Seneca Valley Shooters Hit Bull's-Eye In Competition

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA -Not only did the Seneca Valley Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps Raider Battalion placed first at the Western PA JROTC Air Rifle Competition at Seneca Valley recently, Seneca Valley cadets swept the top three individual scores. Junior Mackenna O’Mara placed first, senior Joshua Thompson came in second and freshman Tyler Landry placed third.

The shoulder-by-shoulder event included JROTC battalions from Albert Gallatin, Butler, Beaver and Valley high schools.

Rifle Team is open to all JROTC Cadets. Target shooting requires its athletes to develop fine motor control skills and mental discipline, and it demands strict adherence to safety rules. Interested cadets must attend a week-long class that teaches safety, rifle characteristics, rifle functions, shooting positions, competition rules, and the history of marksmanship. At the end of the class, each cadet must score a 100 percent on the marksmanship safety exam in order to be selected for the team.

Air rifle shooting is practiced as a sport in more than 140 countries of the world and is a gold medal event for men and women in the Olympic Games.