CAMP RILEA, Ore. - Some may say genetics play a role in the skills we acquire through out our lives. Others may say that with hard work and dedication any skill can be learned. With Staff Sgt. Allen Spiker, Joint Force Headquarters, Salem, Ore., his skills in shooting may be a product of both.
Spiker has been in the Army National Guard for almost 20 years and has been shooting competitively since 1984. His first competition was the Adjutant General's Match, a competition held annually at Camp Rilea, where the best shooters in the Oregon National Guard compete. In 2002, he was placed in charge of range operations for TAG Match and has been in charge ever since.
Spiker has won so many competitions that he has boxes upon boxes of trophies and plaques. He has so many that he has stopped keeping track of them. Three awards stand out among the masses.
In 1997, Spiker reached the goal of earning a Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge and in 2000 went on to win a Distinguished Rifleman Badge. The Distinguished Rifleman and Distinguished Pistol Shot Badges are the highest honor that most military and civilian rifle and pistol shooters can aspire to earn and, Spiker's father has won both badges as well.
"He has never struck me as the kind of person that goes to a match with the thought in his mind that he was going to beat someone or was going to be number one," said Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Maries, JFHQ, a member of the Small Arms Readiness Team. "It's all about improving himself."
In 2001 Spiker received the President's Hundred Tab. The tab is awarded to soldiers for shooting exceptionally well with either the service pistol or rifle during the President's Hundred Match, an event that is held annually at Camp Perry, Ohio.
The event is open to all Service members, as well as civilians and law enforcement personnel. Approximately 1,600 people compete and only the top 100 win the tab and a signed letter from the President of the United States.
Spiker stays busy throughout the year sharing his knowledge. He is a member of the SART in Salem as well as the All Guard Service Team at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, North Little Rock, Ark. As part of the SART, he travels throughout Oregon working with units on their marksmanship. With the All Guard Team he travels throughout the Untied States teaching marksmanship on a larger scale.
Spiker has a lot of integrity and he sets high standards, said Staff Sgt. Gerald Golden, JFHQ, a member of SART.
"I am shooting at a level I never thought I would be at because of him," said Golden.
Anybody can learn to shoot really well if they are willing to learn, give it time for training, and understanding what they have to do to correct any bad habits, said Spiker.
"I can take poor shooters that want to learn and within a few hours can make a fairly big difference in the way they shoot." said Spiker.
Certain temperaments can compliment talents and the ability to interact with people. Spiker is very approachable and his relaxed mannerisms allow people to open up making them more likely to come to him with questions until they completely understand, Maries said.
"He is a walking encyclopedia of shooting, and I don't think that there's a single question that you could ask him that he wouldn't have an answer for," said Maries.
"I am always listening when he is around because I continually learn new things from him," said Golden
Maintaining composure in competitions can help prevent making mistakes that could cost competitors the prize.
"Shooting can be a very stressful event for a lot of people because it is very performance oriented," said Maries. "So being very calm and collected is very important in this sport."
"Some of the things that make him so special are that he not only has the knowledge and the tools, but also has the personality and the teaching skills that you don't find everyday," said Maries.