Junior Shooting

Official Match Program

The American Legion sponsors a program of marksmanship and gun safety education for high school age youth. As part of the program, The American Legion conducts a Junior Position Air Rifle Tournament, which provides competitors an opportunity to test their marksmanship ability in competition with other junior competitors throughout the nation.

The Individual Tournament has three phases of competition:
1) Preliminary Round - State/Regional Championships;
2) Qualification Round; and 3) National Championships.

The Team Tournament has two phases of competition:
1) Preliminary Round - State/Regional Championships and
2) National Championships.

The Preliminary Round -State/Regional and Qualification Round of the Individual Tournament are postal matches whereas the National Championship of the Individual Tournament is a shoulder-to-shoulder competition.

The Preliminary Round -State/Regional and National Championship phases of the Team Tournament are postal matches.

The Individual and Team Tournaments will be conducted in accordance with this Official Match Program (OMP) and the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules (current edition).

1. Who May Compete:

Sponsorship: Entry in either the Individual or Team tournaments is limited to competitors who are active members of a Junior Shooting Club sponsored by an American Legion Post. A competitor CAN COMPETE IN BOTH the Individual and Team Tournaments, firing on separate target sets.

Age Limits: Competitors who have reached their 18th birthday or are a graduate of high school, class of 2008 and those younger are eligible.

Teams: A team is composed of four firing members who represent the same Junior Shooting Club. More than one team may represent a Junior Shooting Club; however, firing members can only participate on one team.

Other Limitations: Each competitor may fire on only one set of "official match targets" during the State/Regional Championship phase of either tournament. A competitor is ineligible to compete in the National Championship (Individual Tournament shoulder-to-shoulder match having previously competed in the National Finals competition in Colorado Springs) in successive years UNLESS he/she is moving FROM the Sporter Category TO the Precision Category. Additionally, an athlete can NEVER repeat in the Sporter category after having previously competed in the National Finals competition in Colorado Springs.

2. Categories of Air Rifle:

Competitors may enter one of two categories in the tournament based on the type of air rifle they wish to use.

Precision Air Rifle Category: as described in the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rule 4.4.

Sporter Air Rifle Category: as described in National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rule 4.2 with the following limitations:

Sights: As described in National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rule 4.2.8 (Sporter) and 4.5 (Precision). The sight must be factory issue for the Sporter air rifle being used. Telescopic sights are not permitted.

A Precision air rifle CAN NOT be modified in any way in order for it to comply as a Sporter Air Rifle.

A competitor may compete in only one category. If a competitor competes in both the Individual and Team Tournaments, the competitor MUST compete in the same category for both tournaments.

3. Course of Fire:

The Preliminary Round - State/Regional Championship level (Individual and Team Tournament) of this air rifle match will consist of 60 rounds for record (3 x 20), fired at ten (10) meters.

Twenty rounds from the prone position.

Twenty rounds from the standing position.

Twenty rounds from the kneeling position.

The Qualification Round (Individual) and the National Championship (Team Tournament) of competition will also consist of 20 rounds in each of the three positions.

The 10-meter Air Rifle Target AR 5/10 will be used at all rounds of the tournament.

4. Clothing:

Precision Air Rifle: As specified in the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rule 4.6.

Sporter Air Rifle: As specified in the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rule 4.3. All shooting clothing must be made of soft, flexible, pliable material, which does not give artificial support to the competitor. No special shooting jackets or pants are allowed.

5. How to Order Official Targets:

Official postal targets for this tournament must be ordered using the Target Set Order Form. The Target Set Order form must be postmarked not later than January 18, 2008.

Clubs/teams must be affiliated with The American Legion Junior Shooting Sports Program. There is no cost to affiliate. Information regarding affiliation is available from The American Legion, Attn: Junior Shooting Sports Program, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206.

There is a match entry fee of $5.00 for each target set ordered for the Individual Tournament and match entry fee of $20.00 for each target set ordered for the Team Tournament. The entry fee should be paid by check or money order payable to The American Legion. Payment must accompany the order form. Please do not send cash!

