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Tara Muck • News-Leader • March 10, 2009 Ozark -- Five members of the Ozark High School JROTC team brought home yet another trophy to add to the school's collection. Last month, Lacie Norris, Tyler Ferguson, Kyrstin Karr, Evan Matlock and Lauren Curtiss won the 2009 National Army JROTC Sporter Team Championship at Camp Perry, Ohio. The team scored 4,290 points in three areas of marksmanship, beating its second-place opponent by 46 points. Members of the competing team get 20 shots for each position, said Ozark JROTC coach 1st Sgt. Terry Thompson. Each position round is worth 200 points. The first round, shooters lie down and shoot the target, then they reset their rifles and shoot in the kneeling position, Thompson said. Finally, they shoot while standing. To score a perfect 10 on one shot, shooters must hit a target 33 feet away the size of a pen head. While shooting isn't as celebrated as other high school sports, the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps team is slowly becoming known for its sharpshooting. Ozark JROTC was the 2008 Army JROTC Western Region Champions, the 2008 JROTC National Champions and the 2008 National Junior Olympic Sporter Team Champions. But that team included all seniors. To have success with a new team at such a high level excites Thompson, as his team now prepares to defend their title at the 2009 National JROTC Championship on March 26-28 at Fort Benning, Ga. "This group was all fresh and brand-new, but I really think by them watching the veterans of last year, that really helped them a lot in preparing them for this year," Thompson said. They also keep a very busy schedule attending competitions and maintain a strict regime of physical fitness, Thompson said. The opportunities that the JROTC rifle team has after high school are abundant. Shooting is recognized as an NCAA sport, and many of Thompson's former students have gone on to shoot in college. "Shooting is a sport just like basketball, baseball and football, even though some people don't consider it as such," he said. Shooting is actually the third oldest sports competition in the Olympic Games, and it has the third highest number of participants, behind track and field and swimming, Thompson said. The sport can actually turn into a career for many students, such as in the U.S. Army or other branches of the military. However, that's not what JROTC is about. "We are not here to recruit anybody into the service," Thompson said. "We're just basically giving kids another opportunity in high school to get involved with something and helping them graduate high school while having a plan for after they graduate."  ;void(0)) ;void(0)) Certificate states Record is in Standing, should read kneeling. ;void(0)) ;void(0)) ;void(0)) ;void(0))   ;void(0)) ;void(0)) | Return Home | What's New | Events Schedule | Great Links | FAQ Page | Contact Us | Team Members | Team Pictures | |
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