Marion High School cadet Emily Smith recently competed against the very best marksmen from across the country during the JROTC All-Services Marksmanship National Championship held at Camp Perry, Ohio. There, Smith was among 82 JROTC cadets representing the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps shooting in the Precision Air Rifle category.
Over the course of two days of record fire, Smith gave a very solid performance and ended up finishing an impressive 31st against all competitors.
“It was so exciting to compete at this level,” Smith said. “I was very pleased with the results.”
Smith is only the second Marion marksmen ever to earn the opportunity to compete at this level.
Marion High School JROTC marksman Emily Smith recently competed in the JROTC All-Services National Championship. There, Smith finished 31 among the 82 cadets representing the very best from across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps in this invitation-only championship. (Photo provided by Marion Community Schools)
“She did very well,” said her coach, retired Lt. Col. David Farlow, Senior Army Instructor for MHS JROTC. “As a matter of perspective it is important to understand that Emily is only a junior. The vast majority of her competitors are seniors with an additional year of experience.”
Smith has been a stand-out on the Marion squad. She recently won the Indiana American Legion State Championship and led her team to numerous other accolades.
Of note, two of her teammates will be traveling to compete in USA Shooting’s Junior Olympics at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Freshman Danielle Purdy and sophomore Andersson Guevara both earned selections to compete in the highest of all, junior shooting competitions.
The Marion marksmen shoot .177 caliber air rifles at a target the size of a quarter coin that is 33 feet away. To be competitive, the shooter must be able to basically hit the tip of George Washington’s nose on the coin.