Using .22 caliber rifles and shooting at a distance of 50 feet, they aim for a ten ring not much bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. Senior shooters, age 21 on up, use a scoped rifle and shoot from prone, sitting, kneeling and standing positions while junior shooters, age 12 to 20, learn Olympic style three position shooting with open sights.
The teams compete from their home range on Highway 2, and also travel to Sandpoint, Spokane, Davenport, Washington, and Missoula, Montana.
The last few years the senior team has been making its mark at the national level. Breaking into the top 10 nationally, team member Walker Mead placed third in the Master class, while Tom Daniel was ninth. In the Expert class, Bill Leach placed 11th.
Proving that some of the best shots in small-bore shooting can be found in Idaho, two of the top three teams were from our state several years ago. The National Champions were from Nampa and only eight points behind and placing third was our local team from the Kootenai Valley Rifle Club.
The senior team meets on Wednesday night at 6:30 and the junior team on Thursday at the same time. If you would like to learn more about the sport, stop by the rifle range located on Highway 2 three miles east of Three Mile Junction and see what it is all about. Men, women, boys and girls are welcome.
To learn more, call Don Jordan, (208) 267-4801.