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Plano East JROTC Varsity Rifle Team
By Kim Nguyen, Staff writer
The Plano East Senior High School JROTC Varsity Rifle Team, commanded by LTC (Ret.) Bernard Aikens, won second place in the Top of Texas JROTC Drill Meet in Wichita Falls, Texas in October.
The Panther JROTC Varsity four-member Rifle Team is made up of Matt Craft, Lindsey Reed, Thomas Schrader and T.C. Williams.
The event was established to allow cadets to compete in armed and unarmed drill sequences, color guard routines, physical training, precision marksmanship and academics. Prior to their competition all teams were inspected by a representative of a certain branch of the military, who also graded the cadets over their personal uniform and a few military questions. In preparation for the competition cadets practiced for many weeks before and after school.
The Panther JROTC Varsity Rifle Team uses Olympic class precision target rifles to hit a pinhead-size dot on a ten ring target at 10 meters, approximately 33 feet. This precision air rifle event is fired in three different positions: standing, kneeling and prone positions. One shot is fired at ten separate bull’s-eyes for each position -- 10 shots standing, 10 shots kneeling and 10 shots prone -- for a total of 30 shots. The highest possible score is 300 points per competitor.
Out of six JROTC high school precision rifle teams, the Panther JROTC Varsity Rifle Team came in second place with a score of 825 behind North Mesquite High School which posted a 1046. Lawton High School, out of Lawton, Okla., came in third with a score of 808.
On an individual basis Thomas Schrader and T.C. Williams tied for individual fourth place overall, each scoring 243 individually. First, second and third place in the individual category went to members of the North Mesquite Varsity Rifle Team, scoring 278, 274 and 258, respectively.
“I was really happy to have scored so high,” Williams said. “I never shoot that consistently and I guess I was having a good day.”
Schrader is also glad to have earned high rankings in the Wichita Falls tournament. The junior is hoping to attend Westpoint Military Academy.
This was the Panther JROTC Varsity Rifle Team’s first shoulder to shoulder competition of the season and in spite of a short pre-competition practice time, the Panther JROTC Varsity Rifle Team demonstrated a high potential for future success.
The JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) program's philosophical mission is to motivate young people to be better citizens.
The program teaches students teamwork and many other lifelong knowledgeable skills. This elective provides a physical education credit as long as the student is in the program. The program offers opportunities for cadets to participate in extracurricular activity teams after school on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5-7 p.m. The Panther Battalion teams consist of the orienteering team, physical training team, rifle team, drill team and color guard.
Panther Battalion cadets participate in school-sponsored events such as football games, open house and the posting of the national and state flags at theater productions and pep rallies. Additionally, Panther cadets participate in non-school sponsored events such as fundraising, participating in the annual Plano Christmas Parade and the posting of the national and state flags at cultural assemblies.
The Plano East Panther Battalion has held the designation of Honor Unit with Distinction, or the Gold Star, for more than seventeen years.
Contact Kim Nguyen at knguyen@acnpapers.com
The Panther JROTC Varsity four-member Rifle Team is made up of Matt Craft, Lindsey Reed, Thomas Schrader and T.C. Williams.
The event was established to allow cadets to compete in armed and unarmed drill sequences, color guard routines, physical training, precision marksmanship and academics. Prior to their competition all teams were inspected by a representative of a certain branch of the military, who also graded the cadets over their personal uniform and a few military questions. In preparation for the competition cadets practiced for many weeks before and after school.
The Panther JROTC Varsity Rifle Team uses Olympic class precision target rifles to hit a pinhead-size dot on a ten ring target at 10 meters, approximately 33 feet. This precision air rifle event is fired in three different positions: standing, kneeling and prone positions. One shot is fired at ten separate bull’s-eyes for each position -- 10 shots standing, 10 shots kneeling and 10 shots prone -- for a total of 30 shots. The highest possible score is 300 points per competitor.
Out of six JROTC high school precision rifle teams, the Panther JROTC Varsity Rifle Team came in second place with a score of 825 behind North Mesquite High School which posted a 1046. Lawton High School, out of Lawton, Okla., came in third with a score of 808.
On an individual basis Thomas Schrader and T.C. Williams tied for individual fourth place overall, each scoring 243 individually. First, second and third place in the individual category went to members of the North Mesquite Varsity Rifle Team, scoring 278, 274 and 258, respectively.
“I was really happy to have scored so high,” Williams said. “I never shoot that consistently and I guess I was having a good day.”
Schrader is also glad to have earned high rankings in the Wichita Falls tournament. The junior is hoping to attend Westpoint Military Academy.
This was the Panther JROTC Varsity Rifle Team’s first shoulder to shoulder competition of the season and in spite of a short pre-competition practice time, the Panther JROTC Varsity Rifle Team demonstrated a high potential for future success.
The JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) program's philosophical mission is to motivate young people to be better citizens.
The program teaches students teamwork and many other lifelong knowledgeable skills. This elective provides a physical education credit as long as the student is in the program. The program offers opportunities for cadets to participate in extracurricular activity teams after school on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5-7 p.m. The Panther Battalion teams consist of the orienteering team, physical training team, rifle team, drill team and color guard.
Panther Battalion cadets participate in school-sponsored events such as football games, open house and the posting of the national and state flags at theater productions and pep rallies. Additionally, Panther cadets participate in non-school sponsored events such as fundraising, participating in the annual Plano Christmas Parade and the posting of the national and state flags at cultural assemblies.
The Plano East Panther Battalion has held the designation of Honor Unit with Distinction, or the Gold Star, for more than seventeen years.
Contact Kim Nguyen at knguyen@acnpapers.com
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