We're In the Army Now…

Attached is a picture of the four kids assigned to Sgt Ayala's group.  You might note that one of the reasons for the camp's success was the low student/coach ratio of 4:1.  Also, this allowed kids to make shooting friends from throughout the country. Top:  Tiffany Potter (GA), Katie Bridges (TX) Bottom:  Danielle Makucevich (RI), Garrett Spurgeon (MO)

Story By Michele Makucevich

In air thick with Georgia heat, the voice of Sgt. Armando Ayala crackled over the public address system, "Drink Water!" As the mercury climbed to the triple digits, an oppressive cloud of humidity drenched the shooters on the famed Pool Range Complex, home to the US Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU). But it wasn't the faces of Army recruits glistening in the intense heat. This was the USAMU's Junior Shooting Camp.

The Army Marksmanship Unit is a group of premier athletes based at Fort Benning, GA. Founded in 1956, the Unit is currently comprised of six special teams: shotgun, action shooting, international pistol, service pistol, service rifle and international rifle. For the soldiers attached to the unit, it is their job to compete internationally and to use the knowledge gained from competition to teach various Army commands how to use marksmanship skills to be more effective in battle. It is an intense schedule of competition and training. Each AMU member is a soldier first and an athlete second. For the 35 junior shooters attending this year's junior camp, the International Rifle AMU members were role models and coaches as well.

Juniors from across the country applied to attend the June camp during a selection process beginning in March. They had to meet standard criteria of a minimum of two years' competitive experience and hold USA Shooting or NRA classifications that would ensure their readiness for the rigors of a week-long training session. Athletes spent all day at the range. They would begin with live fire at 8 a.m., and continue shooting, with coach feedback, until breaking for lunch at noon. Following lunch, campers would attend classroom sessions focusing on fine-tuning the prone, standing and kneeling positions, as well as covering topics such as the care and selection of equipment, how to handle match and finals pressure and packing for competitive travel. Lectures were based on questions and answers, and the AMU coaches delighted in sharing their personal experiences in order to illustrate a point.

While the focus of the camp was on improving techniques and acquiring more knowledge, athletes also had the opportunity to participate in many off-range activities—miniature golf, bowling and a visit to the newly refurbished Infantry Museum. The culminating activity was the end of camp competition. Campers shot an English Match (60 shots prone), as well as a Smallbore full course (40 shots in prone, standing and kneeling). Each match had an Olympic final with the top eight competitors firing an additional 10 shots to determine the match winner. Spectators lined the range, applauding the 10s as they were announced and occasionally sighing or groaning over errant shots that dropped their favorites on the constantly refigured leader board.

As shooters carried their equipment off the line for the last time, they filed past the rear wall of the range, known as the "wall of fame." On it is a seemingly endless line of photos dating back to the AMU's beginning years. Faces of past AMU members' Olympians, World Champions, National and World Record holders appear as ghostly guardians watching, with approval, over the next generation of champions.