Anna Behnke, 17, of the Wisconsin Junior Rifle Team, had a great experience at the 2024 National Matches at Camp Perry because, she said, she has a great team that provides a strong foundation for growth. As the high junior in the National Trophy Individual Rifle Match, Behnke earned the Golden Eagle Trophy.
Behnke, of Black Creek, Wisconsin, also earned the Col. Bill Deneke Trophy, which is awarded annually to the National Junior Service Rifle Team which is comprised of the six top scoring junior shooters in an aggregate of the President’s Rifle Match, the National Trophy Individual Rifle Match and the National Trophy Junior Team Match, as well as the coach and captain of the winning National Trophy Junior Team.
Behnke became interested in marksmanship when a family friend invited her to watch his kids shoot. She started with smallbore and evolved to rifle about five years ago. Now, she has a passion for the sport.
“I just have a drive to beat myself,” she said. “I also like it because the community is a great thing to be a part of. Everyone is willing to help.”
The marksmanship community, especially within the Wisconsin junior team, creates a foundation that helps the individuals thrive.
“I think we all push each other to shoot better. Having such a good team, it pushes every single one of us to know we can all do better,” she said.
Competition exists between team members, but rather than being a dividing force, it strengthens them individually and collectively. In the end, four of the Wisconsin Junior Rifle Team members earned the Col. Bill Deneke Trophy. It is rare for four competitors from the same team to achieve the honor.
“There’s competition on the team, but it’s good because it pushes us,” she said.
Behnke said she prepped for the National Matches by practicing trigger time and learning to shoot in the wind, which is a major factor as Lake Erie winds often push across the Camp Perry ranges.
“It was practice, practice, practice trigger time,” she said. “And I spent time trying to figure out the wind. We’re just not used to that kind of wind at home.”
Experienced marksmen like Behnke say that competitive shooting is as much a mental sport as it is a physical sport. In the months before the National Matches, she focused on preparing herself mentally for the competition.
“Mindset is huge. That’s the main thing,” she said. “I tell myself, ‘One shot at a time. It’s a one-shot match.’”
Although Behnke is proactive about preparing her mind for competition, sometimes growth comes organically while she shoots, as it did at the National Matches. During the National Trophy Individual Rifle Match, where she earned the Golden Eagle Trophy, she shot at a level she didn’t know she could reach. That success changed her mental game, breathing confidence into her mindset.
“That was my first time shooting clean on my feet. Standing is something every competitor struggles with, especially mentally,” she said.
Her performance at the rifle match transformed her competitive thought process.
“That was a big mental shift for me. I proved to myself that it’s possible,” she said. “I guess I doubted the fact I could shoot clean on my feet, and it’s something I overcame that morning.”
Moving forward, there is not much that Behnke will change as she works toward next year’s National Matches.
“I’ll do the same thing I did this year. I’ll shoot every opportunity I get,” she said. “The only way I know to get better is to do it. I’ll learn from failing, and I’ll talk to my coaches. That helps a lot mentally.”
Behnke said Wisconsin Junior Rifle Team Head Coach Kaleb Hall had a big impact on her success.
“He does so much for us kids. He is the coach who is at every practice, every match,” she said. “He’s so patient with us. He’s willing to help us work through our problems. We appreciate him a ton.”
There were many people who helped Behnke in her marksmanship journey.
“I want to say a big thank you to all of my coaches, teammates and especially my parents for everything they have done,” she said.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.
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