Superior junior rifle team sweeps Virginia

The Superior Junior Rifle Team swept both matches of a home-and-home tournament recently against the Virginia (Minn.) Rifle Team. The matches provided needed experience for both clubs prior to a frantic state and national match schedule in March and April.

The Olympic-style target competition began in February in Superior where shooters Roy Cochran, Matthew Steltz, Brandon Slick and Jake Magdzas bested their opponents 1,377 to 1,283.

Cochran, in his second season competing at the junior level, provided an excellent score on his last target to beat Steltz by a point and win the match. Brandon Slick came in a close fourth, followed by Magdzas, shooting in his first competition and shooting several of the positions for the first time.

The trip to Virginia for the second half of the double-header saw Steltz avenge the first match to tie Cochran for a share of the lead. The high scores for both matches were 371 out of 400 possible points.

Superior also took the Virginia match, firing 1,440 points against Virginia’s 1,225. Superior’s scores were rounded out by Magdzas’ personal best 355 score and newcomer Nick Learn’s performance of 343. Learn, six years younger than most of the competitors, promises to be a highlight of the Superior squad for years to come.

In fact Learn’s performance in competition has led the coaching staff to assemble a Sub-Junior program, where shooting sports athletes 10 to 15 years old can compete against their contemporaries. These younger members are highly supervised and coached in a safe environment and taught both the basics and the finer points of target shooting and competition.

The Superior Junior Rifle Team is currently looking for shooters meeting these criteria to be considered for selection to the program. For more information, visit www.SuperiorRifle.com or contact head coach Chad Danielson at (218) 348-2147.

Tags: rifle, home