AIAC Juniors head coach Peter Dorn (L) confers with
IL CMP Junior Director Raymond Odle at a recent 3P match.
Much of the success of the AIAC Juniors program can be
attributed to support provided by the CMP’s Raymond
and Tina Odle

Article and photos by Jay Vergenz

The Arlington International Airgun Club (AIAC) of Arlington Heights, Illinois, credits much of the success of its newly formed junior 3-position (3P) air rifle program to the guidance and training provided by the CMP’s Illinois Junior Directors Raymond and Tina Odle. The CMP-affiliated junior club, the “AIAC Juniors,” in its first year of existence has already begun to establish itself as a serious 3P sporter-class competition club. Drawing members from all around the Chicago area, the AIAC Juniors program now has over 35 students - making it one of the largest junior clubs in the area. Members of the AIAC Juniors have already won top regional sporter-class matches, and are preparing to set their sights on national-level competition.



AIAC Juniors coach and Range Officer Don
Weber oversees the firing-line during a recent
training session

In addition to the CMP, another important contributor to the club’s existence is their sponsoring school - Christian Liberty Academy (CLA) of Arlington Heights, Illinois. CLA has provided the club with locations for a 16-position 3P junior range and an ISSF-style adult air pistol and rifle range at the school. Without CLA’s support, AIAC and the AIAC Juniors program could not have been formed. They have opened their doors to a shooting club in an area that has seen the widespread closings of JROTC and other school-based junior shooting programs, almost entirely for political reasons.

The AIAC Juniors 3P air rifle program began in February of 2002 with a dedicated group of new coaches trained by the CMP’s Raymond and Tina Odle. Before long Don Weber, Ed Hewson, and Peter Dorn were on their way as new 3P coaches, with Mr. Weber taking on the task of assembling more than a dozen 3P pellet traps from the CMP-supplied plans. Most of the new coaches had no previous competitive rifle or coaching experience, but brought with them military marksmanship training, years of competitive pistol shooting, a number of state championship titles, as well as a will to learn. Joe Kabbes, a certified rifle instructor and the experienced rifle competitor of the group, soon became the club’s Junior Program Director. His competition experience helped the club develop its training procedures, while his instructor training was utilized to teach the required safety procedures to the students before they were allowed on the firing-line. The Odles were involved in all aspects of the club’s development from the start as well; they were instrumental in training coaches, helping locate financial assistance to buy equipment, in addition to making sure the club bought the right equipment from the right places. This alone has saved the program hundreds, possibly thousands, of dollars. The careful use of funds has enabled the club to provide its students with all of the equipment necessary to participate - everything from rifles to safety glasses and earplugs are supplied to each shooter for a minimal yearly membership fee.

AIAC also wishes to recognize the contributions of Matthew Suggs, Zeni Thakkar, Nikolay Rakov, Jim Miller, Jim Hill, Paula Lambertz, Jim Kinkade, Martin Edmondson, and Michèle Makucevich for their additional support and guidance.

With the support and training provided to its affiliated clubs by the CMP, almost anyone - with any amount of experience - can also succeed in developing their own junior shooting program. For more information about AIAC, please check out their website at www.aiac-airguns.org.