Los Alamos Precision Rifle Team members from left, JoAnna O’Neill, David Murphy, Samuel Wolfe, Holly Hayes and Samantha Miller. Courtesy photo

SPORTS News:

It has been a busy summer for the Los Alamos Precision Rifle Team. After a long road to qualify including matches in Albuquerque, Piedra Vista and Salt Lake City (Regional), the team was invited to compete June 26-28 at the National 3 Position Air Rifle Championships at the CMP facility at Camp Perry Ohio.

The qualification process began in December with the firing a submission of postal targets. The team then needed to place well in a shoulder to shoulder match held in the state of New Mexico. The scheduled day to compete in Albuquerque was one of the rare weather days we had in the fall and the team traveled to an alternate match in Piedra Vista.

The team next traveled to Salt Lake City just prior to the New Mexico state championships for the regional qualifier there.

The matches at Camp Perry consisted of two championships. The first day was the USA Shooting championship and the second day the 3 Position Air Nationals. Braving the Mayflies, the team placed 25/43 day one and 23/43 day two with JoAnna O’Neill as the high team shooter both days.

While on the trip, the team visited several historic sites, including the Admiral Perry museum at Put-In-Bay where Perry assembled the fleet prior to engaging the British in the Battle of Lake Erie. The team also visited the MAPS aviation museum at the airport in Akron, Ohio, home of Goodyear and climbed aboard the retired gondola of the airship Akron.