by the War Department in 1884, the badge continues to be a valued accomplishment for determined marksmen on the firing lines today.

Paula is a member of the Coalinga Rifle Club in California and the Palomino Valley Gun Club in Nevada. She’s been on the hunt for a Distinguished Badge since she earned her first points in 2018, then went on to claim her own “hard leg” (10 EIC points) at the annual National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio, in 2019.

After that, “legging out” (that is, earning enough points to receive a Distinguished Badge) became a near obsession.

Crenshaw worked hard for her badge, dry-firing, reading up on how to enhance her craft and attending matches.

“I dry-fired almost every day,” she recalled. “I worked out. I thought about winning first thing in the morning and as I fell asleep at night. I read many shooting books, sometimes multiple times. I drove my non-shooting friends away talking about shooting!”

By the end of 2019, she had been so dedicated to competing that she had wrangled up 22 EIC points – only eight away from a badge.  

The start of 2020 met Paula with not only the difficulty of finding matches due to the enduring pandemic but also with nerve ailments that kept her scores below a point-earning level.

With the close of the 2020 shooting season rapidly approaching, Paula decided to go to the 29 Palms Marine Base in California in November for one of her last EIC match chances – carrying within her a newfound modesty and resolve to capture those final points she had sought after for so long. 

Though her emotions were up, her competitive game was down as she fired a sub-par offhand score to start out the first stage of her match.

“I was done for, and therefore totally relaxed and enjoyed shooting the rest of the match,” she said.

Crenshaw didn’t begin rifle competition until age 53 when she found a sudden passion for the sport.

Her new leisurely approach to her final three firing stages, relieving her of any competition pressure, shockingly boosted her scores – enough to earn herself the final points she needed for her own Distinguished Rifleman Badge.

“No one was more surprised than me to learn I had won the eight-point leg,” she said, proudly. “I had finally done it.”

As a way of commemorating the moment, her shooting partner (her husband, Greg) pinned his own Distinguished Badge on her hat.

“(Greg) most certainly helped make this possible for me,” Paula acknowledged.

Crenshaw says she is grateful for all of the help she has received over the years from kind individuals on the range.

She also thought of all the others who assisted her along the way, saying, “I wish I could thank every person who gave me a tip, a word of encouragement, picked up my brass or brightened my day after I shot badly.”

“The wonderful thing about shooting is you can do it at any age on equal footing with everyone else,” Paula said. “No shooter accomplishes this without the help of others. I didn’t.”

— By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Staff Writer

Distinguished Badge Biographies. Read more about Paula’s journey to earn her Distinguished Badge at https://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=reportDistinguishedShootersByCriteria&filter=distinguished_type&filter_value=RIFLE# (search for Paula Crenshaw and then click on the Biography link). The Civilian Marksmanship Program would like to invite any Distinguished competitor to submit a biography. The biography should include information about your shooting career and your efforts to become Distinguished. To submit your biography, please email [email protected].

Earn Your Distinguished Badge! Distinguished Badges are the highest individual awards authorized by the U. S. Government for excellence in marksmanship competition. They are awarded by the CMP and competitors can earn EIC points by participating in EIC Matches. Learn more on the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/competitions/distinguishedbadges/ or call or (419) 635-2141 ext. 714. 

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29 Replies to “‘Late to the Party’ Paula Crenshaw becomes Distinguished at age 67”

  1. Scott Asbell says:
    December 30, 2020 at 9:13 am

    Paula is not only a wonderful and dedicated shooter, but a kind and generous person. If you ever get a chance to meet Paula and her husband make sure to strike up a conversation. You will be glad you did. They are the kind of people that make this a great sport.

    Congratulations to you Paula for setting a great example to us and all your student shooters.

    Reply
  2. Ed Folts says:
    December 28, 2020 at 4:06 pm

    Congratulations! From 29Palms Rifle Range.

    Reply
  3. Robin Lovelace says:
    December 27, 2020 at 8:32 pm

    Super Nice! Congratulations!
    See you in the spring

    Reply
  4. John Armanini says:
    December 26, 2020 at 12:03 pm

    Nice going Paula. You earned one of the hardest awards in the Shooting Sports. Congratulations.

    Reply
  5. John Armanini says:
    December 25, 2020 at 12:52 pm

    Congrats Paula. It is a life time achievement

    Reply
  6. Carl David Shaw says:
    December 25, 2020 at 10:05 am

    That is really outstanding, I myself need a “hard leg, 10 points to go out. Congratulations again. You have inspired me to keep on shooting.

