Marion’s Junior Olympians perform well
Two Marion High School JROTC cadets recently competed at USA Shooting’s Junior Olympics. Shooting in the International Air category, sophomore Andersson Guevara and freshman Danielle Purdy were among an elite group who qualified to attend the competition held at the Olympic Training Facility in Colorado Springs. Both represented themselves well during this high-pressure competition featuring the very best junior marksmen from across the country.
A total of 178 female shooters and 152 male shooters competed in the Junior Olympics.
Purdy was one of just 20 competing in the female under age 15 category. She finished an amazing 13th place among her age competitors.
“It was so cool to be able to go to Colorado and compete in this event,” she said. “I was so nervous but glad I was able to shoot my average.”
Her coach said that steadiness was a credit to her.
“Danielle basically shot her averages both days during the competition,” said retired Lt. Col. David Farlow, coach of the Marion rifle team. “If you can shoot your average in at this, the highest pressure match that she has ever entered, that is doing very well.”
Her teammate, Guevara, started off a bit slow during the first day of competition. But during the second day he was able to shoot his average as well while competing in the male under age 18 category. He finished 64th from among the 84 within that category.
“During the second day of competition I was able to better control myself and settle down,” Guevara said. “It was a great experience to compete at this level.“
Farlow said that turnaround was impressive, too.
“Andersson had to fight the nerves during that first day,” Farlow said. “He really felt the pressure. But the second day he was able to gain better control and really turned in a solid performance.”
The Marion rifle team has earned numerous accolades throughout this season, winning state championships, earning berths to compete at multiple national championships, along with these two earning spots at the Junior Olympics.
The future for the team looks good, Farlow said.
“We have a very young team with no seniors and only one junior,” said Farlow. They will continue to improve in the coming years.”
The trip to the Junior Olympics was a very expensive venture, he noted, but the community really came through in a big way to give these two marksmen an opportunity to achieve, and make life-long memories.
“The generous donations from the community and matching funds from the Marion High School Alumni Association made this trip possible,” Farlow said. “We are truly grateful for the fantastic support.”
Marion Community Schools is grateful to Lt. Col. Farlow for his leadership of this team and the MHS JROTC program for the past 13 years. He is retiring from that role at the end of this school year.
