Olympic Champion Remarks, WWII Aircraft Flyover, Antique Vehicle Rides Open the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s 2024 First Shot Ceremony

June 20, 2024

Civilian Marksmanship Program▸The First Shot▸Olympic Champion Remarks, WWII Aircraft Flyover, Antique Vehicle Rides Open the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s 2024 First Shot Ceremony

Activities Begin at 4 PM – 15 July

By Steve Cooper, CMP Education & Training Manager

CAMP PERRY, Ohio – Join in the festivities and fanfare of the opening of America’s most prestigious annual pistol and rifle championships, the National Matches, on Monday, 15 July. The First Shot Ceremony, hosted by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), kicks off the annual event on the shore of Lake Erie each summer, at this historic Ohio National Guard training site.

The First Shot Ceremony is open to the public and is geared toward families, friends and supporters of pistol and rifle marksmanship competitors from across the U.S. and abroad. Bleacher seating is open to all prior to 4 p.m., when music, aircraft flyovers and pyrotechnics commence, leading into opening remarks scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

The ceremony celebrates a month-long schedule of air gun, bullseye pistol and highpower rifle competition that hosts the best marksmen and women from across the U.S. and abroad. The CMP’s Chairman & CEO, Gerald O’Keefe, will address the First Shot assembly and will be followed by this year’s First Shot Speaker, CMP Board Member and Olympic rifle Gold Medalist, Launi Meili. 

Scheduled activities between 4 p.m. and 4:30’s opening remarks include flyovers from a WWII

B-25 bomber, Georgie’s Gal, and a WWII TBM Avenger fighter-bomber, courtesy of Port Clinton’s Liberty Aviation Museum. The two aircraft will make three passes in formation above the grandstands before the start of the program ceremony. Pyrotechnic displays, provided by cannonmaster Bob Gillmor, of Old Fort, Ohio, will simulate explosions on the ranges north of the grandstands as the aircraft pass overhead prior to opening remarks. 

Ms. Meili will fire her Olympic championship rifle, symbolizing the event’s First Shot, and will be accompanied by an exploding target at the Rodriguez Range 600-yard line, simultaneously.

Those sensitive to loud noises are encouraged to bring hearing protection.

Ample parking is available near the grandstands. While on the grounds of Camp Perry, visitors are encouraged to check out Petrarca Range and the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center, only a short walk away from the ceremony site. Petrarca Range features outdoor electronically-scored rifle targets, while the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center features an indoor air gun facility and authentic Olympic memorabilia from the career of celebrated marksman, Gary Anderson. Both are open for marksmanship practice to the public weekly throughout the year.

For more information about the National Matches, visit https://thecmp.org/cmp-national-matches/.

About First Shot Speaker & CMP Board Member Launi Meili

She retired from competition after the 1992 Olympics and began her coaching career.

Meili authored Rifle: Steps to Success, a how-to book for competitors. She was honored with a seat on the CMP Board of Directors, which she says is “THE quality organization in marksmanship and safety training.”

The Eastern Washington University graduate earned a Master’s Degree in sports psychology from the University of Idaho in 2001. Meili served as assistant coach to the U.S. National Rifle Team from 1997-2000. She was appointed head coach at the University of Nebraska, leading them to a #2 national ranking in 2004-05. She is a member of the International Shooting Hall of Fame, the Eastern Washington Athletic Hall of Fame and California’s Inland Empire Hall of Fame.