By STEVE STANEC
On Saturday, March 27, Shelby Carr, daughter of Josh and Kari Carr participated in the second round of the Sporter category of the American Legion Junior Air Rifle Shooting National Postal competition in Alliance.
She utilized a .177 Air Rifle firing 20 record shots in 20 minutes scoring 192 out of 200 in the prone position, firing 20 record shots in 25 minutes scoring 179 out of 200 in the standing position and firing 20 record shots in 20 minutes scoring 190 out of 200 in the kneeling position, for a total of 561 out of a possible 600 points. All qualification targets are posted 10 meters, or approximately 32 feet from the firing line.
The second round for individuals is a postal match to determine the order of precedence for inviting competitors to the National Championship. According to the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Club and Competition Tracker, Carr, a member of Guns R Us 4H Club ranked third out of 34 entries from 13 different states across the country. The top 15 competitors are invited to participate in the 31st National Finals in Colorado Springs, Colo.
On April 12, Carr received notification from The American Legion Headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind., that she earned “an invitation to be a competitor in the shoulder-to-shoulder competition of the 2021 American Legion Three Position Junior Air Rifle Championship being held in Colorado Springs, Colo., from 20-25 July, 2021.”
Along with top competitor awards, the winner of the Nationals in the Sporter category will receive $5,000 in college scholarships provided by The American Legion and The Sons of the American Legion. The second place finisher will receive $1,000 in college scholarships generously provided by The American Legion Auxiliary.
Also, the winners of both individual and team competitions will receive an expense paid trip to The American Legion’s 102nd National Convention in Phoenix, Ariz., in August, where they will be honored as part of the Youth Champions Delegation.