People to People

August 18, 2013

Civilian Marksmanship Program▸People to People

Just a note of appreciation for all you do for us. Of course the financial and training support is crucial to most all our programs – especially in these fiscally challenging times. Vicki, Brad, Katie, Lue, and the rest of the Ohio crew always answer their phones and are ready to help – no matter what the request. But to our shooters, the most notable assistance comes with the “People to People” programs available to us. Most notable are the summer camps offered all over the country. Our Junior Shooters have been taught by (and some later competed with) arguably the best collegiate shooters in the country. This hands-on opportunity is invaluable in reinforcing coaching techniques already taught and introducing newer approaches to both shooters and coaches. Most importantly, our young people are exposed to (almost) peers who have invested in the shooting sports and followed on to a college shooting team – and education. Sommer, Dan, et al are super role models and truly ringing the bell for our nation’s Junior Shooters.

Albuquerque has been blessed with multiple opportunities to learn from these successful collegiates in past years but another aspect that is often overlooked came to my attention recently.

Your mobile range has provided the “westerners especially” with the chance to fire on electronic targets in a professionally operated range environment often. I didn’t realize how many young people have benefitted from the portable and fixed ranges you provide until the recent American Legion National Air Rifle Championships. When the top 15 Sporter and Precision shooters invited to the competition were asked “how many have ever fired on electronic targets before?” virtually every hand went up. These shooters had been prepared by the CMP facilities and staff to perform at the highest level.
This was the American Legion’s first use of Megalink targets and the results were outstanding – better scores, timely results, and a confidence in the system so shooters could focus on the match itself. Keegan and the gang as well as the summer coaches are “where the rubber meets the road” and are directly responsible for our sport’s growth both in quality and quantity and we all appreciate what you do for us – even if we don’t express it nearly as often as we should.

S/F