Wiesbaden Warrior Battalion marksmanship team prepares for JROTC National Air Rifle Championships

Writer – Cadet 2LT Elizabeth Berg

Photographer – SGM (Ret) Allen Ashton, Army Instructor

Point of Contact (SAI/AI Names) – LTC (Ret) Jon A. Ring and SGM (Ret) Allen Ashton

Earlier this year, the Wiesbaden Warrior Battalion Marksmanship team competed in the Gary Anderson Competition at Camp Perry, Ohio in the JROTC Service Championships. When the scores were tallied at the end of the two day event Wiesbaden High School’s Warrior Battalion had finished in third place in the Army. This success set them on the podium and the opportunity to accept an invitation to return to Camp Perry and compete in the JROTC Nationals. On the team there are 5 cadets, four of them will compete while the fifth will stand ready as an alternate. At JROTC Nationals, our team will compete against 17 teams and 17 individuals from all 4 services. The competition will span across two days with cadets firing 20 shots in kneeling, prone, and standing positions each day.

When asked about her feelings on this opportunity, C/SGT Sohpia Durant said, “It’s been, and continues to be an honor to have been chosen to be a part of the team going to nationals. While my nerves are huge as we get closer to the date, I know that no matter how our team places or scores on the national level, each individual shooter will be doing their best when the time comes. This marksmanship season has been one of continuous records, giving me no doubt that the effort we put into this sport will bring on another successful trip on both personal and team levels.” The team continues to train and prepare until they leave this friday.

This year’s marksmanship season has been the most successful to date. Earlier this year the Marksmanship program qualified two teams to compete in the JROTC Service Championships. They also won second place in the DoDEA Euro finals. They have set school records in every category and have risen to one of the top teams in the entire JROTC. There remains only one record the has to break Cydnee Lassiter’s two day total at CMP match of 1,163 points. In the 2025 JROTC Service Championship Aidan Sweney fired an impressive 1,162 point effort and set the school record for a 3×20 with 586 points on Day 2.

When asked about her feelings on going back to Camp Perry, Ohio for JROTC Nationals, C/LTC Cydnee Lassiter said, I am pretty excited about going back to Nationals. It is the first time that the Wiesbaden High School JROTC team has made it to the JROTC National Championships. So it’s a pretty big deal to compete against the best of the best from the other services. Previously, we have only made it to the second round, or Service National Championships. For our first time going, I think we will come back with several personal records and earn more points for CMP’s Junior Distinguished Badge.