NJROTC Junior Olympics

On Wednesday, March 30, four cadets, along with NJROTC instructor Chief Thompson, traveled to North Brunswick High located in Leeland, North Carolina. Cadets Meadow Myers, Ace Keyes, Joshua Young, and Shayla Gillette competed in the nationwide Junior Olympics Marksmanship Competition. 

At the start of the semester, cadets participate in tryouts which consist of shooting two targets typically in the standing position. During the school year, the cadets spend two days a week practicing from 3:20-5:00 in order to prepare for upcoming competitions. The NJROTC program has two rifle teams: a junior varsity and a varsity, both consisting of eight members.

The team was exposed to a brand new electronic system that was very different from their home range in which they use paper targets. After arriving, the North Brunswick instructor gave a quick lesson on the system and gave the cadets a tour of the ROTC classrooms, including their robotics and drone area and their staff room.

Instructor Chief Thompson shared, “Carolina Forest High NJROTC was ready to step up for the first opportunity to shoot live on a fully updated electronic range similar to the Olympics. Our cadets will remember this experience competing in a national competition. This was a great milestone for all!”

Cadets shot a 3×20 shooting prone, standing and kneeling. Although the electronic system created a new challenge for the cadets, they persevered and increased their scores by an average of 10-20 points overall compared to their home range with paper targets.

After receiving the nationwide scores, the team will find out if they have the opportunity to participate in marksmanship nationals located in Alabama and Ohio. The Carolina Forest rifle team ended the meet with a combined score of 1,955 with Cadet J. Young scoring the highest with an accumulated score of 525.

“I think the competition went well, and the rides to and from are always my favorite part. The digital targets were pretty cool, I think our scores boosted tremendously because of them. The way you could see what you shot on a computer right next to you was really nice, it made it easy to make adjustments. Since there was only one target, shooting was a lot easier,” commented Cadet J. Young.

The competition was a learning experience for cadets as well as the push needed to build their own electronic targets for their home range.