Johnson City marksman earns national championship title

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  Briley Sralla checks her equipment as she prepares to compete at the Civilian Marksmanship Program Three- Position Air Rifle Championships. Contributed photos

  Briley Sralla checks her equipment as she prepares to compete at the Civilian Marksmanship Program Three- Position Air Rifle Championships. Contributed photos
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  Texas Hill Country head coach Ron Haffner congratulates Briley Sralla on being on another national championship team.

  Texas Hill Country head coach Ron Haffner congratulates Briley Sralla on being on another national championship team.

Briley Sralla and the Texas Hill Country shooting team captured the 2024 national title from the Civilian Marksmanship Program Three-Posi- tion Air Rifle Champion ships July 8-10.

The three positions that are part of the competition are prone, standing and kneeling.

It’s the eighth time Sralla has been on the Texas Hill Country team that won a national championship, the club’s 10th overall.

"It's definitely real ly good,” she said. “All the attention is on you in a way. Our coach (Ron Haffner) picked those who are on the team. We are pretty good compared to most people in the country.”

Sralla, who will start her junior year at Johnson City High School, finished second over all in the 17-and-under division.

The size of what shooters are aiming for is the size of a period in 12-point font. Sralla hit that 54 of 60 attempts.

The competition drew 350 athletes.

What is the secret to her success?

“A lot of practice and trusting in your training,” she said. “You have to trust the process and prac- tice a lot. It's definitely multiple times a week for multiple hours.”

She believes that out-training, out-practicing and more hard work “can kind of overrule somebody else.”

She was especially thrilled to be apart of another national championship, pointing out the sport is more about being a family.

“It’s a very family-oriented sport,” she said.

“My teammates are like siblings to me and honestly, just winning makes it more fun for national championships and records.”

It’s an important year for Sralla. More college rifle teams are expressing interest in her, which is one of her goals. Five of her teammates will be on college rifle teams as true freshmen in the fall. “I’m still working on getting on the national team, so I can travel,” she said. “That’s my next goal. Everyone is always competing for those spots.”

Jennifer Fierro publishes reports about area youth athletic events on her website TexasChalk-Talk.com. To send her a note, email fierrojenni fer@yahoo.com.