Thursday, March 28, 2024

Straight shooter: GHS senior sets national record in local rifle match

Posted

Caroline Martin has her sights set on success — both figuratively and literally.

The Granbury High School senior set a Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps national record during the Comanche Peak Three-Position Air Rifle Excellence-In-Competition Cup Match on Oct. 4 at the GHS range. The Granbury Gold team won the Precision category with a total score of 2,361 points, ahead of the runner-up team, Jaguar Precision with 2,290. GHS Purple took third place with 2,264 points, and GHS White was fourth with 2,098.

Martin shot a score of 200 in prone, 199 in standing and 198 in kneeling. Her total score was 597 — three points shy of a perfect score.

The first shooting position, prone, is with the shooter lying face down on the ground. Martin explained that it’s sometimes viewed as the easiest and most accurate position.

“I shot 200 in prone so I was like, ‘OK, that's cool,’ and then standing is kind of the hardest position, but I work on standing a lot because that's what you shoot in the NCAA,” she said. “I shot a 199 in standing and that is like a position personal record for me. I was super excited and I kinda, like, knew I had the chance to shoot a national record.”

However, Martin had been struggling with the kneeling position in the past, and didn’t have time to practice before the event.

"I was just praying to break 590,” she said. “I wasn't expecting any greatness, but then my first 10 shots in kneeling were all 10s, and by then I was like, ‘Yeah, I'm gonna shoot a national record today — that's what I'm gonna do.’ That last shot in kneeling, my heart was beating, I was sweating, the gun wouldn't stay still, and I'm like ‘I cannot believe this is about to happen,’ and I ended up shooting a 10. A few minutes in between that — taking that shot and then everyone getting out from the kneeling position — it was like my mind was, like, in hyper focus and all I could think about was, ‘What just happened?’”

After the match, Martin’s father, Craig, plus her coach, Lt. Col. Scott Casey along with assistant coach John Becker, all came up to give her a hug, and she immediately became suspicious.

"I was like ‘Mmm, something's up,’ because it's like, a buff Marine guy gave me a hug,” she said, with a chuckle. “Then, they were like, ‘Oh, by the way, that's a national record.’”

Martin discovered that she not only set a national record for the MCJROTC, but also made a record for the entire JROTC program as a whole.

“On the Civilian Marksmanship Program website, they have a list of their position rifle precision records, and they have one for every JROTC program, so Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps,” she said. "Looking at the list of every single military JROTC national record, I beat every single one. So, if there was an overall JROTC national record, that would be mine.”

She also took a peek at the national records and found out she was ranked as the fourth-highest score anyone had ever shot in a sanctioned three-position match.

“On the drive home, I cried these tears of joy because this is something I've been wanting to do for as long as I can remember,” Martin said. “I didn't start out that well my freshman year. I was actually like, the worst on the team, and I've progressed. I've just turned into this like, great shooter and sometimes I look back, like, ‘How did this happen? When did this happen?’ and now I have a national record title — and that's really cool.”

Martin joined the district’s MCJROTC program as a freshman for the sole purpose of getting to be on the rifle team.

“I had attended the junior camp that they held for three years in a row before I started high school, so I knew that I really wanted to join the rifle team,” she said. “But it's definitely a great program. I've discovered a lot about myself that I probably wouldn't have known if I hadn't have joined JROTC."

As part of the rifle team, Martin practices Monday through Thursday, as the team works on building endurance and strengthening their mental mindsets.

“It's just like what any other sport would do,” she said. “There's not really a trick to success — it's just putting in the hard work. We're the most active team on the campus. Sometimes we practice seven days a week during the competition season or when we're about to go to nationals, so we definitely put in a lot of work.”

She said her favorite part about being involved in the JROTC program has been the friends that she’s made along the way.

"I've met a lot of people through the ROTC program who have just impacted my life in a great way,” she said. “A lot of my former teammates who've gone on to shoot in the NCAA, I still talk to them. They've given me advice and we correspond regularly. I'm also the public affairs officer, so being able to correspond with the public and having my friends who also have jobs (like) that, and we all work together, I think that's pretty important.”

Once Martin graduates from GHS this spring, she plans to attend a college with a great rifle program, like the Air Force Academy in Colorado, Murray State University in Kentucky or the U.S. Military Academy in New York. She plans to sign a National Letter of Intent with her college choice in November.

"I genuinely cannot believe what just happened, and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this,” Martin said. “I've struggled this year even, and I don't think there were any matches where I didn't struggle in a position but (on Oct. 4), somehow everything came together.”

"Caroline had a great performance and it was fun to watch,” Casey added. “She has been ‘knocking on the door’ of breaking the MCJROTC national (record) for a while now. The previous record was held by former teammate Philip Becker, GHS 2020 graduate, who now shoots for The Ohio State University. She has improved on the little things the past few weeks and was able to put it all together on the line in this match. Caroline is a great example of showing what you are capable of when your focus is on the right things. She has worked hard in the range — practicing every chance she gets — and it is paying off."

Martin said she would like to give partial credit of her national record achievement to her coaches, her friends, parents and the JROTC program.

"Everyone's just been, like, this amazing support system, and I don't think the team would function without everyone being here,” she added. “I wouldn't be able to accomplish the things that I have without them.”