Henry Daily Herald

Selena Powell earned the distinction of top shooter recently at the 2012 Navy JROTC Area 12 Championship in Anniston, Ala.

A quiet Selena Powell approached the target with clarity and focus that rivaled several of her more-experienced peers, and she won the day.

The 16-year-old accomplished the highest individual feat at the 2012 Navy JROTC Area 12 Championship, held recently in Anniston, Ala. She won the gold medal for individual precision shooting.

Powell is a junior on Henry County High School’s Navy JROTC Air Rifle Team, and is in her second year of precision shooting. She acknowledged that, even though the championship was her first top-tier individual air rifle match, she “would have been disappointed” had she not performed well.

The shooter, who does not count herself among her school’s athletes, has been a member of the air rifle team since her freshman year. Although she had not been around guns, while growing up, she said, she liked the sport and the competition immediately, once introduced to it.

Powell is one of the team’s veterans, having shot in air rifle’s sporter division her freshman year. The experience, she said, added to her sense of duty to do well for her team.

“The last time, I didn’t do as well as I should have,” said Powell, who found comfort from her teammates, who shot beside her. “I was scared,” she said. “I’m always nervous before we shoot, but I think it makes me focused. I just tried to black out my mind.”

Powell, in an instant, became a formidable asset for her team in competing nationally in air rifle competitions, according to Henry County High Navy JROTC Capt. Steve Seal, her coach.

Seal is in his third year at Henry County High. He also coached four years for the Luella High School Navy JROTC Air Rifle Team.

“I’ve coached all-state shooters and national-level shooters,” Seal said. “But this, I think, is the first one that was proven to be the best in a competition. You can’t say much more than ‘first place.’”

Seal pointed to Powell’s gold medal as evidence of her potential. “Powell also became the first African-American shooter to win the gold medal in the 12-year history of the region championship,” beamed Seal. “I’m so proud of her that I don’t have words to express it. It took nerves of steel to do what she did.”

Seal said his pupil began the “finals” match for the top eight shooters in fourth place. “Her steady progression of perfect shots brought her into the lead by the ninth of the 10-shot finals,” he said. “She sealed the gold medal by firing a perfect ‘10’ on the last shot.”

Seal also expressed his confidence in the school’s team as a whole. “I was proud of the team, too,” he added. “It was quite an accomplishment to finish third.”

Henry County High placed third as a team in the regional air rifle competition. Air rifle teams from Union Grove High and Luella High placed first, and second, respectively.

Union Grove and Luella also had high individual placements in the regional competition, according to final results from the Civilian Marksmanship Program.

Union Grove’s Nolan Ripple placed second in precision air rifle, behind Powell. Rounding out the top 10 precision shooters were: Abigail Rigsby, of Union Grove High, in fifth place; Michael Morrow, of Luella High, in sixth place; Jory Folker, of Luella High, in seventh place; Austin Garvey, of Union Grove High, in eighth place; and Alexander Hughes, of Union Grove High, in ninth place. Miller Mitchell, of Union Grove High, placed sixth overall in the sporter competition.

Seal noted that Union Grove, Luella, and Henry County high schools compete regularly at national competitions, and as teams representing Henry County, they have won national championship trophies in nine of the last 10 years.

The teams all have invitations to compete in the 2012 Secretary of the Navy JROTC National Championships, to be held Feb. 12-14.

Luella High plans to defend its Secretary of the Navy title this month in Port Clinton, Ohio. The air rifle team won the national competition in 2011.

“We have a chance,” said Chief Tim Welch, who coaches the Luella team.

Welch said he is confident, despite the team’s having only one returning shooter. He said the team consists of three seniors and three juniors, and five of them are new to the precision team.

“If they are focused, and have their concentration, they have a good shot to win,” he said. “If they shoot to their abilities, we’ll have a chance.”