York County rifle team students learn discipline, safety one target at a time
The sound of air pellets hitting targets fills the room as each competitor aims for the perfect shot.
Last week, the Nation Ford High School Marine Corps JROTC, York Comprehensive High School Navy JROTC and Clover High School Air Force JROTC rifle teams competed in an American Legion Postal Match at Nation Ford.
In a postal match, competitors shoot at their home ranges using targets that electronically track results. Those results are sent to the American Legion, a veterans service organization that sponsors community and youth programs, for scoring and ranking. Participants shoot with .177 caliber air rifles.
The top shooters from the state will move on to the American Legion Annual 3-Position Junior Air Rifle National Championship.
Wednesday’s event was the first meet sponsored by the Rock Hill American Legion Post 34. Representative Harold Rempel was at the meet to certify competition and safety standards were followed, a practice done at postal matches throughout the country.
“It’s keeping an honest playing field across the nation,” said Nation Ford Senior Marine Instructor and Rifle Team Coach Col. Sean Mulcahy, a retired marine.
The American Legion and JROTC rifle programs take safety seriously, he said. All cadets receive marksmanship training and have to get a perfect score on a safety test before they can shoot an air rifle. Cadets also learn how to properly handle a rifle.
“We treat it as a deadly weapon even though it’s an air rifle,” Mulcahy said. “They handle it the same way as if it was a high-powered rifle.”
Participants, coaches or audience members can stop a match for any safety concern just by yelling “stop,” he said.
“It’s good to promote weapons safety,” Mulcahy said. “It’s a large part of what this program is about.”
Participating and competitng on a rifle team takes responsibility and discpline, he said. Nation Ford’s Marine Corps JROTC rifle team has earned multiple national championship wins in its nine years.
Just last year, Nation Ford won three national championships and established seven shooting records, marking the team as one of the best in the nation, Mulcahy said.
“We have a very good program,” he said.
Nation Ford’s success stems, in part, from having a dedicated JROTC facility on campus, Mulcahy said. His students practice up to 10 times a week.
“We are very fortunate that we have our own range and can do that,” he said. “We have an advantage over most of the other schools. It’s one of the reasons they are as good as they are.”
Though he only requires five practices a week, Mulcahy said many rifle team members come to every one.
“They are really dedicated and are getting really good,” he said.
Rempel said rifle programs give students another option to be involved, while learning discipline and setting goals.
“Giving these kids something to do in a competitive sport after school hours is something that keeps them gainfully occupied,” he said. “We understand these kids are the future of the country and the more we can do to help that along and create the future leaders of tomorrow, the better off we are.”
More information
For more information on the American Legion Junior Shooting Sports Program, visit legion.org/shooting/about.
This story was originally published January 28, 2017 at 10:50 AM with the headline "York County rifle team students learn discipline, safety one target at a time."