If any person deserves recognition for putting Amenia on the map, Eric Pueppke would have to be near the top of the list.
Amenia, official population 89, is a located along the Rush River in Cass County. A few miles to the south is Casselton. Fargo is about 25 miles to the east-southeast as the crow flies -- a bit further by paved roadway.
Pueppke was in Minot last weekend, helping out with the North Dakota Junior Olympic State Championship Shoot held at the Minot Rifle and Pistol Club indoor range. In North Dakota he works tirelessly with young shooters, teaching them the finer points of aim and sportsmanship with both rifle and pistol. Nationally he does even more.
"I'm on the USA Shooting National Coach Development staff. I train shooting coaches around the United States," Pueppke said in his soft-spoken manner, accompanied by a broad smile. "I'm also a Level 3 advanced pistol coach and am in charge of some of the Junior Olympics development camps down at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center."
All the while he was talking Pueppke was also closely watching young shooters prepare for their upcoming match. He enjoys helping young shooters with everything from proper footwear to choice of equipment to having complete control of their breathing prior to each critical shot.
Details are important to him. Any small procedure overlooked by a young shooter could result in a near miss of a tiny bullseye. Near misses are costly when the competition is keen. Pueppke and the shooters at the line, mostly in their early or mid-teens, were well aware of what would be at stake when the range was declared hot.
"This is an Olympic sport, so what they are trying to do is qualify to go to the national competition at Colorado Springs," Pueppke said. "This is the North Dakota Junior Olympic qualifying match. They hold one of these in each of the 50 states and have a score level they must meet.
"If they meet that score level, they'll receive an invitation to the National Junior Olympic Match," he added. "The winners there are selected for the National Development Team and, from those, the selections will eventually be made for the Olympic team. We're looking at the road to the Olympics here."
Road to the Olympics
Rick and Connie Jorgenson of Devils Lake, along with assistance from members of the Minot Rifle and Pistol Club, also played a leading role in the qualifying shoot. However, center stage belonged to the young shooters who were engaged in two days of tight competition.
"Connie and I scored a record 3,140 shots fired by 35 competitors in air rifle, air pistol, smallbore rifle and sport pistol," Jorgenson said. "This was the best turnout we have ever had for the Junior Olympic matches. We congratulate the parents and coaches for their commitment in support of the efforts of these young shooters."
Targets are small and precision is vital. Bullseyes are scarcely larger than the diameter of the .22 caliber rounds fired in smallbore competition. Tens are needed to win. A miss by an eighth of an inch can easily put the shooter in the eight ring, close but usually not good enough to take the gold. Shooters use excellent equipment from their choice of firearms to scopes to precision ammunition. Proper coaching and dedication is important.
"It's a very small target down there," said Pueppke, indicating the targets hanging at the end of the range. "These shooters are very good. It takes a lot of effort and initiative to do well. They are basically trying to wipe out a dot the size of a period. It takes a lot of training and organization."
In addition to mastering the finer points of shooting, shooters have to know their equipment extremely well. There are several adjustments that can be made to precision target rifles that can help the shooter find the mark, if the adjustment is made properly. Adjustments vary for all three positions of shooting -- prone, kneeling and standing.
Tradition
North Dakota's junior shooters have a history of doing well, thanks in part to mentors like Pueppke and strong junior shooting programs such as the one conducted at the Minot Rifle and Pistol Club. According to Pueppke, several national records were set by North Dakota juniors in the past 10 years and North Dakota shooters have earned respect for being among the best in the United States.
However, to Pueppke, shooting is not all about hitting the center of the target every time. Learning how to enjoy the shooting sports and how to be a good sportsmen is also given high priority.
In August 2009 Pueppke took a four member team of air rifle shooters to Fort Benning, Ga., for the Army Marksmanship Unit Air Rifle Championship. The team had qualified by besting a field of more than 1,000 other shooters from the United States, Guam and Japan at an earlier competition.
At the Fort Benning shoot the North Dakota team went into the championship round clinging to first place. During that final day shooter Matt Pueppke summoned the attention of judges. Pueppke explained that he was having equipment problems and that he may have accidentally touched off a shot while his gun was being set aside. There was no evidence of a shot being fired, no holes in any targets and no one else was aware if a shot had been fired or not. Nevertheless, Matt Pueppke said he should probably take a miss. Despite the setback, the North Dakota team emerged as champions.
Young Matt Pueppke's honesty didn't go unnoticed. At the awards banquet, a gala affair in which all military in attendance were in their dress best, the sergeant who was master of ceremonies cited Pueppke as a fine example of integrity, emphasizing that integrity comes before winning or losing.
"It is an individual sport. It's also a sort of gentlemen's sport where you can have a lot of fun. It's a great thing," said Eric Pueppke, Matt's father. "Kids learn a lot more than shooting when they enter junior shooting programs. Big kids, little kids, boys or girls, it doesn't matter. Shooting is a lifelong sport. It's a great activity."
