AIR RIFLE SHOOTERS FARE WELL

By Anissa Crawford
Contributing Writer
    You probably don’t hear a whole lot about the world of precision shooting, but we have a lady that has jumped into it. You still shoot an air rifle, but it is lighter. You get to wear special shooting jackets and pants, that keep you much more stiff, which clearly enables you to shoot much better.
    Baylee Bender shot at the state shoot, in a 3-position Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) tournament. Her coach boasted that she shot her personal best with a 568 and 25 centers.  Dempster Christianson said, “She had a rock solid shoot. Excellent shooting technique and good independent problem solving on the firing line.” 
    The air rifle you typically hear about is called “sporter.” They have the heavier gun, and wear no special equipment to keep them supported, save for a glove on one hand. The Crawfords showed up to shoot the same tournament as Bender. CMP does not do age categories, and it takes four to make a team. The team was made up of Ariana Crawford, Alivia Crawford, Amelia Crawford, and Austin Crawford - The “A” team.
    These scores in comparison to other shooters have not been released yet, but here are their scores: Ariana, who is 9, shot a 470 with eight centers. Her best position was prone with a 174, six centers.  Alivia shot a 495 and nine centers and her best position was prone with a 178 and five centers. Amelia shot a 536 with 16 centers. Her best position was also in prone with a 192 and 10. Austin shot a 535 with 14 centers. His best position was - you guessed it - prone. He shot a 197 and 12. A perfect target score is a 200, so you can gauge how well they did. In review, it looks like the “A” team is pretty good at the prone position. 
    This same crew shot the 4-H air rifle tournament as well, though they do not get to shoot as a team, due to age divisions. Amelia came in second place with a 535 and 16 centers. She took sixth in kneeling with a 177 and five and second in the standing position with a score of 174 and four, missing a tie for first by a single point.  Austin was eighth with a 521 and 15 centers and was second in both kneeling and prone with a 181 and four and 192 and nine respectively. Alivia took 10th in the Junior Division with a  478 and six centers. She took fourth in the standing position for her age division with a 150 and one.
    Ariana took first in the Beginner Division with a 472 and six centers. She had a 188 and three centers in prone for first place. This score caused her to come in 14th over all age divisions.  She won her age division by 28 points, took second in kneeling with a 150 and two, and her standing score of 134 and one gave her another first place win.    
    The air gun kids then went to the silhouette barn to try and shoot as many chickens, pigs, turkeys, and rams off shelves at various distances. They attach a scope to an air rifle, which takes skill to sight in for each distance. Austin Crawford shot a total of 12 out of 20 silhouettes.  Amelia Crawford got six, Alivia Crawford shot nine for 10th place, and Ariana Crawford knocked down five.