Texas, Arizona youth win Legion air rifle championships

The American Legion celebrated its 25th annual Junior 3-Position Air Rifle National Championship in Colorado Springs, Colo., July 24-25, and crowned two champions – Rhiann Travis of Weatherford, Texas, captured the precision title and Adam McClintock of Tucson, Ariz., captured the sporter title. Both earned $5,000 scholarships funded by The American Legion and Sons of The American Legion.

Travis, who will be a senior at Weatherford Christian School and was sponsored by Parker County Post 163, said participating in competitive shooting has led to a "monumental change" for her. "Before I started shooting I was kind of that awkward, unsure, never really knew where I fit in," she said. "I found my niche (in shooting). There were people here just like me: quirky, weird, shy. I really kind of came out of my shell. I was able to be me."

McClintock, who was sponsored by Morgan McDermott Post 7 in Tucson, said he came into the tournament struggling. "Over the summer I’ve had a really bad string, so I was hoping to just finish in the middle of the field," he said. "(This feels) great, of course."

McClintock said shooting played a big role in turning his life around. Both his parents were killed in a motorcycle accident when he was a freshman, and he struggled academically his first two years of high school. But at his uncle’s urging, he joined the Flowing Wells High School ROTC program. Not coincidentally, he posted grade-point averages of 3.6 and 4.0 over his final two years of high school, was named the state’s 4A/5A AIA Scholar Athlete of the Year and was accepted to the University of Arizona.

"Before I started shooting, I had a really low GPA in school," McClintock said. "After I started (shooting), that gave me the inspiration to keep my grades up to stay on the team. In the beginning (of high school), my GPA would not have even allowed me to get into a college."

McClintock got more out of the week than just championships. The schedule for the participants included lunches together, a pizza party and awards banquet. "This has been the most fun I’ve had in a competition," McClintock said. "I got to know a lot of other people (and) made a lot of friends. It was a really good time."

Travis agreed. "I always love coming to matches where I don’t know people because then I have that chance to go out and meet new people (and) make new friends," she said.

Mitchell Van Patten, the 2011 sporter champion from Meridian Optimist Junior Rifle Club in Idaho, earned a second-place finish in the precision category and Gabriel Palermo of Freeport High School NJROTC in Illinois earned a second-place finish in the sporter category. Both received a $1,000 scholarship.