“Ready on the Left, Ready on the Right… Commence Watching!” On Wednesday, November 5, 2014, Shooting USA will broadcast coverage of the 2014 National Matches and CMP events at Camp Perry, Ohio. This is a “must-watch” episode for anyone interested in competitive shooting. The National Matches at Camp Perry are the World Series of American shooting sports, attracting the nation’s top pistol and rifle marksmen. Shooting USA’s coverage begins Wednesday on the Outdoor Channel. This week’s episode will also feature the m1903 Springfield, an historic American military weapon.
Eastern Time – 3:30 PM, 9:00 PM, 12:00 M
Central Time – 2:30 PM, 8:00 PM, 11:00 PM
Mountain Time – 1:30 PM, 7:00 PM, 10:00 PM
Pacific Time – 12:30 PM, 6:00 PM, 9:00 PM
History of Camp Perry
The National Matches have been held at Camp Perry since 1907. The range is located along the shores of Lake Erie in northern Ohio near Port Clinton. The site was first acquired in 1906, in response to the need for a larger facility for military training and the NRA’s shooting programs. In 1906 Gen. Ammon B. Crichfield, Adjutant General of Ohio, ordered construction of a new shooting facility on the shores of Lake Erie, 45 miles east of Toledo, Ohio. The original land for Camp Perry was purchased in 1906, and the reservation was named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the American naval commander who won the Battle of Put-in-Bay during the War of 1812.
On August 19, 1907, Cpl. L. B. Jarrett fired the first shot at the new Camp Perry Training Site. And that year, 1907, Camp Perry held its first National Pistol and Rifle Championship events. This location has hosted the annual NRA National Matches ever since. Today, over 4,000 competitors attend the National Matches each year, making it the most popular shooting competition in the western hemisphere.
Federal legislation originally launched the National Matches. In February 1903, an amendment to the War Department Appropriations Bill established the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice (NBPRP). This government advisory board became the predecessor to today’s Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearms Safety, Inc. that now governs the CMP. The 1903 legislation also established the National Matches, commissioned the National Trophy and provided funding to support the Matches.
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The President’s Rifle Match is a notable rifle competition that is steeped in history. This match was first held in 1878. The top shooter at the 2014 President’s Rifle Match Final was SGT Augustus Dunfey of Phenix City, Alabama. A member of the USAMU squad, Dunfey posted an Aggregate score of 393-14X. Reigning National High Power Champion Brandon Green, also of the USAMU, finished second with 388-15X. High Junior was Nash Neubauer firing a 383-8X. Interestingly. Neubauer’s 383-8X score was good for 6th place overall, beating 94 other shooters, including many military team members. Great shooting Nash! High Senior was Richard Zolnowsky with 376-14X.
Origins of the President’s Match
The National Rifle Association’s President’s Match was instituted in 1878, as the American Military Rifle Championship Match. In 1884, the name was changed to the President’s Match for the Military Rifle Championship of the United States. It was fired at Creedmoor, New York until 1891. In 1895, it was reintroduced at Sea Girt, New Jersey. Today, the match is held at Camp Perry, Ohio.
The President’s Match was patterned after an event for British Volunteers called the Queen’s Match. That British competition was started in 1860 by Queen Victoria and the NRA of Great Britain to increase the ability of Britain’s marksmen following the Crimean War.
The tradition of making a letter from the President of the United States the first prize began in 1904 when President Theodore Roosevelt personally wrote a letter of congratulations to the winner, Private Howard Gensch of the New Jersey National Guard.
After a hiatus in the 1930s and 1940s, The President’s Match was reinstated in 1957 at the National Matches as “The President’s Hundred.” The 100 top-scoring competitors in the President’s Match were singled out for special recognition.
Neither rain, nor geese, nor gloom of morn stays these competitors from the [sometimes swift] completion of their appointed rounds.
This year’s Camp Perry competitors at the John C. Garand Match had to battle rain, gloomy skies, plus an interruption by a bold flock of Canadian Geese. Nonetheless good fun was had by all. The challenge was to keep the guns and gear (and spectators) dry. All across the firing line one saw tarps and panchos, and even a few umbrellas. The match began on a very dark gloomy morning. Conditions improved during the day, but the rain clouds hovered all day long. CLICK HERE for hundreds more CMP photos from the event.
Wounded warrior Sgt. Robert K. Evans competes at Garand Match.
A flock of geese decided to fly across the firing line…VIEW LARGE PHOTO
It takes many helping hands in the pits to run a big match like this.
