John Whidden (left) of Nashville, Ga., received the Tompkins Trophy and a Smith & Wesson .22-caliber target pistol from Mike Krei (right), Director of NRA's Competitive Shooting Division, for his victory in the 2007 NRA High Power Long Range Championship.

Whidden overcame a one-point deficit heading into the final day of competition, winning the Palma Individual Trophy Match with a score of 446-25X to claim the overall title. Reeve finished second overall with a score of 1236-65X, and SFC Lance Hopper of the United States Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) finished third with a score of 1233-64X.

Shooting in the second of four relays from the 1,000-yard line in the Palma Match, Whidden was unsure if his score would hold up for the win, especially with SPC Tyrel Cooper of the USAMU, the tournament leader at the time, and Reeve yet to shoot.

“I really didn’t know if my score would hold up because I know those guys can score well at any time,” Whidden said. “I had a real good 1000-yard string, but I just didn’t know if that was good enough to win.”

Swirling wind conditions made shooting a high score in the Palma Match extremely difficult, resulting in Cooper firing a 435-21X and Reeve a 442-23X.

“We had a fishtailing wind from behind and it was easy to get caught up in big changes,” said Whidden. “I just tried to shoot safe shots. There were lots of opportunities for danger.”

“I knew it’s a long race and at a lot of points the lead would change hands,” added Whidden, who lurked near the top of the leader board throughout until grabbing the lead at the end. “But I knew it’d be decided at today’s 1,000-yard line.”

Joe Sopko of Macungie, Pa., shot a score of 1190-29X to win the High Service Rifle title. Nancy Tompkins of Prescott, Ariz., posted a score of 1226-65X to win the Women’s National Championship.

The High Junior was Nick Mowrer of Ramsay, Mont., who posted a score of 1193-34X. The High Senior was Jon Rhynard of Haughton, La. Rhynard fired a score of 1232-51X. Samuel Garee of Canton, Ohio, was named High Grand Senior with a score of 1211-48X.

In addition, the open-sight Leech Cup and the any-sight Wimbledon Cup, two of the oldest trophies awarded at the National Matches, were won by Cooper and fellow USAMU shooter SGT Brandon Green, respectively, during Long Range competition. The USAMU also swept the team matches fired at the event, winning both the Roumanian and Herrick Trophies.

Approximately 350 competitors competed in the phase, shooting high power rifles in the prone position at distances ranging from 800 to 1,000 yards.

For more information about the NRA National Rifle and Pistol Championships at Camp Perry and other competitive shooting events or programs, contact the NRA Competitive Shooting Division at http://www.nrahq.org/compete.A complete list of scores from all phases of the National Rifle and Pistol Championships can be accessed at http://www.nrahq.org/compete/champ3.asp.

2007 Long Range Rifle Championship Results

National Champion:

John Whidden, 1241-68X Nashville, Ga.

Second:

Kent Reeve, 1236-65X Cary, N.C.

Third:

SFC Lance Hopper, 1233-64X Phenix City, Ala.

Special Categories:

High Woman:

Nancy Tompkins, 1226-65X Prescott, Ariz.

High Junior:

Nick Mowrer, 1193-34X Ramsay, Mont.

High Senior:

Jon Rhynard, 1232-51X Haughton, La.

High Service Rifle:

Joe Sopko, 1190-29X Macungie, Pa.

High Grand Senior:

Samuel Garee, 1211-48X Canton, Ohio