Sapulpa High School Hosts JROTC Air Rifle Championship

The Oklahoma Junior Olympics Air Rifle Championship is happening this at Sapulpa High School. Members of Sapulpa High School's Marine Corps JROTC air rifle team are gearing up for what their coach said isn't an easy sport.

"The shooters are basically shooting at a target about the size of a half-dollar, but in order to get a bullseye, they are literally shooting at a pinprick in the middle of that to get a ten," said Lieutenant Colonel Bill Shannon.

He said 52 students from nine teams across the state are competing in the three-day event. His team is up on March 4, trying to get that coveted bull's eye.

"Like a rifle scope that is magnified, these rifle scopes are not, so it takes a lot of skill, it takes a lot of precision," says Shannon.

To hit the target, it helps to have the right gear. Students at Sapulpa high school have some of the best equipment in Oklahoma, including a brand new state-of-the-art electronic shooting range.

"I think it's awesome, you don't have to move over and look at your scope, it's just right there. You see your score, what your shot is, and what the decimal point is, and how you can adjust your sights, it's just there,” says Freshman Sydney Burrow.

Burrow has hopes of getting an air rifle scholarship for college. She said one of the hardest parts of the sport is controlling your breath.

"I hold my breath and then shoot, so sometimes you have to run out of breath, so you have to restart and just focus on breathing because I don't breath," said Burrow.

She said it takes mental toughness and the ability to move past mistakes.

"If you have a bad shot, make the next 3 shots good so it can make up for that one bad shot," says Burrow.

If Sydney and her classmates do well, they have a chance to move on to the national championship in Ohio.