The National Guard Bureau Junior Air Rifle Tournament is conducted by the National Guard Marksmanship Training Unit (NGMTU), Camp Joseph T. Robinson, North Little Rock, AR.  Administrative support for the Tournament is provided by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), Camp Perry, Port Clinton, Ohio.

Dear Coaches and Club Leaders:

On behalf of the National Guard Marksmanship Training Unit, I want to take this opportunity to invite your team or club to participate in the 2006 National Guard Bureau Junior Air Rifle Tournament.  Our staff works hard to improve the quality and conduct of each years’ Tournament.  Ten sporter and ten precision teams will be invited to the 2006 National Tournament that will take place at Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky in late June.

The primary purpose of this Tournament continues to be to give as many junior shooters as possible the opportunity to fire in a high quality national junior tournament.  We sincerely hope that all of your teams, with as many shooters as possible, will enter and compete in this Tournament.

Please read this Official Match Program and then use the Target Order Form to make your entries.  We are confident this year’s Tournament will be an outstanding competitive experience for every shooter that participates. 

                                                                        Sincerely, 

                                                                                                COL John Lowry
                                                                                                Commander, NGMTU

1.    Introduction

The National Guard Bureau (NGB) sponsors the annual NGB Junior Air Rifle Tournament to give sporter and precision class position air rifle shooters at all levels of ability a unique opportunity to test their marksmanship skills in competition with other junior shooters in their home states and throughout the nation.  The Tournament has two phases, a State Championship postal phase and a National Championship shoulder-to-shoulder phase.  Here are some important dates for the 2006 Tournament:

·       Entries Close:  All entries or requests for official targets must be sent to CMP and postmarked  not later than 10Feb06.

·       Competition Events.  The 2006 NGB Tournament will have both a sporter class three-position air rifle event and a precision class air rifle standing event.  Because these are different types of events, all competitors are eligible to fire the State Championship in either or both classes.  Teams may qualify for the National Championship in one class, but not in both.

·       State Championship Postal Competition:  1 November 2005 – 24 February 2006.  Postal targets for all participating teams and individuals must be fired and forwarded to the CMP, postmarked not later than 24Feb06.

·       State Championship Scoring:  All targets will be scored at CMP Headquarters.  State Championship postal match scores will be available not later than 10Mar06.  A one week challenge period will close on 17Mar06, when final results will be available.  Teams that qualify for the National Championship Tournament will be notified as soon as possible after that date.

·       National Championship:  27-29 June 2006 at Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY.  Shoulder-to-shoulder competition for the 10 highest qualifying sporter and 10 highest qualifying precision state champion teams in the State Championship Postal Competition, along with the Spokane  Junior Rifle Club and Homestead 4-H Shooting Club – winners in the 2005 Tournament.   

2.  Rules

Current National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules (2004-2006 5^th edition) and this Official Program govern the State and National Championship phases of this competition.  Additional program details concerning the National Championship will be provided at the time qualifying teams are notified.  Rulebooks may be ordered from the CMP, tel. 419-635-2141, ext. 1123, or downloaded from the CMP web site at http://www.odcmp.com/3P.htm.

3.   Who May Compete

Team Entries:  Teams must represent a club, school or other organization that complies with Rule 3.2.1, School Age Teams, in the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules.  All team members must be members of or enrolled in the club, team, school or other organization, reside in the geographic proximity of the city where the club, team, school or other organization is based and regularly participate in its activities.  Teams may have as many shooters as they wish fire in the State Championship postal phase in either the sporter three-position or precision standing events.  The scores of each team's top four shooters in the sporter and/or precision classes (see Sec. 7 of this program for details) count as the official team score(s), except that only two old shooter (see "New Shooter/Old Shooter Rule" below) scores may be counted in the top four. Plus, the individual score of every shooter who fires with each team will be listed in State Championship individual rankings. 

Individual Entries:  Individual junior shooters who are not members of a full team and who comply with Rule 3.1.1, School Age Competitors, are eligible to compete in the State Championship postal competition only.  Individual shooters’ results will be ranked in the State Championship individual rankings, but only teams will be invited to the National Championship Tournament.  This will give individual juniors who do not have a full four-person team to compete with an opportunity to participate in the State Championship postal.

