CAMP PERRY, OHIO – While March is always unpredictable, we’re hoping the final blows of winter are behind us on the shores of Lake Erie. The First Shot Ceremony for the National Matches and CMP National Trophy and Games Matches is roughly 120 days away, so mark your calendar and begin planning your summer shooting activities.
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It’s been a relatively normal winter at Camp Perry, with snow being a constant companion.
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If you’re new to the National Matches, you may be interested in the following information about the summer event and some things to discover while you’re here.
The National Matches at Camp Perry are Open to the Public
While shooting sports are not always easy to follow due to their individual nature, there are still plenty of opportunities for shooting fans and the general public to see and experience the color and fanfare of contemporary marksmanship.
Camp Perry, home of the National Matches, is six miles west of Port Clinton, Ohio on the shore of Lake Erie. It’s an Ohio National Guard training site that is open, except the ranges when they are in use, for you to explore and learn about its history and purpose.
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In the first storm of the winter, lake effect winds blanketed Rodriguez Range and the rest of the training site with drifting snow.
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During the National Matches, spectators are welcome to bring their spotting scopes or binoculars to the ready line behind the competitors to get a bird’s eye view of the matches. If you know what match you’d like to watch, simply review the match program and schedule posted on the CMP website.
Safety is the highest priority of all shooting events and clear and understandable announcements are made near the firing line throughout the matches. If ever in question, feel free to ask one of the many soldiers or range personnel for assistance and they will be glad to help.
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Freezing rain coated everything one day in late February.
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Visit In-Processing Upon Your Arrival
If you need assistance in finding your way around or locating the time and place of a match or event, stop by the CMP In-Processing center in Building 3 (center of the V-shaped arcade building at the east end of Lawrence Road). All competitors are required to check in at In-Processing to receive their CMP competitor packets. CMP Programs headquarters in Building 3 are open year-round, so feel free to stop in or call if you have questions.
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The CMP program headquarters building takes on a drift from winds out of the west.
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First Shot Ceremony – 6:30 p.m., Monday, 11, July, 2011
Each year the First Shot Ceremony kicks off the National Matches when the guest speaker fires the ceremonial opening shot on the 600-yard Rodriguez Range at the conclusion of remarks. Dignitaries from the CMP, National Guard, NRA, all branches of the armed forces and government representatives will be on hand.
Public viewing from bleacher seating is open to the public and encouraged. Fanfare including a color guard, a military band, military aircraft flyover and precision parachutists from the Ohio Air National Guard Special Forces make for an exciting opening to the Matches.
NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships
Each year, the National Rifle Association conducts its National Rifle and Pistol Championships as part of the National Matches. Top civilian and military competitors, both individuals and teams, from across the nation come to showcase their marksmanship skills and compete for trophies and recognition.
CMP Marksmanship Center
Plan to visit the CMP Marksmanship Center while you’re here. Our 80-point indoor, climate-controlled air gun range is a state-of-the-art 10-meter shooting venue that’s on par with Olympic ranges around the world. Try your hand at sporter air rifle or the new National Match Air Rifle (AR15 clone).
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Temperatures in the teens and twenties prolonged icing for three or four days.
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The range is open to the public and re-entry matches will be held throughout the National Matches. It’s a great, low-cost way to experience competitive marksmanship. The range is normally open on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and air gun rental is just $5.
For more information about the National Match Air Rifle (NMAR) program, click here.
Camp Perry Training Site
The Ohio National Guard operates Camp Perry and on occasion gives tours of the camp. Most of its roads are open to vehicular traffic and the OHNG encourages the public to come out and learn about the training site, the many uses of its facilities, and the countless men and women who have passed through its gates as members of the armed forces, marksmanship instructors and competitors. For more information, contact the OHNG at 419-635-4021.
Camp Perry boasts the largest outdoor rifle range in the world. The firing is conducted in the direction of the open water of Lake Erie, just beyond an earthen berm and the targets. The original land for Camp Perry was purchased in 1906, and the reservation was named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the American naval commander who won the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
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Even the M42 “Duster” on display in the historic military vehicle park took on a glaze of ice.
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During World War I, Camp Perry served as a training center for Army officers and marksmanship instructors. During World War II, Camp Perry served as a POW camp for German and Italian prisoners and most of the small POW hutments built for that purpose remain today.
President’s Rifle Trophy Match Shoot-Off – 4 p.m., Monday, 1 August, 2011
Approximately 1,200 competitors will attempt to win or at least reach the top 100 place finishes in the 2011 President’s Rifle Trophy Match. The qualifying event is fired with a service rifle - 10 shots standing at 200 yards, 10 shots rapid-fire prone at 300 yards and 10 shots slow-fire prone at 600 yards.
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Target markers on Rodriguez Range take a beating in the summer and winter.
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A treat for spectators, the top 20 competitors will line up shoulder to shoulder and fire an additional 10 shots prone, slow fire at 600 yards in front of spectators at the foot of Rodriguez Range, just off the Shooters’ Memorial Plaza. Each competitor’s shots will be marked on large scorecards in plain view of spectators who can follow the shoot-off to determine the best of the best. The top 100 will receive special recognition as the President’s Hundred. A trophy and awards presentation is made upon conclusion of the match on the firing line.
Commercial Row
Whether you’re a competitor, casual shooter or collector, Commercial Row awaits you with new and used firearms, ammunition, competition gear, parts, accessories, apparel and more. Commercial Row consists of several buildings leased as retail space by manufacturers, retail firearms stores, resellers and specialty shops during the National Matches.
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Commercial Row, normally a beehive of activity in the summer during the National Matches, goes dormant in the winter months.
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If you’re a shooter who forgot a cleaning kit at home or looking to add to a shooting collection, chances are you’ll find something of interest on Commercial Row, opposite CMP Headquarters on Lawrence Road.
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As many National Match participants know, it can get pretty warm in the Camp Perry huts in the summer. They cool down nicely in the winter.
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If you have any questions about National Matches, please feel free to contact the CMP at
info@odcmp.com or (419) 635-2141. To view photos from recent and past events, log onto
http://cmp1.zenfolio.com. For more information about the National Matches, log onto
http://www.odcmp.com/NM.htm.
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