Caylei Crews
4/20/2024
Ramona High’s JROTC marksmanship program got 12th overall in nationals this year after days of waking up early and practicing non-stop. They competed against the 32 top teams in all branches of services. They made it to Ohio from multiple other championships, like Alabama, where they competed with just the Navy branch and got 7th.
We had the opportunity to ask Commander Jordan and Master Sergeant Snow about the process and work that goes into having a national team. We discovered the cadets arrive at school at 7:00 am every morning, an hour and a half before school starts, as well as after school practices three days a week.
During practices they work on the three positions they will have to shoot in; prone, kneeling, and standing. In prone, you are lying down and shooting from the floor, kneeling you are on one knee, and in standing you are standing up on both feet straight up. They shoot 20 shots in each position 10 meters away, which is roughly 33 feet.
The team has a state-of-the-art shooting and scoring system. Other schools come from all over to use their system. Commander Jordan said, “We are the hub for marksmanship for NJROTC in San Diego County, Riverside County, and Orange County.” They hold two major events each year because of this. JORCT is coming to an end for this year, however, while they are no longer attending matches they are still frequently practicing as they have hopes of being in the top 5 next year.
NJROTC encourages all students to join their program. To be a successful shooter for marksmanship “you have to have attention to detail, discipline, and a desire to succeed”. Do you want to be a part of NJROTC?