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Thursday, May 1, 2008
Hot Shots
Greater Louisville, KY
Adam Mason has captured the junior men's championship in teh Kentucky State Air Pistol competition for Shawnee Naval JROTC
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What is JROTC?
The Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) was created by Congress in 1964 with the goal “to instill in students in United States secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment.” The Navy JROTC program, a four-year elective, allows students to earn credits for physical fitness and receive training in marksmanship, orienteering (land navigation) and basic military leadership. The instructors at Shawnee emphasize good citizenship, involving the students in community service and other community projects. Unlike college ROTC, participation in JROTC does not obligate students to serve in the military. If a Junior ROTC student (regardless of service affiliation) does decide to enlist in the military, they will be advanced to pay-grade E-2 or E-3 upon completion of Basic Training. This can add hundreds of dollars each month to a new recruit’s monthly pay.
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It has been away for four years.
Now the Kentucky Junior Men’s Air Pistol Championship trophy is back in the trophy case at Shawnee High School, and it has Adam Mason’s name on it. The cadet Chief Petty Officer in the Naval JROTC unit and junior student at Shawnee won the 2008 Junior State Air Pistol Championship, bringing the travelling trophy back to Shawnee four years after losing it to members of Shelby County High School’s JROTC team.
“Shelby County is the North Carolina of shooting,” says Ted Malone, the Shawnee shooting coach, comparing that squad to the UNC basketball powerhouse. “It’s nice to win it back.”
Adam won the championship with a score of 608.6, edging cadet Martin Trindle from Shelby County High School’s Marine JROTC, who finished with 599.7.
“It’s the best,” Adam says of his win. “All this time I’ve put into shooting and then you win. The best in the state! It’s nice. It means a lot.”
In the women's category, Shawnee’s cadet Lieutenant (jg) Venice Quirimit finished in second place, losing to cadet Alivia Yeager from Shelby County MJROTC by only three points.
What is even more surprising is Venice, also a junior at Shawnee, has been shooting for only two months.
“Sometimes people have a lot of talent. She is one who has picked it up naturally. She has the fundamentals to do it,” says Malone. “You have to apply the fundamentals and practice and train. It takes about two hours a day, five days a week. Venice has come along quickly. Coaches like to see shooters who do that,” he says.
Venice surprised herself with her performance in the competition. “I feel good about it. Who wouldn’t? I’m a beginner so it’s kind of ‘Whoa, did I really do that?’”
“It takes discipline. It takes sticking to it. It takes belief in yourself. He has all three of those,” Malone says of Adam. “I’m very proud of what he has done. He hasn’t given up.”
Malone says it’s difficult, and important, to stay calm during competition, but both Adam and Venice excelled under pressure. Venice shot her best score ever during the state competition. “You’re holding an air pistol that weighs two pounds, then you’ve got a tin ring the size of a dime. You have to hold it very still. When you start thinking nervous, you start clenching. You don’t see that with Venice. You don’t see that with Adam, either. He was 6 points ahead and then he shot even higher so he won by almost 10 points.”
Malone, an ECE teacher at Johnson Middle School, has been shooting for over 20 years and coaching for 12 years and he also won the open division of the competition. His enthusiasm for the sport and the students he coaches is evident. “It’s relaxing. It’s nice to do something I enjoy.”
“It’s quiet and you can think about things and take some good shots and have fun,” Adam says of the sport. “I like focusing.”
Venice says, “It’s fun, especially if you are a very disciplined person and you like focusing.” With a GPA of 3.9, Venice shows discipline in her academics as well. Adam’s self-discipline shows in his ___ GPA.
As for the time commitment, Venice says, “Everything takes time if you want to be good at it.”
While Adam and Venice have not finalized their plans after high school, both plan to continue shooting for now. They will practice several times a week into the summer to prepare for competition in the Junior Olympics in Alabama in July.
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