Sapulpa Marine Corps JROTC Hosts Airgun Shooting Championship

The Sapulpa Marine Corps JROTC is hosting a prestigious high school air gun shooting event this week, and some of its members are participating too. It's Oklahoma's first civilian marksmanship program air rifle championship.

The Sapulpa High School JROTC first shot Thursday at 6 a.m. but relays continued into Friday as about 60 students from around 10 high schools all over the state joined.

There are three different kinds of shots that competitors will have to make. Competitors will shoot in prone position, standing position and kneeling position with each of those three rounds worth a maximum of 200 points. Sapulpa High School is the first program in the state to utilize the Athena electronic scoring system which is one of the reasons why it is hosting the championship this year. However, the event will still be a challenge for all JROTC members involved.

"It’s definitely a challenge because some people can have shot for years, and some people have not shot like at all so it’s a challenge between where you’re at. But just because you’ve been shooting longer doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re better than somebody else," Sydney Burrow, a JROTC member from Sapulpa High School said.

The electronic scoring system also gives the other competitors a little more experience with an electronic scoring system since Sapulpa High School is the only high school that currently has it, and the hope is that Sapulpa High School will be able to host this championship for the next few years.

"We were hoping to host for the next at least five years until we get more schools up and running and with the electric Athena program. We’re basically the seed to get everyone else in, the word to help everyone else, and get an idea of what this program actually is," Rylee Wilson, a Sapulpa High School JROTC member said.