Highschool ROTC 1988-1992
#3 shooter my freshman year (behind 2 seniors), team commander- Sophomore, Junior, & Senior year, top battalion shooter- Sophomore, Junior & Senior year. Best scores- 100/99, 95/93, 87/82, in each position perspectively. Expert badge in small bore shooting, sharpshooter badge in regular rifle shooting (qualified senior year at Ft.Lewis on M16). My Sophomore year the ROTC instructor (retired Sergeant Major, Special Forces, Vietnam Veteran) decided it was time for me to focus on standing position while all the second year team members were still working on thier prone shooting.
I realize you dont need ROTC to do shooting, but thats what I had available and I NEVER knew before the day I tried out for rifle team that I had the talent that I did. My instructor said that it was no coincidence that being an artist also made me a good marksman- the steady hands, and easy ability to visualize the target centered perfectly through the closed competition sight were something that came naturally for me, plus I felt shooting competitively was alot like meditation, I loved it. I was just able to relax, breath shallow, and FOCUS.
As the highschool years went by, fellow team mates and other close friends in ROTC, we would often spend weekends at someones farm, or country house, neighbors farm, etc. shooting and shooting responsibly. There was no such thing as kids shooting up schools when I was in highschool, we didnt face any kind of criticism back then like I bet they (rifle teams) do nowadays. Thanks for the pics Campy, it brought back fond memories of highschool days!