    Reply
  7. Dennis Casey says:
    December 25, 2020 at 9:40 am

    Congratulations from all your old Colorado friends!

    Reply
  8. Douglas Fee says:
    December 24, 2020 at 9:19 pm

    Inspiring!

    Reply
  9. AOC Apolinar Paul Arballo, USN, Ret. says:
    December 24, 2020 at 8:48 pm

    Congratulations Paula on earning your Distinguished Badge. I earned mine in 1971 at Camp Pendleton. I was a member of the U.S. Navy Shooting Team.

    Reply
  10. John Henderson says:
    December 24, 2020 at 7:05 pm

    I agree with Connie T., great lady and article on Paula’s achievement. Will wood gun matches be next?

    Reply
  11. Dr. Daniel Morse says:
    December 24, 2020 at 3:51 pm

    A DISTINGUISHED Award at any age is to be appreciated and is indicative of hard work and perseverance. Congratulations Dr. Crenshaw!!

    Reply
  12. James G Collins says:
    December 24, 2020 at 3:20 pm

    Congratulations and Well Done!

    Reply
  13. Kerwin Law says:
    December 24, 2020 at 3:19 pm

    Well done !!! Kerwin #1816

    Reply
  14. Gary Farnsworth says:
    December 24, 2020 at 3:04 pm

    Good Job! Keep it up.

    Reply
  15. Mike Cael says:
    December 24, 2020 at 3:01 pm

    Congratulations Paula! I’m 64 and was a Marine stationed at 29 Palms 45 years ago. This is the first I’ve heard of the Distinguished Rifleman Badge. You have inspired me to ‘take a shot’ at it!
    Happy Holidays

    Reply
  16. Mike Pratt says:
    December 24, 2020 at 2:49 pm

    Very impressive and inspiring. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to go distinguished. I can only imagine the pressure after getting the hard leg.

    Reply
  17. Bob Feeney says:
    December 24, 2020 at 2:47 pm

    Congratulations, Dr. Crenshaw-

    Outstanding accomplishment!

    Reply
  18. Keith Schachle says:
    December 23, 2020 at 10:40 am

    OUTstanding job! Your dedication and drive paid off. Congrats!

    Great writeup, Ashley!

    Reply
  19. Steve Gossage says:
    December 23, 2020 at 9:11 am

    Congratulations Paula, I know the feeling. I also legged out at 67, but I did it at Camp Perry on July 30th a few years ago, my 67th birthday! The badge was a nice gift!

    Reply
    1. Paula Crenshaw says:
      December 24, 2020 at 1:07 pm

      That’s so cool Steve! What an incredible day that must have been. If you haven’t you should write a biography so it is attached to your listing.

      Reply
    2. Scott Asbell says:
      December 30, 2020 at 12:32 pm

      It’s great to see that not only steely eyed youth, but sexagenarians can also obtain the Distinguished badge!

      Reply
  20. ben lucchesi says:
    December 23, 2020 at 4:44 am

    Great job! Congratulations!

    Reply
  21. Jean Dempsey says:
    December 22, 2020 at 11:26 pm

    Woohoo!! You finally achieved your goal of Distinguished Rifleman! What’s next? I’m so proud of you!
    Jean Dempsey

    Reply
  22. Gary M Eliseo says:
    December 22, 2020 at 7:03 pm

    Congratulations Paula!

    Reply
    1. Jeff Hansen says:
      December 23, 2020 at 9:34 am

      Congratulations Paula, it was awesome to be at 29 palms to see you Leg out. Thanks for your Friendship. You and Greg are amazing.

      Reply
      1. Paula Crenshaw says:
        December 24, 2020 at 1:09 pm

        Pretty easy to be friends with you Jeff!

        Reply
    2. Paula Crenshaw says:
      December 24, 2020 at 1:10 pm

      Does that mean my rifle build goes to the front of the line? Haha!

      Reply
  23. Connie Taylor says:
    December 22, 2020 at 6:56 pm

    Great article on a great lady! So happy for Paula’s achievements!

    Reply
    1. Robert Brigode says:
      December 24, 2020 at 3:12 pm

      Great Job !!

      I understand that you Know more about the WIND than the WEATHER CHANNEL !!

      Reply

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