Kootenai Valley Rifle Club hosts championship meet

By Kathy Konek

On Saturday, the Kootenai Valley Rifle Club hosted the Junior Olympic Rifle State Championship for North Idaho. The scores shot at this match are combined with those from a match held at the rifle range in Twin Falls.

The winner will get an invitation to shoot at the National Match held at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan.

The competitors shoot a single shot .22 caliber rifle, with iron sights, at a target 50-feet away. To score a 10, the shooter must take out a dot the size of the period at the end of this sentence. They shoot 20 shots in each of the kneeling, prone and standing positions.

Competitors from the Kootenai Valley (KV) and Sandpoint teams were represented this year. Ellie Rutherford, of the KV team, was top shooter with a score of 533 out of 600 possible. Gretchen Weig from Sandpoint was only five points behind with a 527 and her teammate Ethnee White placed third, scoring 522.

These three along with Meggie Kahanek (KV) and Gabriel Lester (Sandpoint) filled the Under 18 year old category. In the Under 15 year old group, the KV rifle team would sweep.

Salix Harris was top shooter with a score of 502. Paige Sartell placed second, scoring 463 and Ilena Wenzel followed with 401.

Alora Rasor and Baylor White of Sandpoint and Seth Sanborn of the KV team filled out the roster.

Elijah Spencer from Boise, with a score of 574, was the overall winner for the state. Rutherford place third in her age category for the state. At the state level Harris is first in her age category and Sartell second.

Congratulations to all the participants. If you are interested in learning more about this sport or returning to it, as a junior or senior shooter, please contact your local rifle range.