By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer
Camp Perry, OH -(Ammoland.com)- Sarah Sutton, 17, of Black Swamp Jr. Rifle, OH, remained the leader of the precision class during the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) Three-Position Air Rifle Regional Championship after all competitors finished firing at the three designated locations – Camp Perry, OH; Anniston, AL; and Sandy, UT.
Sutton set the bar at the Camp Perry location in March with her score of 1285 – a performance that no other precision competitor could match. At last year’s Regionals, Sutton made her mark as a powerful contender – finishing in second overall. She also managed to snag the gold along with the rest of her Black Swamp crew at the 2014 Regional Championship, as they were named the overall precision team leaders.
The Camp Perry location at this year’s Regionals seemed to house some of the most successful athletes as Caleb Lloyd, 17, of Seitzland Junior Rifle Team, PA, held his second place position behind Sutton with a score of 1283.9, while Justin Kleinhans, 15, of Black Swamp Jr. Rifle, maintained third with a score of 1282.8.
Brian Hampton, 18, of the Charlotte Rifle and Pistol Club, NC, outshot the rest of the sporter class individuals with his score of 1220.5. Last year, Hampton set two National Records at the National Junior Olympic competition (ran the same week as the CMP Nationals): 96.6 finals score and an overall score of 653.6x. With his outstanding performance in that match, he finished in first place. Hampton also displayed remarkable talent at last year’s CMP Nationals, with an exceptional finals showing and a third-place finish.
Behind Hampton at the 2015 Regional event was Gabriel Palermo, 18, of Freeport High School, IL, who finished with a score of 1215.9. Adam McClintock, 18, of Flowing Wells JROTC, AZ, rounded out the Top 3 with his score of 1204.9 for third.
Last year, McClintock finished in first place during the Regional event, but failed to place at Nationals after failing to bring his equipment to the venue – a mistake that his coach CW3 (ret) Ronald James says will be different at this year’s National Championship.
“He has a lot of people to remind him this year,” said James, with a laugh. “He won’t be forgetting.”
The CMP 3PAR Championship is a 3×20 air rifle event where competitors fire 20 record shots from three positions: prone, standing and kneeling. School-aged marksmen involved in 4H, Scouts, American Legion, club or JROTC air rifle programs all meet on the firing line to compete against one another to be named the best junior in the nation.
Top Overall Regional Teams:
Sporter:
- Gulfport High School 1, MS – 4359-135x
- Freeport High School 1, IL – 4349-149x
- Lebanon High School JROTC 1, OR – 4326-153x
Precision:
- Black Swamp Jr. Rifle, OH – 4699-319x
- Hardcore 4, GA – 4677-302x
- Ashland Eagles, OH – 4667-298x
To reward the hard work of dedicated junior athletes and coaches, the CMP administers $21,000 towards teams who qualify for the Regional events, with an additional $21,300 for teams and individuals reaching the CMP National Championship.
Larry and Brenda Potterfield have again provided incredible donations to the Three-Position Air Rifle Championships. This year, Mr. and Mrs. Potterfield donated nearly $275,000 through generous MidwayUSA Foundation endowments to winning teams throughout the competition. The MidwayUSA Foundation is a public charity that helps communities and organizations raise funds in their MidwayUSA Foundation account to support their youth shooting teams and activities.
Overall teams and individuals from all three Regional locations will be invited to the 2015 CMP National Three-Position Air Rifle Championship in Anniston, AL, June 21-26.
For a complete list of Regional Championship results from all three locations, visit the CMP Competition Tracker at https://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=match&task=edit&match=12419#.
Photos can be viewed online at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/.
For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org for more information and program descriptions.
About The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP)
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is a national organization dedicated to training and educating U. S. citizens in responsible uses of firearms and airguns through gun safety training, marksmanship training and competitions. The CMP is a federally chartered 501(c)(3) corporation that places its highest priority on serving youth through gun safety and marksmanship activities that encourage personal growth and build life skills.
For more information, please visit www.TheCMP.org.