Katrina Demerle, 17, of Hamilton, Ohio, is unquestionably a legend of the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) Gary Anderson Invitational – having claimed overall wins in the junior air rifle event in 2018, 2019, 2020 and again, incredibly, in 2021.
Over 340 athletes competed in the 2021 match, which is held annually within the 80-point electronic air gun ranges at both the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center at Camp Perry, Ohio, and the CMP South Competition Center in Anniston, Alabama. The three-position (3P) competition facilitates athletes as they fire from prone, standing and kneeling positions.
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Last year, Demerle fired a new national Precision Individual 3×20 plus Final record score of 701.4 in her third consecutive Gary Anderson Invitational (GAI) win using her Pardini GPR1. She almost matched that score in 2021 with the same air rifle (which she named Giorgio), reaching another outstanding score of 700.6 overall to earn the top spot in the precision category.
“There was a little bit of added pressure [at this year’s Gary Anderson Invitational] since I wanted to have another consecutive win and also wanted to beat my national record from last year,” Demerle said. “But I’ve been competing in 3P since I was 10, so I feel very comfortable at Camp Perry.”
Competing in nearly 400 matches since 2014, the talented young athlete is a member of the USA Shooting National Junior Team for both international and three-position air rifle. Before the GAI, she had already marked a memorable year – earning second at the Junior Olympic Three-Position National Championships and the overall top score at the CMP Three-Position National Championships, becoming the overall winner at the Junior World Championship in Lima, Peru, and winning the Junior Air Rifle National Championship in international air rifle. Additionally, she currently holds six national records in total.
Demerle said she will continue on the rest of the year by competing whenever she can – and as for the GAI event…
“I will be back to try to win again next year!”
The Gary Anderson Invitational 3×20 sporter and precision air rifle event allows the competitors from Ohio and Alabama to compete against one another, even while miles apart. Along with qualification scores fired by each competitor, a 10-shot Final was held for all athletes on the line in 2021, with the top overall from both locations announced as winners.
Following in second behind Demerle in the precision individual competition, giving an exceptional performance, was Isabella Baldwin, 17, of Nashville, Tennessee, with a score of 697.8. Gracie Dinh, 15, of Starkville, Mississippi, fired 693.9 for third.
Overall teams of the event were also recognized, with Shelby County Shooting Sports from Alabama (Emily Buck, Grayson Ellis, Clara Bailey and Carley Seabrooke) reaching a score of 2321-134X for first. Ozark Precision from Missouri earned second, as Baldwin’s Tennessee Harpeth Hall team secured third.
In sporter individual action, Sydney Broussard, 17, fired a score of 646.9 to claim the overall win, followed by Asa Wells, 15, in second with a score of 644.9. Landing in third with a score of 640.3 was teammate Hanna McConnell, 17. All of the top three sporter athletes hailed from Ozark, Missouri (as did Elijah Glenn, 18, who finished in fourth).
Leading the sporter team category was Nation Ford High School from South Carolina. Members Maya Cameron, Kyle Orr, Isabelle Fetting and Caroline Audette attained a score of 2204-68X in the win. Nation Ford’s B Team also earned third overall. Coming in second was Broussard and McConnell’s Ozark team, with a score of 2178-59X.
Find a complete list of results of the Gary Anderson Invitational event on the CMP’s website at https://ct.thecmp.org/GAI21results.
View and download free event photos from the CMP’s Zenfolio page at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f437676248.
About Gary Anderson:
Mr. Anderson is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and also holds seven world championships, six world records and 16 national championships. He has won more Olympic and world championship three-position titles than any other American in history. In 1999, Anderson began a 10-year reign as Director of Civilian Marksmanship and retired in December 2009.
Today, Anderson serves as DCM Emeritus and remains a mentor for new and experienced, old and young shooters around the country through his articles and classes. Anderson’s advice is regularly featured in CMP’s junior magazine, On The Mark, and throughout the year during the clinics he leads at CMP events. In 2014, the CMP North Competition Center was renamed the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center, in honor of his years of dedication to the sport.
— By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Staff Writer
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.
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