2023 Texas National Guard Governor's 20 Competition

AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES

10.17.2023

Story by Sarah Snedden 

Texas Military Department

Texas is home to a unique and prestigious competition known as the Governor's 20. This annual event brings together the state's finest shooters to compete in pistol, rifle, machine gun, and sniper categories, vying for the coveted Governor's 20 Tab, a symbol of exceptional marksmanship skills for both men and women.
The Governor's 20 Tab is more than just a piece of cloth; it represents a level of excellence that sets shooters apart in the realm of marksmanship. Worn on the upper-left sleeve of the uniform below honor guard or other individual tabs, such as the President's Hundred, Special Forces, Sapper, and the Ranger tab, the Governor's 20 signifies a shooter's dedication, skill, and commitment in marksmanship.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Brown, State Marksmanship Coordinator, explains that the individual states decided to have a competition for their state’s top 20, and because not all states have this competition, it is an honor to wear the Governor’s 20 Tab.
“The top eight pistol marksman or women, the top eight rifle, the top two machine gun and the top two snipers make up the Governor’s 20. Soldiers that are involved, they are really motivated, the competition spurs them on to work harder at their marksmanship skills,” he said.
“Especially when they work shoulder to shoulder with other soldiers, they start knocking it out of the park, they start asking questions with one another, ‘How’d you get to this level?’ Then they share their knowledge amongst each other,” Brown added.
”It’s a privilege for all involved to give out the Governor’s 20 Tabs to the competitor’s. There have been some pretty amazing marksman within in the Texas National Guard that because of the additional training through these competitions, gave them better understanding and confidence when deploying down range,” Brown said.
Sgt. 1st Class Mark Montoya, TXSG, Task Force Center, competed in the Governor’s 20 the previous year in 2022. This year, he brought two teams from the boarder mission, Operation Lone Star (OLS) to compete.
“We all benefited from this competition, the pressure and stress under fire, often within a time limit through obstacles, tests their physical stamina, simulating times when your breathing can affect your shooting. The fact that I get to help other soldiers prepare for these events is rewarding,” Montoya said.
Precision and speed are the key factors for the first competition, the pistol category. Shooters are required to demonstrate their proficiency with handguns, highlighting their ability to hit targets accurately under time constraints. The top eight performers, in this category secure their place among the Governor's 20 to receive a tab.
Cpl. Jerah Hutchinson, 1BDE TXSG, which prepares soldiers for basic training, said she has wanted to compete for years.
“I have wanted to shoot in this competition for three years, there are about three other females that are competitive shooters in the TXSG, to be among these shooters, it’s a dream come true,.” she said.
The rifle category, tests not only marksmanship skills but also the ability to adapt to different shooting distances and stances. The top twenty percent of rifle competitors earn the Governor's 20 Tab, cementing their status as elite marksmen or women.
The third competition in the 2023 Governor’s 20 is the machine gun category. This introduces an element of controlled chaos. Shooters are tasked with handling automatic weapons, testing their ability to maintain accuracy while firing multiple rounds in rapid succession, with multiple moving targets in many firing positions.
The final category of the Texas Governor’s 20 Tab competition is the sniper live-fire. Precision and patience are the hallmarks of the sniper competition. Marksmen in this category must exhibit unmatched accuracy over long distances, often in challenging conditions. Earning the Governor's 20 tab as a sniper is a testament to their training, steadiness and assistance with their other team member.
Winner of this year’s 2023 Governor’s 20 Tap Sniper team competition were brothers Spc. Christopher Phillips and Spc. Tyler Pyrzanowski , both from the TXNG, HHC 3-141 Scouts.
Phillips, who won the 2023 individual sniper marksmanship and the Governor’s 20 Tab said, “I like being in the Texas Military Department (TMD), I was one of those guys who found there niche, college wasn’t for me, when I got in the TMD, its everything from the time commitment to the people that attracted me, it worked out really well for us, and the opportunity for my brother to join with me in the scouts, really worked out for us,“
Pyrzanowski added to his brothers comments saying, “One of the first things I noticed about joining the TMD and the Texas National Guard, and even during our selection process, the battalion commander was talking to us asking if we needed anything and the Sgt. Maj. was talking to us, the higher leadership genuinely cares,” he said.
Those who compete in the Texas Governor’s 20 are an elite group of marksmen and women in the Texas Military Department, and all show dedication, skill represents the finest in the Great State of Texas.

• Date Taken: 10.17.2023
• Date Posted: 10.31.2023 11:19
• Story ID: 455995
• Location: AUSTIN, TX, US