Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Amanda Elsenboss, 33, became the first woman to win overall in the President’s Rifle Match, an event that has been in existence since 1894.
The match, fired on August 1 as part of the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) 2022 National Rifle Matches at Camp Perry, the President’s Rifle Match is one of the most popular and esteemed events of the year in the United States. The top 100 scoring competitors are dubbed the praiseworthy President’s Hundred, with the overall title regarded as an enormously honorable feat.
“This has been a longtime coming—everybody thinks of the President’s Hundred Match,” said Elsenboss. This year’s President’s Match was full of challenges, according to the CMP story, including battling heavy winds throughout the day. Yet Elsenboss managed to reach a preliminary score of 297-9X—dropping only one point each in standing and prone positions.
“I shocked myself by shooting 99’s everywhere, and I owe it to my teammates and the other competitors on the line who let me ask them what wind they were using,” she said. “The camaraderie between all of the competitors is so large that no one’s going to try to hurt you. Everyone’s looking out for you. And that makes a difference.”
The President’s Match 20-person shootoff was next (fired after the qualifying round from the day’s course of fire), in which Elsenboss’ aggregate score was 391-12X. Elsenboss was able to hold her strong lead, making Match history.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without the help of my team,” Elsenboss said. … “I try my best to be an ambassador, being a female in a sport that’s a male dominant sport— knowing that juniors or other females in general maybe be intimidated and want to figure out shooting.”
Read the full story by CMP staff writer Ashley Dugan here.