Here’s another way to store your gear on the firing line.
Spectators relied on panchos and umbrellas to stay dry.
“Been there, done that — got the T-Shirt.”
That’s all folks… until next year.
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If you’re wondering what is happening when at the NRA National Rifle and Pistol championships, here is a calendar of all the scheduled events. The pistol matches concluded last week. Smallbore (rimfire) events are underway this week (in Bristol, Indiana), while the High Power events commenced yesterday (July 15) with clinics. The popular CMP Garand match is held July 19, while the NRA High Power National Championship commences on Saturday, July 26.
Click the calendar image below to see a large size version (that’s easier to read). You can also download a PDF file with the complete National Matches Event schedule for 2014.
The 2014 National Matches started with the signature shot of a target rifle. This year the first shot was taken by a legendary marksman — DCM Emeritus Gary Anderson, who used the vintage Model 70 Winchester with which he had won many titles. Anderson, a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, also served as keynote speaker for the National Matches Opening Ceremony. Anderson stated that the National Matches have “truly [become] a great shooting festival. It’s about all of us getting out on the field and participating.”
Anderson also talked about the skill of the shooters at the National Matches: “There’s a big difference between shooting and marksmanship. Marksmanship is a skill. Marksmanship is the ability to hit difficult, long-range targets. Marksmanship is extreme precision performed under the pressure of competition. Marksmanship, not just shooting, decides the ultimate results.”
This year’s National Matches started with a military theme. World War II aircraft flew overhead, a WW II Sherman tank rolled past the spectators, and cannons fired. The National Matches are a joint effort of the Civilian Marksmanship Program, the National Rifle Association, and the Ohio National Guard. The National Matches were were first held in 1903, and have been conducted at Camp Perry since 1907. After Anderson fired the first shot, he donated his Model 70 rifle to the Civilian Marksmanship Program.
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Here’s a way you can support competitive shooting, while getting a tax deduction. Donations to the NRA Competitive Shooting & National Championships Endowment can be tax-deductible. Started in 2007 by then NRA President John Siegler, the Endowment provides direct funding for shooting programs, including the NRA National matches at Camp Perry. This is a permanent Endowment, with investment income channeled to shooting programs.
According to the NRABlog: “Donations go right into the fund and stay there. They are never touched. 85% of the earnings (or interest) generated by the fund are dispersed to the Competitive Shooting Division for their yearly budget. The other 15% goes back into the principal. By never touching the principal, and reinvesting a portion of the earnings, the endowment will always grow. Simple as that.”
You can contribute in one of two ways — as a gift or as a tax-deductible donation. No matter what path you choose, the money still goes towards the overall cost of running the competitions. To make a contribution to the fund, download the Competitive Shooting & National Championships Endowment flyer, fill out the form and send it to:
NRA Treasurer’s Officer
11250 Waples Mill Road
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
“Once [the Endowment] is big enough, it could pay for all of competitive shooting. That’s something every competitor would benefit from.” — Dennis Willing, NRA Competitive Shooting Director.
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The National Matches were first held in 1903, moved to Camp Perry, Ohio, in 1907 and continue to take place every summer at Camp Perry. The National Matches have become a huge, national shooting sports festival with well over 6,000 annual participants.
The National Matches include the CMP National Trophy Rifle and Pistol Matches, the Pistol and Rifle Small Arms Firing Schools, CMP Games rifle events, and the NRA National Pistol Championships, High Power Rifle Championships, Long Range High Power Championships, and Smallbore Championships. NOTE: For the next two (2) years, the Smallbore Championships will be held at the Chief Wa-Ke-De Range in Bristol, Indiana instead of Camp Perry, Ohio.
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Troy Lawton of Columbus, Georgia won the prestigious President’s Rifle Match this week at Camp Perry. This is a 40-shot (total) High Power Match that includes a pressure-packed 10-shot “Shoot-off”-format final stage. Lawton held onto the lead in the President’s Rifle Final stage shooting an aggregate score of 395-18X. Jared Perry, the 2012 President’s Rifle Match winner, finished 2nd with a 392-15X and Justin Utley, firing a 100-2X final stage, finished 3rd with a 392-11X. The cut-off score for the President’s Rifle 100 is 284-8X.
About the President’s Rifle Match
The President’s Rifle Match is a National Trophy Rifle Match. It was first fired in 1878 and was incorporated into the National Match program after the Nationals were established in 1903. The President’s Match became uniquely prestigious because it was modeled after the famous British Queen’s Prize Match and because the winner formerly received a letter of congratulations from the President of the United States.
