Shane Barnhart Wins NRA National
Three-Position Smallbore Championship
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2007 NRA National Smallbore Three-Position Champion Sgt. Shane Barnhart of Phenix City, AL (center), shares the medal stand with runner-up Abby Fong of New York, NY (left) and third-place finisher LTC Robert Harbison of Columbus, GA.
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Camp Perry, Ohio – Sergeant Shane M. Barnhart of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) based in Fort Benning, Georgia, won his third National Smallbore Rifle NRA Three-Position Championship with a score of 2267-74X. Sgt. Barnhart also won this championship in 2005, and his current win occurred during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first National Matches held at Camp Perry, Ohio.
Weather conditions played a big part in the overall competition this year. Scores were down slightly due to heavy rain during the Metallic Championships and strong winds during the Any Sight Championships. However, many of the competitors said the always-changing conditions make the National Matches one of the most enjoyable championships in all of the shooting sports.
Commenting about the weather conditions, Sgt. Barnhart said, “It wouldn’t be Camp Perry if it were not for the weather. The wind got to be very hectic during the Any Sight Championships, but I did better that day than during the Metallic Championships. I had a better day because I was allowed to use a scope. The scope helped me because I felt just a little more comfortable shooting with the scope than when I was using metallic sights.” Sgt. Barnhart also won in the Service Champion category.
Competing in her second year at Camp Perry, New York resident Abby Fong took second place with a score of 2252-71X. “The level of competition always heightens the experience for me when I shoot at Perry,” said the 19-year-old Princeton student. “But it can also be a humbling experience. In the end, however, competitors can say that they could hold their own with Olympic shooters. Everyone is on the same level here at Camp Perry.” Abby Fong was also the Civilian Champion, Woman Champion, and Junior Champion. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Harbison of Columbus, Georgia, and a teammate of Sgt. Barnhart, placed third with a score of 2251-76X.
The National Smallbore Rifle NRA Three-Position Championship is a 2400-point aggregate of the Metallic Sight championship and the Any Sight championship. The Any Sight category includes both metallic sights and telescopic sights. Each sub-aggregate consists of three matches fired with .22 caliber rifles. In each of the three matches (prone, standing, and kneeling positions), 40 shots are fired at a distance of 50 meters.
Special category awards in the smallbore rifle three-position matches went to: Senior Champion Leonard Remaly of Monson, Massachusetts, at 2125-47X; Intermediate Senior Champion John Funk of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, at 2120-47X; Collegiate Champion Erin Lorenzen of Fort Wayne, Indiana, at 2188-47X; Intermediate Junior Champion Michael Kulbacki of DuBois, Pennsylvania, at 2228-54X; Sub-Junior Champion Elijah Ellis of Kingsport, Tennessee, at 2131-41X; and Any Sight Only Champion William Godward of Adelaide, South Australia, at 2184-59X.
A summary of the results of the NRA National Smallbore Rifle Three-Position Championship follows:
NRA NATIONAL SMALLBORE RIFLE THREE-POSITION CHAMPIONSHIP
THREE-POSITION CHAMPIONSHIP:
Winner:
Sgt. Shane Barnhart 2267-74X
Phenix City, AL
Second:
Abby Fong 2252-71X
New York, NY
Third:
LTC Robert Harbison 2251-76X
Columbus, GA
SPECIAL CATEGORIES:
Woman Champion:
Abby Fong 2252-71X
New York, NY
Senior Champion:
Leonard Remaly 2125-47X
Monson, MA
Intermediate Senior Champion:
John Funk 2120-47X
Murrysville, PA
Collegiate Champion:
Erin Lorenzen 2188-47X
Fort Wayne, IN
Junior Champion:
Abby Fong 2252-71X
New York, NY
Intermediate Junior Champion:
Michael Kulbacki 2228-54X
DuBois, PA
Sub-Junior Champion:
Ellis Elijah 2131-41X
Kingsport, TN
Service Champion:
Sgt. Shane Barnhart 2267-74X
Phenix City, AL
Civilian Champion:
Abby Fong 2241-61X
New York, NY
Any Sight Only Champion:
William Godward 2184-59X
Adelaide, South Australia
For more information about the NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry and other competitive shooting events or programs, contact the NRA Competitive Shooting Division at www.nrahq.org/compete.
