‘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 67Paula 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.”

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.
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.
Congratulations! From 29Palms Rifle Range.
Super Nice! Congratulations!
See you in the spring
Nice going Paula. You earned one of the hardest awards in the Shooting Sports. Congratulations.
Congrats Paula. It is a life time achievement
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.
Congratulations from all your old Colorado friends!
Inspiring!
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.
I agree with Connie T., great lady and article on Paula’s achievement. Will wood gun matches be next?
A DISTINGUISHED Award at any age is to be appreciated and is indicative of hard work and perseverance. Congratulations Dr. Crenshaw!!
Congratulations and Well Done!
Well done !!! Kerwin #1816
Good Job! Keep it up.
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
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.
Congratulations, Dr. Crenshaw-
Outstanding accomplishment!
OUTstanding job! Your dedication and drive paid off. Congrats!
Great writeup, Ashley!
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!
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.
It’s great to see that not only steely eyed youth, but sexagenarians can also obtain the Distinguished badge!
Great job! Congratulations!
Woohoo!! You finally achieved your goal of Distinguished Rifleman! What’s next? I’m so proud of you!
Jean Dempsey
Congratulations Paula!
Congratulations Paula, it was awesome to be at 29 palms to see you Leg out. Thanks for your Friendship. You and Greg are amazing.
Pretty easy to be friends with you Jeff!
Does that mean my rifle build goes to the front of the line? Haha!
Great article on a great lady! So happy for Paula’s achievements!
Great Job !!
I understand that you Know more about the WIND than the WEATHER CHANNEL !!