Target-shooting girls go for the bull’s-eye

Group of Germantown teens heads to international BB-gun competition as members of an Izaak Walton League team

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo photos by David S. Spence⁄The Gazette Jean Compton, 13, of Germantown (top) target shoots with her BB gun during practice last week at the Izaak Walton League in Germantown. Click here to enlarge this photo Members of the Roaring Rifles BB-gun team during practice, (front to back) Rebecca Morey, 14, Anna Morey, 12, Abby Heise, 15, Jean Compton, 13, and Robin Harris, 14, as coaches Frank Markus (center) and Ed Compton watch for bull’s-eye hits through binoculars. Click here to enlarge this photo

‘‘My brother started, and I got jealous,” the talkative 14-year-old Germantown girl said after a recent practice.

So most Mondays since, she’s loaded her own lead BBs into a gun and practiced with four other teammates –– all girls –– who are competing at the BB gun championships in Kentucky this week.

‘‘I figured I was going to sit with her and read for a while, but she raised her hand and said, ‘I’ll try it,’” said her mother Rachel Harris, who believes shooting has improved her daughter’s focus and concentration.

Later this week, the shooters — members of the Roaring Rifles team at the Rockville Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America on Waring Station Road in Germantown — will travel to Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green for the International BB Gun Championship Match, which begins Friday. An alternate shooter, Brian David Green, 13, of Potomac, will also participate.

‘‘It would be kind of fun to have some more boys on the team,” said Anna Morey, 12, who was an alternate when the team went to the championships in 2004.

At that time the Roaring Rifles, comprised of many of the same members as the 2006 team, took fifth place out of 36 teams, said coach Frank Markus.

‘‘We teach them not to be afraid of [the gun], to respect it,” Markus said during a recent practice. ‘‘Then we teach them to hit the target.”

The shooters are scored on their target performance from four positions –– kneeling and standing, which are the hardest, and sitting and prone, the easiest. The shooter lies on her stomach in the prone position.

‘‘Standing is considerably harder,” said Rachel Harris. ‘‘It is the most unstable position.”

The target is 5 meters away and shooters have 10 minutes to put one BB in 10 targets. It’s no easy feat to score 10 points and get the .177-inch BB to hit the .125-inch bull’s-eye.

Coaches, using binoculars to see the miniscule holes, can stand near the shooters and instruct them on where the shots are piercing the paper so the shooters can adjust the sight of the gun.

But Markus said a secret to success for his team members is taking time between each shot.

‘‘The biggest thing is getting them to slow down,” he said. Last week, the girls were finishing their targets with several minutes to spare.

In addition to the target competition, shooters must complete a 50-question test on gun safety and the rules and regulations of BB guns.

The girls, who are all home-schooled, agreed that no matter how they fare in the competition, the camaraderie and teamwork is a welcome payoff.

They talked about the team after practice last week.

‘‘If you make a mistake, you know you put out your hardest and your teammates accept that,” Robin Harris said.

‘‘It’s a lot more fun when you have friends to do it with,” said Jean Compton, 13, who started shooting in 1999.

The girls said learning about BB guns is something that will help them in the future, so they aren’t scared or unsure around other guns.

‘‘Most people think it’s pretty cool that we do it,” said Rebecca Morey, 14.

‘‘It is cool, there are rules,” Harris said. ‘‘Most people think that we’re out shooting tin cans, but no, it’s competitive.”

Shooters can participate in the BB gun competition until age 15. Coach Markus has plenty of other kids who are honing their shooting skills, waiting their turn.

About 25 kids as young as age 8 also practice most Mondays beginning in October.

The girls are looking forward to the competition in Kentucky, and noted that last year they were introduced to interesting foods and new friends.

‘‘Something interesting is bound to happen,” Rebecca Morey said.

Robin Harris, who will be too old to compete next year, agreed.

‘‘It’s pretty sentimental,” she said. ‘‘It’s basically making the most memories that you can.”