Cadets on target in national shooting competition

More than 120 sea, army and air cadets from across Canada took part in opening ceremonies of the 45th National Cadet Marksmanship Championship at Wurtele Arena. Photo by Captain Shirley Ho

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

Army, air and sea cadets from across Canada hit us with their best shots May 5 to 9 in this year’s National Cadet Marksmanship Competition held at CFB Esquimalt.

Equipped with Daisy 853C air rifles, 125 cadets, ages 12 to 18, took to the concrete floor in the Naden Wurtele Arena for the competition, guided under the same rules and regulations that govern Olympic shooting competitions.

Twenty-two teams representing all of Canada’s provinces, Nunavut and the North West Territories competed for team and individual medals while shooting from standing and prone (lying down) positions.

Individuals and teams competing in the nationals had won or were runners-up in their provincial or territorial marksmanship competitions in order to qualify.

Cadets were housed and fed at Work Point and Naden, and took part in several activities during their stay that included tours of Fort Rodd Hill, Hatley Castle, downtown Victoria, HMCS Calgary, and Zodiac boat rides around Esquimalt Harbour.

Captain Beth Devlin of Regional Cadet Support Unit (Pacific), an organizer of the event, congratulated senior leadership at the base and Personnel Support Programs staff for pulling out all the stops in making this year’s competition a success.

“The cadets got to experience things and see sites they had never seen before,” said Capt Devlin. “The support of the base and its staff has allowed us an experience for youth they just couldn’t get in any other program.”

After all the results had been tallied by the afternoon of May 10, winners were announced in the following categories:

Overall Team

Gold 2820 RCACC, Charny, QC; Silver 51 RCACS, Ottawa, ON; Bronze 907 RCACS, White Rock, BC.

Junior Individual

Golf Ruby Liu, 907 RCACS, White Rock, BC; Silver Genevieve Moreau, 755 RCACS, Stony Plain, AB; Bronze Isla Rennison, 51 RCACS, Ottawa, ON.

Open Individual

Gold Anna Belanger McGuire, 51 RCACS, Ottawa, ON; Silver Laurie Gonneville, 2595 RCACC, St Jean, QC; Bronze  Rachel Cameron, 676 RCACC, Georgetown, ON.