In the President’s Rifle Match, all competitors fire 10 shots standing, 10 shots rapid prone and 10 shots prone slow fire to determine who makes the President’s 100. The top 20 shooters advance to a final where they fire a 10-shot stage at 600 yards directly in front of spectators. The exciting 20-marksman Finals Shoot-off now concludes the President’s Rifle Match. This enables shooters who are in contention for first place to finish the match together on the same range at the same time in front of their fellow competitors.
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Story based on Report by Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer
It takes lots of labor to make the National Matches at Camp Perry run smoothly. Many hard-working young people are involved each summer with the range crew and the target crew. Range crew personnel assemble (and later remove) range facilities used for the events. Target crew members collectively paste 250+ High Power targets a day and 80,000 pistol targets a season. The crew members’ countless hours on the Camp Perry ranges don’t go unnoticed. The National Match partners, the National Rifle Association (NRA), the Ohio National Guard, and the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) are grateful to have hard-working, dedicated young people working the Camp Perry ranges.
“The Matches would not exist without these kids,” said Tommy Whitten, CMP logistics department manager. Whitten has been with the CMP since 1994.
Joe DeCosta, now 81 years old, has run the National Match Summer Crew program for 30 years. Generally, each summer Joe hires about 60 boys and girls around the ages of 14 or 15, who have the potential to return for years to come, which, more often than not, they do.
“I don’t just want a worker. I want a young man or woman to be proud to be here, to be building this range for the National Championship,” he said. “Loyalty is very important, and these kids have been very loyal to me over the years.”
One of his loyal employees is Steve Young, 20, of Oak Harbor, who has been working at Camp Perry for the past six years. Steve enjoys the job: “You can start at a really young age, and make a pretty good amount of money. I like being able to sit back and watch the Matches. It’s fun with the guys out here too.”
Ralph Reichman, assistant range engineer, observes: “We get a different set of 4, 5, 6 kids from one family. Once one leaves, then the youngest one comes through. We’re like a big family.”
Brian Wyss, 18, of Oak Harbor, has been helping CMP for the last three summers. After shooting at the CMP Marksmanship Center, he wanted to become a part of the process: “I shot a lot of air rifle, so I know most of the people, and it’s fun getting to meet other people from around the world”.
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With a B-25 fly-over, music from the 122nd U.S. Army Band, a Flag ceremony, and the roar of a replica 1812-era cannon, the 2013 NRA National Rifle and Pistol Matches got underway at Camp Perry (Port Clinton, OH) on July 8th. Over 2000 competitors will participate in the matches in July and August.
Ohio’s Lt. Governor Mary Taylor, speaking to a crowd of over 400 attendees, noted that the National Match venue has been significantly upgraded. Over $2.9 million has been spent to improve infrastructure, fix sidewalks, and upgrade the lodging available for shooters at Camp Perry. Master of Ceremonies Judy Legerski stated that: “The matches at Camp Perry have given us some of the finest competitors and friends we will ever know.”
Shouldering a match-grade M1 Carbine, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John S. Crosby fired the first shot downrange, officially opening this year’s event. The National Matches are hosted jointly each year by the NRA, CMP, and Ohio National Guard. The five-week event is a major operation. A combined legion of 6,000 civilian and military competitors, volunteers, spectators, vendors, and family members come to the Camp Perry Joint Training Center (CPJTC) each summer.
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The 2012 NRA National Rifle & Pistol Championships at Camp Perry begin today with the traditional First Shot Ceremony. Following a military band concert, the First Shot Ceremony began at 10:00 AM. Hundreds of shooters, volunteers, employees and spectators were gathered at Camp Perry’s Memorial Monument. This year’s First Shot Speaker, Lieutenant General William E. Ingram Jr., Director Army National Guard, has the honor of firing the First Shot to officially open the 2012 National Matches. Highlights included a color guard, a military band and a National Guard combat maneuver. Dignitaries from the National Rifle Association, CMP, National Guard, all branches of the armed forces and local government representatives were recognized during the ceremony.
Complete day-by-day coverage of the NRA National Championships will be provided by the NRA Blog, which will have a team of reporters on site at Camp Perry throughout the next few weeks. Starting July 10, the NRA Blog will deliver competition updates, with match standings, photos, and video clips.
