Over 160 competitors ascended on the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center in June to compete in the National Three-Position Air Rifle Sporter Championship. The two-day event was marked with fierce competition; the athletes were put to the test, calling on their training and preparation to put up their best scores.
Although there were some excellent scores posted, there can be only one champion. Shiloh Hargrove, 16, from Buda, Texas took her spot atop the podium as this year’s champion. She shot an impressive score of 1111-35x in the individual competition and contributed to her team’s score of 4379 -140x to clinch the victory in the team championship as well.
Even champions get nervous and in their head during competitions. Hargrove said, “I was very nervous and shaky after the first day. I knew what I was capable of and that’s what was helping me focus because I knew I could do it.”
After securing the victory, Shiloh called her mom to share the news and then gave her instructor a big hug. A well-earned wave of relief and excitement came over her when she realized that she won!
Hargrove has been shooting for almost 2 years. She first was introduced to the sport during a general marksmanship class and then was recruited to the Jack C. Hays High School team in January of her freshmen year. She earned her Junior Distinguished Badge as a sophomore with a score of 563 during a home range competition, an impressive achievement for someone so young.
Shiloh has learned more than marksmanship throughout her training. The pursuit of excellence in any sport will inevitably lead to learning life skills. Hargrove reflected on this saying, “A couple of life skills I’ve learned through my participation in the sport is patience and determination. I’m more patient with myself because of shooting.”
As for the future, Hargrove has her sights set on winning more titles and championships, and with her love for the sport, hard work and determination, it is sure to be a journey worth following.
Interested in getting involved in Marksmanship? Visit the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/competitions/get-started/.
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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