JROTC is a large program at Fredericktown High School, with two extracurricular teams. Most talk about the Raider team, but there isn’t much attention brought towards the Rifle team.

The team consists of seven members this year: Ethan Orrick, Harold Bloodworth, William Holtkamp, Daniel Gerler, Teralyn Cox, Alyssa Sample, and Abigail Mcclelland.

Sadly, the team was unable to practice this fall due to a certification issue. The team did, however, host a competition for the members of the team with the winner taking home an air rifle. The rifle was awarded to Ethan Orrick, who performed very well.

The team would practice three days a week from three to five at the armory in town. They were trained by Paul McFerron, who would have the members practice firing in the three positions performed at competition: standing, kneeling, and prone.

One member who really caught Trainer McFerron’s eye was Daniel Gerler. McFerron noticed the most improvement in him, and even went to say he noticed good things that most others don’t see. This is due to his many years of experience in training young members.

Colonel Francis stated that there are currently no plans for practice in the summer, but they do have plans to begin training in the fall of 2019 for all new and returning cadets. He is enthusiastic for the future and foresees good things for the program in the near future.