Pistol Shooters Lead the Way Pistoleros take the stage for the first phase of the National Championships. After today’s Pistol Small Arms Firing School and SFAS M9 Pistol EIC Match, the NRA National Pistol Championships commence tomorrow, July 10, and run through July 14 (with National Trophy Matches on the 15th). The Pistol Championships should be hotly contested this year. Legendary handgunner (and Top Shot Season 2 Runner-Up) Brian ‘Gunny’ Zins (USMC retired) returns to Perry with the goal of securing his his eleventh pistol title. Standing in his way will be 2011 Pistol Champion Philip Hemphill along with of James Henderson, John Zurek and others.
2012 CMP National Trophy Matches
9 July: First Shot Ceremony
9 July: Pistol Small Arms Firing School
9 July-4 August: NM Air Gun Events
10 July: Warm-up Pistol Match
15 July: National Trophy Pistol Matches
22 July: National Rimfire Sporter Match
27-29 July: Rifle Small Arms Firing School
2012 NRA Rifle and Pistol Championships
10-14 July: NRA National Pistol Championship
18-26 July: NRA Nat’l Smallbore Rifle Championships
5-15 August: NRA Nat’l High Power Rifle Championships
The 2012 National Rifle and Pistol Championships begin July 9 at Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio. A tradition at Camp Perry since 1907, the championships are divided into five separate phases: Pistol, Smallbore 3-Position, Smallbore Prone, High Power and Long Range.
The National Matches begin in early July with the First Shot Ceremony and conclude in August with the Long Range High Power Championship. This year, Nosler returns as title sponsor for the High Power Rifle Championships. NRA President David A. Keene said “The NRA, CMP and the Ohio National Guard work together and will continue to do so to make the National Championships the most prestigious matches in the world.
The 2012 National Championships calendar is as follows:
July 9: First Shot Ceremony
July 10-14: NRA National Pistol Championships
July 18-21: NRA National Smallbore Rifle Position Championships
July 22-26: NRA National Smallbore Rifle Prone Championships
August 5: NRA/Springfield M1A Match
August 6-10: NRA National High Power Rifle Championships
August 11-15: NRA Long Range Championship
You can follow the 2012 Championships with profiles, photos and scoring updates at www.nrablog.com. For more on the National Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry visit www.nrahq.org/compete or call 1-877-672-6282. On the Online Registration page, you can enter the various competitions. To enter the NRA/M1A Springfield match, please use the NRA High Power Rifle Championship option.
The President’s Match was patterned after an event for British Volunteers called the Queen’s Match. That British competition was started in 1860 by Queen Victoria and the NRA of Great Britain to increase the ability of Britain’s marksmen following the Crimean War.
If you’re wondering what is happening when at the NRA National Rifle and Pistol championships, here is a calendar of all the scheduled events. The pistol matches concluded last week. Smallbore (rimfire) events are underway this week (in Bristol, Indiana), while the High Power events commenced yesterday (July 15) with clinics. The popular CMP Garand match is held July 19, while the NRA High Power National Championship commences on Saturday, July 26.
Joe DeCosta, now 81 years old, has run the National Match Summer Crew program for 30 years. Generally, each summer Joe hires about 60 boys and girls around the ages of 14 or 15, who have the potential to return for years to come, which, more often than not, they do.
The 2012 NRA National Rifle & Pistol Championships at Camp Perry begin today with the traditional First Shot Ceremony. Following a military band concert, the First Shot Ceremony began at 10:00 AM. Hundreds of shooters, volunteers, employees and spectators were gathered at Camp Perry’s Memorial Monument. This year’s First Shot Speaker, Lieutenant General William E. Ingram Jr., Director Army National Guard, has the honor of firing the First Shot to officially open the 2012 National Matches. Highlights included a color guard, a military band and a National Guard combat maneuver. Dignitaries from the National Rifle Association, CMP, National Guard, all branches of the armed forces and local government representatives were recognized during the ceremony.
Pistoleros take the stage for the first phase of the National Championships. After today’s Pistol Small Arms Firing School and SFAS M9 Pistol EIC Match, the NRA National Pistol Championships commence tomorrow, July 10, and run through July 14 (with National Trophy Matches on the 15th). The Pistol Championships should be hotly contested this year. Legendary handgunner (and Top Shot Season 2 Runner-Up) Brian ‘Gunny’ Zins (USMC retired) returns to Perry with the goal of securing his his eleventh pistol title. Standing in his way will be 2011 Pistol Champion Philip Hemphill along with of James Henderson, John Zurek and others.
The 2012 National Rifle and Pistol Championships begin July 9 at Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio. A tradition at Camp Perry since 1907, the championships are divided into five separate phases: Pistol, Smallbore 3-Position, Smallbore Prone, High Power and Long Range.