Mail the Target Set Order Form to: The American Legion, Attn: Junior Shooting Sports Program, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206.

6. Return of Targets:

All "Official Target Sets" (both fired and unfired)
must be returned to The American Legion National Headquarters, in accordance
with the schedule established in the PHASES OF THE TOURNAMENT (found on pages
five and six) of this Official Match Program. During the State /Regional
Championship phase (Individual and Team Tournament), any missing target set(s)
is grounds for disqualification of all entries from the same sponsoring
organization.

State/Regional Champions (Individual Tournament) who
do not fire and return the official target set, which is provided for in the Qualification Round, will forfeit all State Championship awards.

Damaged or questionable fired target sets may result
in re-firing and/or disqualification. This decision will be at the discretion of
the Tournament Director.

The following addresses are be used to return fired
target sets:

Postal mailing address — The American Legion
Junior Shooting Sports Program, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206-1055.

UPS/Fedex — The American Legion Junior Shooting
Sports Program, 700 N.

Pennsylvania, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

It is recommended to return the target sets via UPS or
Fedex if the "tracking" of the delivery is desired. Sending target sets via
certified or registered mail is acceptable but can cause delay in the delivery
times.

7. Tournament Results Bulletins:

A results bulletin will be posted on The American
Legion WebPages @ www.legion.org at the conclusion of the Preliminary Round -
State/Regional Championships (Individual and Team Tournament). A challenge
period will exist for 10 days after bulletin posting. During this period, The
American Legion National Americanism Commission will accept for consideration
written and telephonic challenges. This process will be repeated at the
conclusion of the Qualification Round (Individual Tournament) and National
Championship Round (Team Tournament).

A final Tournament Results Bulletin will be posted
after completion of the National Championship (Individual Tournament
shoulder-to-shoulder match).

8. Recognition and Awards:

Participation Awards: The first 200 competitors
in the Individual Tournament and first 50 teams in the Team
Tournament to return their fired target sets (in accordance with the
instructions provided with the target sets) will receive distinctive Shooting
Sports embroidered sew-on patches from The American Legion.

Preliminary Round - State/Regional
Championships (Individual and Team Tournament): The State/Regional Champion
in each category (Precision Air Rifle and Sporter Air Rifle) will each receive
distinctive awards.

Individual Tournament: In those cases where
there are fourteen entries or less from a particular state, entries from that
state will be grouped into an "at large" category from that region. Regions are identified on page six of this program.

Based on scores, the top thirty (30) competitors (to
include tie scores) in each category, and State/Regional Champions will receive
a target set in order to compete in the Qualification Round (Individual
Tournament).

Team Tournament: In those cases where there are
four or less teams from a particular state, teams from that state will be
grouped into an "at large" category from that region. Regions are
identified elsewhere in this program.

Based on scores, the top ten teams (to include tie
scores) in each category, and State/Regional Champions will receive a target set
in order to compete in the National Championship Round (Team Tournament).

Qualification Round (Individual Tournament): No
trophies or recognition awards are presented for the Qualification Round. Based
on Qualification Round scores, the top fifteen (15) competitors in each
category will be invited to compete at the National Championship.
Those who accept will receive a financial grant to help cover travel and living
expenses.

National Championship (Individual Tournament): Awards will be presented in each of the three position matches comprising the
National Championship Tournament. The overall Three Position Championship
awards, determined by the aggregate score of the tournament matches plus a
10-round shoot-off from the standing position by the top eight competitors in
each category, will recognize the top competitors in the tournament.

The champion in both the Precision and Sporter
category will receive a $1000 college scholarship, provided by the Son’s
of The American Legion.

National Championship (Team Tournament): Distinctive trophies will be presented to the top five teams and members of each
team in both the Precision and Sporter category.

9. Match Conduct:

All phases of the Individual and Team Tournaments will
be conducted in accordance with this Official Match Program and the National
Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules. A separate match program will be
published for the National Championship Individual shoulder-to-shoulder match.

