Air rifle team earns regional, national rankings

Team One of the Magic City Gun Club Kats is ranked number one out of 16 teams in the Southeast region after a recent nationwide postal match. The team is currently ranked number two out of 77 teams in the nation. The team is a precision air rifle team from Trussville made up of four shooters: Anna Scheer (16), Ryan McAndrews (17), Jordan Blankenship (16) and Tommy Loring (15).

The team shot a combined 1,167 out of 1,200 points possible. They were only three points behind the national leaders.  Team member Anna Scheer is placed number one individually in the Southeast region. The team next competed for the Regional Championship on March 31 and April 1 at the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) in Anniston. The top teams will then be invited to compete in the National Precision Air Competition at Camp Perry in Ohio at the end of June.  

Teams two and three of the MCGC Kats also qualified in the Southeast region and will compete in the Regional Championship.  Those team members are Blake Wingard, Douglas (Clark) McWhorter, Garrett Boggan, Chloe Pluckett, Daniel Pluckett, Lacey McWhorter, Gabriel Bianca and Cady Thomas. The teams are coached by Perry Mitchell and Don Trawick. The Kats practice air rifle at the Parks and Recreation gym in Trussville and small-bore at the Magic City Gun Range in Pinson. The Kats are sponsored by the Jefferson County 4-H and the Magic City Gun Club.

To be a member of the MCGC Kats, shooters must have completed a 10-week Basic Rifle Safety Course and be between the ages of 12 and 18. For more information, contact Perry Mitchell at perrymitchell@att.net.

– Submitted by Hope Blankenship.