The Jerome Jr. Rifle Team, and their support roadies, traveled to Murrysville for the “Fall 2020” 22.cal 3-P Competition last Sunday. As usual, Coach Rininger set up the breakfast BBQ and good food was prepared for all. This event is at a the 50 yard outdoor range.

The Coach believes the Rifle Team functions better on a well balanced diet of fresh eggs, home grown meats and veggies. He claims the Team travels on its stomach.


Even the Team mascot, Bruno, wanted a custom-made egg omelet. His master, Nicole, gave him a kiss on the nose and an extra slice of cheese while his meal was being prepared.

Haley and Sienna were first to hang their targets and were happy to get the cool competition started.

The weather was a bit chilly as the temps dipped to the Frost Warning and most of our shooters insisted on wearing extra clothing, coats and hoods under their “Shooting Gear”.

Maryasa had a bit of trouble getting her shooting jacket on. Just too many layers. This makes for a very tight fit. It did make for additional support. How cold was it? 37 degrees at the start and cold fingers were the big complaint. Triggers are set at about 6 oz. and numb fingers make consistent pressure during each shot difficult.

Nicole was so cold she that had her hood on too, gloves were not an option. However, she asked her Dad to get her a warm hat.

During the last 3 Murrysville Competitions, the heat was on. By the afternoon rounds on previous shoots the temps were in the high 80’s. This cold spell was a big shock for the shooters.

Ruby and Elissa were ready to begin shooting, but notice that they’re both clutching their hands trying to keep their trigger fingers warm. During every Outdoor Match the weather plays a part in the scores. The elements, wind, fog, sun-glare, heat, all can get into the shooters mind-set. Indoor rifle events at the regulation distance of 50 -feet seem easy by comparison.

At 9:00 am the sun was shinning directly into the shooting lanes. This makes it difficult for the shooters to see their sights, so the roadies use sheets of burlap to act as blinders to block the sun. Sienna’s Mom and Elissa’s Dad were on duty to get the job done.

Sienna was not yet pleased with the sun blocking procedure. Squint!

Haley gave the sun-blocker a smile, it was working in her lane.

Sierra was good to go. She wasn’t letting the sun bother her aim.

Nick was focused on his targets, waiting for the match to start.

Elissa is always calm and cool at every competition, regardless of the weather.

Ruby’s ready, just waiting for the Range Officer to start the clock.

The Officials were dressed warm for the start of the clock, let the shooting begin.

Zach’s parents were keeping an eye on the competition.

Hannah was off to a fast start in the prone position. Open sights are the rule at 50 yards and the targets look like tiny black dots.

Zach was good with the sun blinders during the prone event.

When the match moved on to the “Standing” phase, the sun wasn’t as big a problem for Nick. But, he left the burlap blinder in place.

Hannah had no problems with the sun while in the standing position. Hannah and her team-mates to her right side had the help of the trees that border the range to provide a shady area. No blinders needed here.

The sun was still an issue with Ruby even with the standing position.

Time to change the targets, take a break, and check with the parents





Rows and rows of targets to score. It’s a big job for the Officials.




Mrs. LaPorta and Mrs. Fetterman volunteered to learn how to score. Great help for the Officials, thanks ladies.
The Murrysville Club house is the H.Q. for the rifle matches.

End of the day inside the clubhouse, waiting for the scores to roll in. The Official results will be sent by emails to the Coaches when all stats have been compiled. Coach Rininger said he was very proud of the effort our team made during this full day of shooting. Every shooter made progress in one or more in the 3-Positions and this is good news for future events.

Bruno did a great job as Mascot, he did slow the match a bit when he decided to check out the rifle lanes when the shooting began.

Bruno back safely in his master arms, a fine end to a beautiful day.