In case you’re not familiar with the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), it’s a federally chartered 501 (c-3) nonprofit corporation. It’s dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States.

And you also may not know that there is the local Ontelaunee Jr. Rifle Team that is a CMP member based out Ontelaunee Rod and Gun Club in New Tripoli.

Ontelaunee Jr. Rifle Team, coached by Tab Rhode, currently has 12 members. It has been in existence for over 50 years that began in local smallbore prone matches. Fifteen years ago, the team moved into three-position for those who were interested in learning the discipline - with involvement in air rifle developing five years later, according to Tom McHale who reports for Airgun Wire.

McHale goes on to say that 12 years ago Tom Fister became coach of the Ontelaunee Jr. team when his daughters took an interest in the sport with Tad Rhode joining him as assistant coach to help the team on which his daughter was a member.

In recent years, the program, says McHale, produced athletes who moved on to a collegiate rifle team and that included Zach Strohl, Amy Fister, William Dixon, Jennifer Plocinik, Jeanne Haverhill, Calista Smoyer and Cecelia Ossi.

In 2018, Ontelaunee earned second in the CMP National Championship - the team’s highest finish since the CMP match began in 2013. And on April 1, 2017, the team earned a check for $1,500 by taking first place in the Precision Team competition.

Most recently, the Ontelaunee Jr. Rifle Team earned the overall precision spot on the CMP’s 2020-2021 Three Position Air Rifle Postal event. Team members Griffen Lake, Emma Rhode, Natalia Siek and Lizzie Cacace, combined their individual scores to record a 1169-77x total in the match - four points above the next leading competitors. With their excellent shooting, the team will move on to the CMP’s Virtual Championships which is another postal event that will serve as a supplement to the Regional Matches. Overall teams and individual shooters of the CMP Virtual Championships qualify for the 2021 CMP Three-Position National Championship held in Ohio and Alabama this summer.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, there was no formal National event. Ontelaunee R&G was also closed for almost five months so the team couldn’t practice, said Rhode. But once the club opened, new problems cropped up such as limited range access, the club’s range size of six firing points and social distancing requirements. These made finding time for everyone to use the facility a difficult undertaking, Coach Rhode recalls.

But the team persevered and they worked out a plan that everyone got range time albeit somewhat staggered.

As for upcoming matches, the team plans to compete in the CMP Smallbore Postals, Junior Olympics and, of course, the CMP Air Rifle Championships, plus as many local smallbore and air rifle matches they can find.

According to Coach Rhode, current team members come from different backgrounds, schools and even different states - some traveling form New Jersey to participate.

If you have youngsters or grandchildren who would be interested in gaining insight into the Ontelaunee Jr. Rifle Team program, compete and perhaps become one day earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team, stop by Ontelaunee R&G Club (8100 Gun Club Road, New Tripoli, 18066) as the team practices there Tuesday and Wednesday at 6 p.m.