4.   Courses of Fire

State Championship Postal Phase:  In the postal phase, each shooter in the sporter class event will fire a 3x10 course of fire (10 shots in each position, prone, standing, and kneeling, fired in that order).  Each shooter in the precision air rifle event will fire 40 shots standing (4x10 or 2x20 standing). 

National Championship Phase:  The National Championship Tournament is a shoulder-to-shoulder match with two days of competition.  In individual sporter class competition, the competitors will fire two 3x20 courses of fire (one each day), with the top eight individual scorers each day firing a 10-shot final (one each day).  Team scores will be the totals of the two 3x20 scores for each day fired by the four team members.  In individual precision class competition, the competitors will fire two 40-shot standing courses of fire (one each day), with the top eight individual scorers each day firing a 10-shot final (one each day).  Team scores will be the totals of the two 40-shot standing scores fired by the four team members.  Final round scores do not count in team totals and all team members must be declared at registration prior to the start of competition firing.

5.   Targets and Target Seals

Official 12 bulls-eye 10-meter air rifle targets, designated as “NC-AR10,” will be used.  Official State Championship target sets with 2006 NGB Tournament Target Seals affixed will be forwarded to participating individuals/teams as soon as entry forms are received by the CMP.  Any State Championship scores fired on targets other than targets furnished for the competition with official target seals affixed will be disqualified. 

6.  Rifles, Clothing and Equipment

Sporter class participants must use air rifles and equipment as defined in Rule 4.2 (Sporter Air Rifle) and Rule 4.3 (Sporter Clothing and Accessories) in the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules.  Only Daisy M853/M753/M953, M888 and XSV40 and Crosman M2000 air rifles may be used in the sporter class.  Teams or individuals that use any other air rifle (i. e., RWS, El Gamo, Anschütz, Feinwerkbau and Walther, etc.) or that use shooting jackets must compete in the precision class.  Precision class participants must use air rifles and equipment as defined in Rules 4.4 and 4.5 (Precision Air Rifle) and Rule 4.6 (Precision Clothing and Accessories).  Shooting jackets, pants or special shooting boots may be used only in the precision class.  A sporter class air rifle may be used in the precision standing event, but no precision air rifle may be used in the sporter 3x20 event.  Shooters in both sporter and precision classes can use shooting gloves.  Anyone with questions about equipment for the sporter or precision classes is encouraged to contact the National Three-Position Air Rifle Council Rules Hotline, 419-635-2141, ext. 1102 or competitions@odcmp.com.

7. Team Competition

Sporter and Precision Team Entries:  Each participating organization may enter as many individuals as they wish in the State Championship postal phase. Participating organizations may have four or more individual shooters fire in the sporter class and may also have the same or other individual shooters fire in the precision class. Shooters in the NGB Tournament can shoot in both the sporter three-position and precision standing events. Participating organizations thus may have team scores in either the sporter or precision classes or in both classes. The organization's team score for the sporter and/or precision classes will be the total of the four highest scores fired by individuals representing that organization in that class, except that only two old shooter (see "New Shooter/Old Shooter Rule" below) scores may be counted in the top four. If your team qualifies for the National Championship, the four team members who represent your organization in the National Championship do not have to be the four high scoring members on your team in the State Championship, but they must be selected from shooters who participated in the State Championship in either sporter or precision class.

Only shooters who fire in the State Championship may represent an organization in the National Championship.

New Shooter/Old Shooter Rule: All teams in both precision and sporter class, are limited to TWO "old shooters" who are firing members. Sporter class competitors are old shooters if they fired as team members (not alternates) in the sporter class event at any previous NGB National Air Rifle Tournament (shoulder-to-shoulder). Precision class competitors are old shooters if they fired as team members (not alternates) in the precision class event at the 2003, 2004 or 2005 NGB National Air Rifle Tournament (shoulder-to-shoulder). This rule is designed to encourage organizations to continue to develop new shooters. Only the scores of the two highest scoring old shooters will be counted in team scores at the state postal and national shoulder-to-shoulder levels.