Talladega, AL - The Civilian Marksmanship Program introduced its first Pistol Marksmanship 101 class and accompanying M9 EIC pistol match on Wednesday, 17 March at the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park ahead of rain and thunder later in the day.

At the match, Michael Cameron, 65, of Baton Rouge, LA, earned his four introductory Excellence-In-Competition pistol points toward 30 required to earn a Distinguished Pistol Shot badge. With a score of 244-1X, Cameron was tops among the points-eligible shooters. He was followed by LTJG Brandon Critchfield, USCG (219) and CPT Jennifer Creasy, USAR (209).

Arthur Rubin, 61, of Lincolnwood, IL, led all 16 competitors in the three-stage match with a score of 249-1X. Rubin earned his introductory EIC pistol points in 2013. The match course of fire includes 10 shots slow-fire, 10 shots timed-fire and 10 shots rapid-fire, all at a distance of 25 yards.

The class was led by retired US Army Marksmanship Unit member, Jim Henderson, who now works part-time with CMP and assists its Education and Training program. “Hendo,” a 10-time National Matches President’s 100 Pistol winner, has logged an impressive resume of bullseye pistol championships at home and abroad over his 30-year plus career. He is also the Pistol and Rifle Manager at Ohio’s Cardinal Shooting Center, located in Marengo, north of Columbus, Ohio.

CMP’s Pistol Marksmanship 101 class is modeled after the AMU’s Pistol Small Arms Firing School (SAFS), conducted at Camp Perry, Ohio, each summer at the outset of the National Matches. It is CMP’s traveling version of the school which instructs basic bullseye pistol marksmanship and closes with the EIC pistol match. With smaller participant groups at CMP’s traveling match program, the school offers much of the SAFS experience in a more concentrated environment.

Like the CMP’s Rifle Marksmanship 101 cousin, the pistol school begins with a classroom session where instructors cover basic marksmanship techniques and prepares attendees for the live match. The smaller class size allows for a significant amount of conversation on a variety of shooting topics and details of the sport.

For more information about upcoming CMP events and schools, visit the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/training-tech/marksmanship-101/. For questions, contact Amy Cantu at acantu@thecmp.org or 419-635-2141 ext. 602.

-- By Steve Cooper, CMP Education & Training Manager

The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.