10. Integrity:

Postal tournaments are conducted with the expectation
that each competitor will have the integrity to fire the match according to the
rules. Nearly all competitors are anxious to find out how their best effort on
the firing line compares with other competitors firing under similar conditions.
They would never think of cheating, as that would render their score
meaningless. Unfortunately, there is a small minority of individuals who will
cheat in order to obtain the recognition that belongs to someone else. This is
truly unfortunate.

Within each state, The American Legion’s Shooting
Sports Chairman or in his/her absence, the individual designated by the state
commander, is responsible for investigating suspected cheating. Any individual
or team discovered taking advantage of tournament rules would be disqualified.

11. Phases of the Tournament:

Preliminary Round - State/Regional Championships
(Individual and Team Tournament) — Ends February 1, 2008

The State/Regional Championships are postal
matches to determine individual champions (one per category) in each
state/region. To obtain targets, the "Target Set Order Form" must be postmarked not later than January 16, 2008. Returned fired postal
targets must be postmarked not later than February 1, 2008.

Qualification Round (Individual Tournament) — Ends
March 28, 2008

The Qualification Round is a postal match to determine
the order of precedence for inviting competitors for the National Championship.
The Junior Shooting Club sponsoring an individual State/Region Champion will
receive an official target set for the Qualification Round. These targets
will be mailed to the club’s adult leader of record by March 1, 2008. Returned
fired postal targets must be postmarked not later than March 28, 2008.

Qualification Round postal targets must be
fired under the observation of an "Official Match Witness" who will be an officer in the local American Legion Post that has affiliated the
Junior Shooting Club.

National Championship (Team Tournament) — Ends March
28, 2008

The National Championship Round is a postal match to
determine the team National Champions in each category. The Junior Shooting Club
sponsoring a State/Region team Champion will receive an official target set for
the Championship Round. These targets will be mailed to the club’s adult
leader of record by March 1, 2008. Returned fired postal targets must be
postmarked not later than March 28, 2008.

National Championship (Team Tournament) postal
targets must be fired under the observation of an "Official Match
Witness" who will be an officer in the local American Legion Post that has affiliated the Junior Shooting Club.

National Championship (Individual Tournament) — August
5 – 10, 2008, USA Shooting Facility, United States Olympic Training Center,
Colorado Springs, Colorado

The National Championship will be fired at the USA
Shooting Facility range, Olympic Training Center, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Fifteen (15) competitors in each category will be invited based on their scores
in the Qualification Round. The competition will be conducted in accordance with
a separate Official Match Program. A financial support grant for travel and
living expenses will be provided to competitors who compete at the
Championships. The grant may not cover all expenses.

12. Regional Assignments:

Region 1 - Maine, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Vermont

Region 2 - Connecticut, New Jersey, New York,
Rhode Island

Region 3 -Delaware, D.C., France, Maryland,
Pennsylvania

Region 4 - North Carolina, Tennessee,
Virginia, West Virginia

Region 5 - Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Puerto
Rico, South Carolina

Region 6 - Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Mexico, Texas

Region 7- Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Ohio

Region 8 - Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma

Region 9 - Minnesota, North Dakota, South
Dakota, Wisconsin

Region 10 - Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico,
Wyoming

Region 11 - Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon,
Washington

Region 12 - Arizona, California, Hawaii,
Nevada, Utah

13. Tournament FAQ’s:

The scores of individual team members firing in the
Team Tournament DO NOT count for the Individual Tournament; a separate
Individual Target Sets MUST BE ORDERED and FIRED to be eligible for the
Individual Tournament.

A competitor CAN COMPETE IN BOTH the Individual and
Team Tournaments, firing on separate target sets. A competitor may compete in
only one category. If a competitor competes in both the Individual and Team
Tournaments, the competitor MUST compete in the same category for both
tournaments.

A competitor is ineligible to compete in the National
Championship (Individual Tournament shoulder-to-shoulder match) in successive
years UNLESS he/she is moving FROM the Sporter Category TO the Precision
Category.