Well, it took two years, but it was worth it.
Badge from FWRR Distinguished Rifleman Mike King
Geoff started his Distinguished Rifleman journey in June of 2022, earning 6 Distinguished points in the infamous boat match (the day the boat ran up on the rocks at Viale range). He earned 10 points at the Camp Perry NTI matches in 2022 and 2023. But, pursuit of Distinguished can be frustrating. Geoff took First Leather several times at other matches – and at Camp Atterbury last weekend he missed the cut by several points while his daughter Miss Emma took home her first eight points. But Camp Perry has been his happy place for leg points.
Geoff started the match Sunday with 26 leg points and he already had his hard points – it was still just a matter of cranking out those last four points – but still not an easy task. As Geoff and Emma started the walk down Viale Range on Sunday morning, it was raining lightly. But, by the time they reached the 200 yard line, the rain had stopped completely. In Geoff’s own words; “Right then I knew God was on my side today. It wasn’t an easy day – wind conditions were right at our backs all day making Offhand a real challenge for most everyone.”
For the day, Geoff shot a 475-14X, good for second place of Non-Distinguished shooters and eleventh overall in the match and 8 leg points – giving him a total of 34 points; four more than he needed to close out Distinguished Rifleman! In an impromptu ceremony after the match, Mike King presented Geoff with a Distinguished Rifleman hat pin to commemorate the occasion. Depending on how quickly scores are processed, Geoff will probably be formally recognized at a Distinguished Rifleman Ceremony at the 2024 National Matches.
Geoff acknowledges that without the encouragement and support of his father-in-law, long time FWRR member John Halter, he would have never grown to love and appreciate this sport!
Now Miss Emma – it’s your turn to take up the Distinguished Rifleman challenge!
on June 16