Wiesbaden Warrior Battalion Competes in First National Air Rifle Championship
The Wiesbaden Warrior Battalion Marksmanship Team made its debut at the JROTC National Air Rifle Championship held March 20–22 at Camp Perry, Ohio, competing against 18 teams and 18 individual qualifiers from all service branches.
The team, consisting of Cadet Cydnee Lassiter, Cadet Aiden Sweney, Cadet Sophia Durant, and Cadet Kai Malaga, represented Wiesbaden in the two-day competition. Cadet Benjamin Pollak also traveled with the team as an alternate.
Over the course of the event, cadets participated in kneeling, prone, and standing matches. The Warrior Battalion placed 16th out of 18 teams with an aggregate score of 4,582 points and 236 center bulls. Cadet Durant led the team with a score of 1,151 and 56 center bulls.
Durant reflected on her unexpected promotion to the final shooting lineup, saying, “Personally, it was definitely something different from the first Ohio match. Having been bumped up to the team that made it in the first place to jumping into one of the four shooting spots was something I never counted on. But it was great.”
She added, “The fact that the All-Service Championship was an all-time first for our school multiplied the excitement. I feel like we were closer as a team in preparation due to the new height of this competition.”
Although the team did not break any Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) records, the Warrior Battalion set a new school benchmark by competing in the All-Service Championship for the first time.
“The success we had this season will be a sort of beacon for next year's team,” said team captain Cadet Cydnee Lassiter. “It goes to show that even if you didn't shoot your personal best, or feel like you didn't do enough, you are not alone in the competition. It's all four who set the final score, and one bad shot is not going to end it all.”
With five returning athletes next year, the Warrior Battalion is poised to build on this year’s foundation and aim even higher in future national events.
