Shooting For The Stars

So far this school year the West Ashley High School Air Rifle Team has competed in three competitions throughout the Lowcountry. They have won two first place trophies and one second place trophy.
During an air rifle competition, there are three different positions from which a competitor has to shoot: standing, kneeling, and prone. They must fire their air rifle at a paper target which is located 33 feet away. Each position is scored individually and averaged together to get an overall score for that person. The top scores from each team are then averaged together to get an overall score for that team; the maximum number of points one can accumulate is 300.
Most schools, West Ashley High included, bring two teams to each competition. West Ashley High’s Air Rifle Team is made up of 10 cadets; four cadets on Team A, four on Team B, and two alternates. The eight cadets who perform the best during practice the previous week are the ones chosen to participate at that week’s competition.
On Oct. 29, West Ashley High competed at the Wade Hampton Air Rifle and Academic Competition in Varnville, South Carolina. Schools from Charleston County and Dorchester County competed; West Ashley High, Summerville High, Battery Creek High, and Ashley Ridge High were some of the teams who participated. The West Ashley High School Air Rifle Team took home first place at this competition.
Next, West Ashley High competed at the Battery Creek Air Rifle Competition on November 5th. They took home another first place trophy from this competition. The team’s coach, NJROTC Instructor Master Gunnery Sergeant Frederick Gaston, named team captain Damon Tedder and co-captain Coleman Walker as leaders on West Ashley High’s team. Tedder was also named the Best Shooter Overall at the competition. Summerville High came in second place.
Most recently, West Ashley High competed at the Wando Warrior Meet on November 12th. They competed against teams from seven other South Carolina schools such as Ashley Ridge High, Spring Valley High, Broom High, and Stratford High. At the competition, Broom High came in first place; West Ashley High came in second place; and Spring Valley High came in third.
“This year’s motto is one team, one dream, one goal,” said Gaston. “This motto applies not only in competition but also in the student’s everyday lives. The cadets are learning life lessons and the confidence to become better students, citizens, and productive members of society. We weren’t expected to win this year since our team is made up of all freshmen and sophomores. They have exceeded my expectations.”
West Ashley High will compete next at the State qualifying competition at Summerville High on December 9th and 10th. The top three teams with the highest average score will advance to the State competition. If West Ashley High does well at Summerville High they will compete again at White Knoll High on January 20th and 21st at the State Championship. If they win at state, the team will get the opportunity to compete at Nationals in Anniston, Alabama in February of 2017.