The American Legion Post 41 Jr. Shooting Sports Program is a non-profit organization (501 C 19) based out of Keyser, WV. The American Legion Junior Shooting Sports Program is a gun safety education and marksmanship program that encompasses the basic elements of safety, education, enjoyment and competition. Shooters use the .177 caliber air rifle. Both males and females ages 11 ½ to 18 can participate, through Legion sponsorship; disabled youth are encouraged to join, as competitive shooting is a sport that creates an equal playing field for all competitors.
Junior Shooting Sports is a three-part program that combines the Basic Marksmanship Course, Qualification Awards and Air Rifle Competition into a well-rounded activity.
Basic Marksmanship Course
The Basic Marksmanship Course, given to Shooting Sports participants, offers comprehensive instruction for beginning shooters with little or no marksmanship experience. Designed for an instructor’s easy use, the course teaches gun safety and marksmanship fundamentals, using short lectures or discussions, followed by hands-on activities.
Qualification Awards
Graduates who want to keep improving their skills can enroll in air-rifle qualification courses provided by the National Rifle Association and the Civilian Marksmanship Programs. These courses offer personal skill-development ladders for shooters to achieve established performance standards.
Air Rifle Competition
The annual 3-Position Junior Air Rifle National Championship is a tournament that begins with postal matches. State and/or regional champions are determined and advance to a qualification round (also a postal match) to determine the athletes who will earn expense-paid trips to compete in the national championship. The national championship is a shoulder-to-shoulder match held each July at the USA Shooting range facilities at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
As an organization we are dedicated to providing a positive environment with a strong emphasis on team unity, individual skill improvement, and sound fundamentals. Our coaches encourage team members to excel as both athletes and as students. We strive to prepare our players for a competitive level in competition, life skills and to work toward the ultimate goal of receiving a college scholarship. As a side note, WVU has a world class rifle team but we very rarely see WV residents on the team, we aim to change this.
We have been working very hard in our promotion of our programs and to date, we have the full support and approval from the Mineral County Chamber of Commerce, the Mineral County Commissioners, the Mineral County Parks and Rec Department and Mineral County Schools.
We currently have over 100 students registered to take part in the fall of 2018. As an FYI, it takes $1,650. to fully equip each team member, this is not counting the costs associated with an indoor air rifle range and training venue which will be located in the Keyser City limits.
In an effort to offset the high cost of youth sports, coaches and team members often seek donations and sponsorships from individuals and companies. Your support will ensure that shooters have the opportunity to compete and to achieve full potential in the sport of Competitive Air Rifle Marksmanship.
As a thank you for providing this much needed support, we will proudly display a banner with your logo and company or individual name in our range facility. We will also provide your information, listed under the heading; “Sponsors/Supporters” which will let our teams, parents and our fans of your support in our newsletter, webpage and our face book page.
Please visit our Face Book page to learn more about our program. https://www.facebook.com/American-Legion-Post-4.... For additional information please contact me at 240-580-5015 or by email at wvaljssp@gmail.com.
