Should there be more marksmanship?

[freedom fighter]

Should there be more marksmanship in army cadets?

 

[Franko]

Short answer.....yes.

If the corps has extra time and is able to dedicate the resources required then by all means....go for it.

Most times they, unfortunatly, cannot and it normally gets thrown onto the back-burner so to speak.

A good shooting program requires both and these days it's not always an option....due to traing budget restraints, personal time of coaches etc.

Regards



Please fill out your profile and yes...I modified your topic just for a bit more clarity.   

 

[Scott]

I am with RBD on this one. I also think that safety issues can get in the way when dealing with children and firearms - even if it is an air rifle. So much is already expected of the CIC and volunteers that help with Cadets.

I also edited your profile. It says there that you're 14 but you had a 2Lt stripe for your avatar. I switched it to CADPAT so no one would jump on you for it.

 

[freedom fighter]

thanx
I wasn't sure what the acronym meant
Does Air Cadets or Navy cadets offer more marksmanship than Army Cadets?

 

[Caleix]

I wouldn't think, I was in Air Cadets for 6 years and whenever our team went to a competition it always seemed to be air and army that showed the most intrest in marksmenship. I'm not saying that the Navy Cadets dont like marksmenship but maybe they just had less practice nights and training, and that was why there wasn't many Navy teams at competitions. that's just an educated guess of course, take it all in a grain of salt.

Caleix

 

[freedom fighter]

Alright thanx....I didn't want to be missing any extra opportunities to be shooting a rifle.
Another question, off the topic of marksmanship...Do either of the three cadets, navy, army, or air, do more marching and ceremonial practises than the other...or are they about the same?

Freedom Fighter  :threat:

 

[ryanmann356]

They seem to do the same amount, it just depends on what regiment/squadron you join.  For marksmanship opportunities, again it depends on the regiment/squadron.  Some cadet corps'  are very close to their reserve regiment, so the senior cadets get to fire the large/small bore weapons a little more frequently than others.  My corps, hasn't has a reserve regiment for a long time since the miliatia was disbanded, but when we amalgamated with the BCRs in 2003 we have had 1 large bore shoot with the BCR reserves.  it just depends on your regiment/squadron.

 

[Biggins]

Prior to this yeah I was running range training for a minimum of two hours every sunday. Range was open to anyone that wanted to shoot, though preference was given to the range team and biathlon teams. We we're quite possibly the most active sea cadet unit on the range in Winnipeg. Other units shot once or twice a month. It depends on the availability of an RSO, and or Range Coach, both of which I am and available facilities. Since changing units in 05 it has become harder due to the location that we parade at as they have issues with us shooiting the building. IF I can find facilities that allow for shooting then I intend to start my marksmanship program again. 

 

[yoman]

Range seems to me as one of the most appealing aspects of cadets for a lot of people. But it seems to me that my unit is not taking this very seriously. This year we had about 6-8 range weekends (limited to selected flights) and 1 small bore shoot. All admit this is a huge improvement from last year where it extremely rare to have range weekends. We have 1 qualified air rifle RSO who is not always available, this is another problem.

A huge problem that I see occurring is that lack of proper training in respects to range. With air cadets, you see range in level 1 and that's it. I find this training/preparation not sufficient. I constantly see rifles getting banged around and in some cases, cadets breaking a part of the rifle. In my units, cadets do not know not to play around with the sights. This causes extream frustration for the people who want to be able to shoot and not spend their time sighting the rifles. It is also very dificult to train 60-70 recruits a year in proper marksmanship skills.

In conclusion, yes I think their should be more marksmanship.

 

[HUNTER67]

Yes
i agree with everyone ! I am a R.S.O.  for my cadet corp. and i have a son and daughter that  are one the rifle team.. my son went to the Canadian Nationals and won the silver medal and my daughter is at camp Counaught  training for Bisely ! they both love shooting and  get to travel the country doing it !! I hope more Corps. start running  marksmanship  programs .
Hunter67

 

[GAP]

As a parent that had 4 children at various times in cadets, I agree wholeheartedly. Every time they had the chance to use a rifle properly, they were hyped up about it. If there is one thing that overcomes the hours and hours of time spent doing other things, Range Time is #1.

 

[Centurian1985]

Unlike the current program, soldiers should be out there at least once a day every three months to keep up their skills, no matter what their occupation... it doesnt have to be live ammo, even practice on the sim ranges at some armouries would at least keep their techniques up.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I got my start in shooting through the cadets, we need more opportunities to train new shooters, my current range has a deal with the Local Air Cadets for shooting practice. Once you learn to shoot you can never really stop, it's to much fun!