Bolivar R.O.T.C. sets sights on a national championship

Marksmanship team to compete in national competition

March 09, 2012|By Dustin Hodges, KY3 News | dhodges@ky3.com

BOLIVAR, Mo - The Bolivar Air Force R.O.T.C. program is taking aim at a national marksmanship title. The team finished second in the Air Force marksmanship competition in February and earned the right to compete in the All-Service Competition; and win or lose, they say they plan on putting Bolivar R.O.T.C. on the map.

"They're kind of the elite of R.O.T.C.," says Lt. Col. Patrick Sanders of his five member team, "We take it very seriously."

And even though they come from different levels of experience; "I've pretty much been shooting my whole life; my dad started teaching me as a kid," says sophomore Robert Heydenreich. "I never shot," adds Senior Filomena Rubio, "It was really new for me."

They have the same goal in mind, "Air Force, Navy, Army and Marines; colonel wants me in the top three for that," adds Heydenreich.

To be the best shooter in every branch of R.O.T.C. "Kind of the best of the best that's going to be down there for the all services competition," says Sanders.

"We're competing against every R.O.T.C. unit basically in the World; there are even schools from Germany and Okinawa Japan; D.O.D. schools that send over their competitors," says Sanders.

And even if they don't bring home first place, "Just try to do the best you can," says Rubio. "The Army usually dominates the competition," adds Sanders.

They know they'll make a name for themselves. "We started getting more people to know what R.O.T.C. was and the school got more involved with everything," says Rubio.

"We're such a small school compared to the other schools down there; population of about 750 students and we're competing with schools that are private and also schools that have 2000-2500 students in their high school and we get down there and they don't know who Bolivar is; then at the end of the competition they're like, hey you guys are pretty good," says Sanders.

Ozark R.O.T.C. will also be sending a team to the three day competition that begins March 22.
Shooters have to shoot ten shots at ten different targets from ten meters away and the teams top four scores are counted.

To pay for the trip to Alabama the team did some fund raisers and also got several local businesses to sponsor team members; and they say they'll be better next year, so they're already taking donations to send next year's team to Anniston, Alabama.

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