Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Whitney Hughes | Pennsylvania National Guard member Staff Sgt. Amanda Elsenboss, a member of the All...... read more read more
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FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. -- A Pennsylvania National Guard Soldier recently broke two national shooting records at a marksmanship competition in Ohio.
Staff Sgt. Amanda Elsenboss, an instructor with the Marksmanship Training Unit, Pennsylvania Joint Force Headquarters, broke two national records in the National Trophy Rifle Team Match during the 2021 CMP National Trophy Rifle matches held at Camp Perry, Ohio, July 26 through Aug. 9, 2021.
Elsenboss earned the Pershing Trophy for the High National Trophy Rifle Team Individual and the Rattlesnake Trophy for the High Army Individual with a score of 500-34x.
A Woodbury, Conn., native, Elsenboss said shooting has been a part of her life since she was young.
“I originally got into shooting from my father, who is a competitive shotgun shooter,” she said. “He got me started shooting sporting clays, trap and skeet. After that I started smallbore, .22 caliber, shooting when I was nine. I grew up shooting in a small club that shot against four other clubs, and would shoot in the basement of a church.”
As Elsenboss got older, she transitioned to higher-powered rifles.
“From smallbore I went to a high-power clinic and shot the AR15 for the first time when I was 13," she said. "I was instantly hooked and fell in-love with it instantly. I have gone to the National Championships every year since then – other than 2020 which was not held.".
While shooting with the Connecticut State Rifle and Revolver Association, Elsenboss realized that she wanted to continue to shoot competitively and she wanted to do it in the military. She joined the U.S. Army and became a part of U.S. Army Marksmanship unit at Fort Benning, Georgia.
After getting out of the Army, Elsenboss transitioned to the Pennsylvania National Guard and became a part of the All-Guard Marksmanship Team.
Shooting high-power “across the course” and “long range,” are the two types of shooting that Elsenboss competes in, and ones that she really enjoys, she said.
“Across the course is with the M16 /AR15 rifle and shot from 200 to 600 yards. Long range is with a 6.5 Creedmoor (caliber), and primarily shot at 1000 yards,” she said. “I enjoy long range shooting because there are so many different factors that can affect your bullet during that 1000 yards; ranging from a small mistake that I may make with the sights, or a quick wind change that I may not have caught.”
To help improve her shooting, Elsenboss has worked to develop her procedures and her focus to maximize her abilities at longer ranges. Simple things like placing her data book, ammunition, sweat towel, and pen, in a specific place has helped her focus on her shooting, she said.
“I have done a fair amount of work on my mental management and the ability to calm down and work my way through different situations," Elsenboss said. "When on the range it is easy to get sidetracked and start focusing on something other than the task at hand. By being able to refocus or having small cues it helps to set me in the right mind set."
During the competition at Camp Perry, Elsenboss’ practice and training paid off as she performed above her own high standards.
“This year at Camp Perry during the National Trophy Team Match, a 6-man team match, I fired the second perfect score that has ever been fired in that specific match a 500-34x out of 500-50x,” she said. “The old record was a 500-15x. While other 500's have been shot in that course of fire, it is thought that this may be one of the highest scores shot by a service rifle.”
More recently, Elsenboss won the Canadian Cup and placed second overall in the long-range aggregate at the NRA Longrange Championships, which concluded Aug. 19 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana,.
Elsenboss credits the Soldiers from the teams that she has been a part of, the friends that she has made, and her family, for helping and supporting her.
“My career has been assisted along the way by different people in the military and by those out of the military,” she said. “It is important to have a cheering section and a team that knows how to get the best out of each other. If everyone is just trying to make themselves better, the team as a whole will never get better and stronger together.”
| Date Taken: | 08.25.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.25.2021 15:52 |
| Story ID: | 403902 |
| Location: | CAMP PERRY, OH, US |
| Hometown: | WOODBURY, CT, US |
| Web Views: | 444 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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