BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS OWNER
Top Photo: From left are Coach Anthony Kissik, parent Casey Raines, team members Jacob Edwards, Kris Cord, Natalie Smith, parent Seth Smith.
Anthony Kissik is the Millbrook American Legion Post 133 Rifle Coach and the American Legion Junior Shooting Sports Chairman. He runs the Air Rifle program for the American Legion in the state of Alabama.
He and some members of the Post 133 team were special guests at last week’s Millbrook City Council meeting. The visit enabled Kissik to give valuable information about the program to Council and guests and also talk about an upcoming competition Aug. 21.
“How many of you knew you had an Air Rifle Team here in Millbrook?” he asked. One hand raised.
The program has athletes ages 12 to 17 who learn and hone skills at shooting air rifles at 10 meters.
“The team has been here since 2016. We started in Post 133 and started shooting in their rifle range which is a dining room. That is where we started,” Kissik said. “Before Covid hit, we were up to 16 athletes. Covid decimated us and we came back down to about 10 athletes.”
Today the team shoots in the American Legion Headquarters building in downtown Montgomery.
“These are athletes and they practice as hard, if not harde,r than other athletes,” Kissik said. “We are trying to expand the team to 18 athletes. It is an indoor sport. It takes discipline, dedication, hard work, patience, drive, learning how to deal with pressure. It is no small feat what these kids are doing.”
Most area matches are in Anniston.
For the past few years the team has qualified for multiple championships. They travel out of state for some competitions.
“Come to the Cramton Bowl on Aug. 21. It is the Buckmasters Classic. It is being shot behind the Cramton Bowl at the Multi-Plex. Relays are at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. You can come and watch these athletes shoot.”
The team is made up of males and females, and can be an expensive sport.
“Our operating budget on a yearly basis is over $6,000 a year. The team has crosshair rifles, pellet guns. Those guns with the sights are over $800 each. They get a bag of equipment, shooting stands and masks, kneeling rolls, gloves, team uniform, spotting scopes, stands. The bag that they are issued is $1,500.”
To make this happen, the team does a lot of fundraising events. “We do pork roasts, tamale sales, there are grants. It’s the athletes that do most of the work,” Kissick said. Donations are welcome and appreciated.
If you are interested in learning more about the Junior Shooting Program, or perhaps making a donation to the program, contact Kissik at [email protected] or his office at 334-262-6638.
