“I THOUGHT I SHOWED YOU BETTER THAN THAT!”

Heads swiveled sharp left. Even under the weight of bulky earphones in the ROTC shooting range, the tone of Master Sgt. Rodolfo Blain’s voice was as unmistakable as the sound of exploding bullets. Arms folded across his chest, camouflage trousers tucked into his black boots, Blain eyed a shooter who had just emptied a clip somewhere in the general vicinity of a paper turkey dangling at lane’s end. We all knew, but dared not say, exactly what Blain had just discovered: that not a single feather on the target had been singed. Not good, if you’re in it to win.

Next?

Welcome to Turkey Shoot 2002, a Thanksgiving tradition that, despite its serious name, is really a fun, plucky adventure for a range of CMCers---from those who’ve never even fired a gun, to the seasoned veterans out for a little friendly competition. Blain says the idea for the Turkey Shoot was hatched several years ago under the command of now retired Lt. Col. Kevin Arnold and others, who saw it as an opportunity to raise awareness of military science’s presence on campus. “Everyone enjoyed the first one so much that it’s become a regular event,” Blain says.

The November contest is open to all Claremont Colleges students, faculty, staff, and spouses, and lasts about four hours at ROTC’s indoor rifle range, within the belly of Bauer South. Participants sign a waiver, get a brief introduction of how to load and fire a gun, then squeeze off five practice shots before shooting competitively. This year, the top three shooters of each hour won gift certificates, and winner overall (a CMC student who sunk 92 out of 100 possible points) took home a 22-pound turkey (though we hear he gave it away).

Of course, not everyone came to win. “I participated just for the fun of it,” said Jennifer Ward-Batts, assistant professor of economics. “Although I don’t consider myself an experienced shooter, I did learn how to handle and shoot a gun safely at a young age . . . I still have the practice target on my wall from last year’s turkey shoot, and it is marginally better than the one I just shot. I think I’ll mark the year on them and track my progress.”

ROTC commander, Lt. Col. Mike Murphy, was among the first to shoot for the chance to win the grand prize: a 22-pound bird.

Turkey call: Participants each fired 10 shots into the paper belly of a turkey. Each hour, gift certificates were awarded to the top three scorers of that time slot.

Laughing when it was all over, first-time shooter Monica Nelson '04 says entering the contest was her boyfriend's idea. Her final score? Out of 10 shots, one hit the target.