The top eight precision and sporter competitors will compete in The American Legion's Junior 3-Position Air Rifle National Championship finals July 25 in Hillsdale, Mich.
A familiar name and face will be in Saturday’s finals of The American Legion’s Junior 3-Position Air Rifle National Championship – 2024 sporter champion Alexandra Orr of Poquoson, Va.
“It’s kind of stressful because I want to do good just as good,” said Orr, who heads into the finals for sporter in first position.
Orr was a freshman when she won the 2024 sporter championship and as she heads into her junior year of high school, this will be her last competition in air rifle. “Hopefully I do good at this match then. I had my best standing today. I’m just going to do what I did today again tomorrow. And just trust my position.”
The top eight competitors in the precision and sporter class were named Friday afternoon following Day 2 of competition in The American Legion Junior 3-Position Air Rifle National Championship in Hillsdale, Mich. The field started with 15 precision and 15 sporter class high school competitors and narrowed to the top 16 after two days of three-position matches – prone, standing and kneeling – twice a day where a total of 240 pellets were fired on the range inside the Halter Shooting Sports Education Center.
This is the first time for Sarah Mix of Ohio, who is in fourth position in the precision finals, to compete in The American Legion’s air rifle championship. She prepared for the tournament by shooting a lot of three-position practices and has kept mental focus by not looking at her score on the TV screens inside the range.
“I pull my visor down so I can’t look up at the TVs. Just trying to focus on what I can control and not what I can’t,” she said. “It feels really good (to be in the top eight). I’m going to try to attack it like a normal 10-shot series. Just take my time, inspect my pellets, follow my process.”
She too will have a good-luck charm – Rupert the plushy toy frog.
“I’ve tried other plushies or charms and none of them were quite right,” she said. “And then I found Rupert. He’s smiling, so he’s my little reminder to smile.”
For Jordan Richards, who heads into the finals in third position for precision and competes with the Seitzland Sting Junior Rifle Team out of New Freedom, Pa., she will be wearing a tiara for good luck.
“A lot of shooters have superstitions. So mine is that I always wear the tiara,” Richards said. “I also don’t like tying my hair back, so it works to keep the hair out of my face.”
During the finals Saturday morning, Richards is “really looking forward to tomorrow because I like the environment, and I like how engaged the audience is,” as they cheer and ring cow bells. “It’s really fun. I love this competition, and I’ll definitely do it again.”
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Photos by Chet Strange
Kaitlynn Burrell, who is competing with the Walhalla High School Rifle Teach in Walhalla, S.C., is also a returning competitor. Burrell competed in the Legion’s 2024 national championship where she placed sixth in sporter.
“I feel like I have a lot more skill and hold myself to a higher standard compared to what it was my sophomore year (here) so that has been kind of stressful,” said Burrell, who has graduated from Walhalla High School. “It’s my last competition, so I’m trying to have fun.”
Having fun is her main goal tomorrow as she heads into the sporter finals in sixth position.
“Just to have fun, to be in the moment, take my time. Don’t stress about it because it’s a 10-shot final, and I came here with my family, and I had fun and I made friends, and I had a great time,” she said. “That’s the only thing I’m worried about. I don’t care about the score, I don’t care about my shots, I don’t even care about my rifle. I’m just here to have fun and enjoy my last match. I’m going to cry.”
Viola Allen is closing out her final three-position air rifle match with The American Legion before heading to college at Texas Christian University where she will be on the women’s rifle team. She is excited to be back in Hillsdale where she competed in the Legion’s 2024 air rifle national championship on the campus of Hillsdale College.
“I was happy to hear that I qualified again. I like the experience here,” said Allen, who shoots with Granbury MCJROTC in Texas. “My performance didn’t go a bit too well, but I'm okay with that just because being here is exciting, meeting friends, making new friends and being back in this area, I really liked it.”
Allen heads into eight position in the precision finals and since it’s her last three-position match, she wants to enjoy her final 10 shots tomorrow.
“Just enjoy the last few shots that I'll be taking with these people because a lot of them are seniors, and so I'll be competing with them maybe in college, but it'll be a little bit different format and a different rifle” she said. “I’m just excited to be shooting with them and to be here with my teammate Renee Sermarini.”
The American Legion’s Junior 3-Position Air Rifle National Championship finals is Saturday, July 25, at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Follow here. You will have to create an account to access the live scoring. Once logged in, you will scroll down to USA and select Hillsdale MI 10m range.
Top 8 precision competitors and air rifle team or sponsor:
1. Maggie Palfrey of Pennsylvania, Mason Dixon
2. Makenzie Larson of Colorado, American Legion Post 109
3. Jordan Richards of Tennessee, Seitzland Sting
4. Sarah Mix of Ohio, American Legion Post 295
5. Hypatia Shen of California, Lincoln Rifle Club
6. Everett Smith of West Virginia, Precision Mason Dixon
7. Naya Talarico of Montana, Gallatin Valley Sharp Shooters
8. Viola Allen of Texas, Granbury MCJROTC
Top 8 sporter competitors and air rifle team or sponsor:
1. Alexandra Orr of Virginia, Lafayette Gun Club
2. Rebecca Ahrens of Virginia, Trigger Time 4H
3. Makenna Quick of Nebraska, Guns R Us
4. Elyssa Vazquez of Florida, Mariner AJROTC
5. Elizabeth Gunn of Virginia, American Legion Post 290
6. Kaitlynn Burrell of South Carolina, Walhalla High School
7. Austin Crawford of South Dakota, Marshall County 4H
8. Jacqueline Treloar of Montana, Gallatin Valley Sharp Shooters
- Shooting