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Who-RA – Clang Clang – The MGM/USAMU Junior Camp
Posted by Junior Shooters
By Rhonda Gibson and Dale Price
Provided by: Front Sight magazine, Jan/Feb. 2009 issue
Take 43 kids away from their parents, put them on a bus to go to camp and hold on to your hat as the noise and commotion rocks the bus, right? Not on this bus. We were headed to the range at Ft. Benning, Ga., for the first day of the USAMU/MGM Junior Camp, and these shooters had their game faces on. These kids were thinking about getting to the range and not only meeting six of the best shooters in the world, but also spending the next three days receiving one-on-one time with each of them. It was obvious that they were anxious to meet the best of the best, and learn as much as possible.
SFC Aaron Hampton of the US Army Marksmanship Unit had been trying to get this camp together for a couple of years, but the pieces never quite came together until he talked with Mike Gibson of MGM Targets at the 2008 SHOT SHOW in Las Vegas. MGM has been collecting three cents for every paper target sold for the past three years for the USPSA Junior Program, and was trying to come up with a way to make a positive impact on as many juniors as possible. This seemed like a perfect match. (No pun intended.)
Upon our arrival at Ft. Benning, the group was assembled and introduced to the USAMU?s instructors: SSG Max Michel, SGT Travis Tomasie, SPC KC Eusebio, SPC Daniel Horner, SPC Lee Dimaculangan, and SPC Brad Balsley. The unit commander, Aaron Hampton, proceeded to give the shooters a motivating and informative talk on the purpose and history of the USAMU, in a way that made us all proud and honored to be at Ft. Benning. SFC Hampton then laid down the class operation guidelines, which were basically, “Parents stay back. Your kids are ours for the next three days.” Normally it wouldn’t be hard to keep away from your kids for nine hours, but with the great information and shooting tips being given out, it was hard not to sneak a little closer to hear!
The shooters were put into squads based on their current skill levels and worked with each instructor on a specific skill set such as accuracy, reloads, stance, grip, box entries and exits, shooting on the move, and barricades. The instructors gave all the shooters positive analysis and improvement ideas with a mix of humor and fun that only young people separated by a few years can give each other. Shooting wasn’t the only topic addressed by the instructors. To the pleasure of all the adults present, the importance of personal integrity, accountability and wise life choices were stressed by all of the instructors.
Two other highlights of the camp began to get people excited well in advance. As October approached, we learned that Jim Scoutten’s Shooting USA planned to film the camp activities for their Jan. 21, 2009, television episode. We are all looking forward to that episode! Parents had somethi
ng to be excited about when they heard that Rob Leatham donated his time to provide them with a half day of shooting instruction. Rob lived up to everyone’s expectations by providing what has been claimed to be the best ever class on trigger control. One parent (also a police officer) said that he learned more in that class than he had in 20 years of Law Enforcement and several other high-priced classes. That evening Rob spent hours speaking to the juniors and giving them the opportunity to ask questions. Parents were not invited, as this was to be all about the juniors, so I can’t tell you what all was discussed. I can tell you that they all came out smiling and anxious to get back to their rooms and do some dry firing.
The bus ride to the range on the last day was not quiet at all! By now new friendships had been made and everyone was excited about what they had learned. The camp concluded with a challenging match consisting of four stages patterned on the upcoming World Shoot. It was amazing to see the remarkable progress made by these 39 boys and four girls. (Needless to say, the girls had a lot of attention.) One of the most impressive facets of the camp was the way the shooters all cheered, encouraged, and helped each other throughout the match. Many adults could have learned a lot from these young people! I have worked for the Boise School District for 20 years and I can honestly say that I have never been around so many polite and respectful young men and women. It was a great pleasure to be able to hang out with them for three days.
The list of sponsors supporting the camp was a notable representation of who?s who in the shooting sports. Aside from the obvious dedication and passion for the event from the USAMU and MGM Targets, many other junior supporters helped make this camp possible. The logistics related to ammo is always an issue, but Remington’s donation of all the ammo for all the juniors (plus 5-10,000 rounds of rifle ammo for the DPMS demo guns) was absolutely over the top. USPSA’s generous cash contribution also made a noteworthy impact on camp expenses. Glock gave shooter’s bags and accessories to every junior as well as prizes for the five most improved shooters. Other companies providing merchandise and financial support included DPMS, Warne Scope Mounts, Center of Mass Kydex, Speed Shooter Specialties, Hodgdon, and Sheep Dog Ammo. We were also pleasantly surprised to receive checks from clubs and even individuals! Special thanks for the support to the Rocky Mountain 3-Gun, Tri-Cities Gun Club, Nampa Rod and Gun Club, the Gem County Speed Shooters, Craig Outzen and Brian Hanna.
MGM TARGETS – The Best In The Business!
By everyone’s account this was truly an outstanding camp that exceeded all expectations. We are hoping that this will become an annual event and will let everyone know as soon as possible about the 2009 USAMU/MGM Junior Shooter Camp. For more details and pictures, check out the website at www.juniorshootercamp.org. Be sure to watch for the 2009 dates, and between here and there, take a kid shooting!
Copyright & Published by: Junior Shooters and Junior Sports Magazines Inc. December 2009
Contact Info:
- Center of Mass Holsters www.comholsters.com
- DPMS: www.dpmsinc.com
- GLOCK: www.glock.com
- Hodgdon: www.hodgdon.com
- MGM Targets: www.mgmtargets.com
- Remington: www.remington.com
- Sheep Dog Ammo: www.sheepdogammo.com
- Speed Shooter Specialties: www.speedshooterspecialties.com
- USAMU/MGM Junior Camp: www.juniorshootercamp.org
- USAMU: www.usaac.army.mil/amu
- USPSA: www.uspsa.org
- Warne Scope Mounts www.warnescopemounts.com
Copyright and Published By Junior Shooters & Junior Sports Magazines Inc. December 2008
[…] this in the article titled Who-Ra-ClangClang ? The Mgm/USAMU Junior Camp on our website at: https://www.juniorshooters.net/2008/12/28/who-ra-clang-clang-the-mgmusamu-junior-camp/. This is a significant effort by the Gibsons helping many kids receive safe training from our Army […]