EDMONTON, ALTA. – This week, more than 125 cadets from across Canada loaded and fired their rifles at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. They were participating in the 36th Annual National Cadet Marksmanship Championship, held from May 9 – 15, 2010.
The National Cadet Marksmanship Championship was the final event in the year-long Marksmanship Training Program for cadets across the country. The level of skill required to qualify for this competition meant only top marksmen were eligible to participate.
Warrant Officer First Class Christopher White from 18 Dartmouth Lions Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron (RCACS), Nova Scotia, said, "All of the marksmen in this competition are very talented. Most of us have trained for several hours each week to perfect our form and precision."
The Cadet Marksmanship Program is an integral part of the Cadet Program. It teaches cadets self-discipline, builds their confidence, and allows them to compete equally in a recreational sport that is gender neutral. The Marksmanship Program is patterned on Olympic-style competitive shooting with an emphasis on the safe handling and care of firearms. Several Canadian Olympians got their start through the cadet program, including small-bore athletes Pat Vamplew and Mike Ashcroft.
The championship wasn’t all about competition.
"The National Championship is a great place to meet new friends from across Canada,” said Master Corporal Mitchell Murphy from 2733 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps (RCACC), Alberta.
With lots of energetic and robust competition, this year’s championship not only enhanced the skills of these cadets, it also offered them an opportunity to have fun and form life-long friendships – which is exactly what the Cadet Program is about!
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NOTE TO EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: For further information please contact Captain Kimberley Banaszkiewicz by BlackBerry at (613) 316-6545 or kimberley.banaszkiewicz@forces.gc.ca.
