Junior Air Natonals History
The Junior Air Rifle and Pistol National Championship Match is rooted in tradition and a long history of competition. The match was founded by the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) in the early 2000s as a recruiting opportunity focused on high school athletes. It continued to grow under the AMU’s direction until 2020, when global shutdowns forced the match to relocate.
In 2021, the match continued under the name Pardini Junior Air Rifle Nationals (Pardini JARN) as a collaborative effort between the Army Marksmanship Unit, The X Count, and Pardini. The match was held at Old Mill Rifle Range in 2021 before moving to The X Count in 2022.
The US Army Junior Air Rifle Championship returned to Ft. Benning in 2023 for one final year under the direction of the AMU. Following that match, full administrative control was formally handed over to The X Count. With that transition, we officially renamed the match the Junior Air Rifle and Pistol National Championship and introduced its nickname, “AirNats.”
Since 2024, the AirNats Championship has been held at Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio, through a partnership between the CMP and The X Count—now Marksmanship USA—along with the many gracious sponsors who help make this championship possible.
Today, the Junior Air Rifle and Pistol National Championship remains the only national-level championship exclusively for high school athletes and their high school teams. While the name and location of the match have changed over the years, its mission remains the same: providing high school athletes with the opportunity to compete at the highest level of junior air rifle and pistol competition.
Junior Air Nationals
Sectional Qualifiers
Sectional Qualifiers are competitions held at host sites around the country from October 1 through November 30 and serve as national qualifying events for the Junior Air Rifle and Pistol Nationals. These matches give high school athletes and teams the opportunity to compete in a regional event closer to home while earning their place at AirNats. Host sites may offer qualifiers in Precision 60 Shot Standing in both rifle and pistol, as well as Sporter 3 Position Air Rifle. After the qualification period ends, championship invitations will be sent by email to the sectional host sites for distribution to the teams and athletes who qualify to attend the championship.
Sectional Resources
Sectional Qualifier Guidelines
Sectional Host Site info
Sectional Host Site Application
Host Sites and Competition Dates
Sectional OPEN Team Declaration Form (not applicable for local teams)
Sectional Qualification Results
In order to include everyone, not all qualifying host sites are able to upload scores to Orion. Only preliminary results are available at OrionResults.com.
Sporter Preliminary Results – Orion Results
Precision Preliminary Results – Orion Results
Pistol Preliminary Results – Orion Results
Official Sectional Qualification Results will be compiled and posted for arbitration after December 2. Any score or team discrepancies must be resolved by the host site’s Match Director before December 2, and by the National Match Director after that date. Following the arbitration period, invitations will be posted here and e-mailed to Sectional Host Site Match Directors for distribution.
2027 AirNats Championship
January 28-30, 2027
The AirNats Championship brings qualifying high school athletes and teams from across the country together at Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio. Athletes compete in individual and team events, with opportunities to earn national championship titles and compete alongside the best high school shooting sports athletes in the country. AirNats is a unique match where athletes, coaches, and families come together to represent their schools, support their teammates, and compete at the highest level of high school Olympic shooting sports.
Championship Resources
Match Program, Schedule, and Squadding
2027 AirNats Championship Match Program
2027 AirNats Championship Schedule v2
2027 AirNats Squadding
Registration Links
Match Scorecards
Day 1 Relay 1 Scorecards
Day 1 Relay 2 Scorecards
Day 1 Relay 3 Scorecards
Day 2 Relay 1 Scorecards
Day 2 Relay 2 Scorecards
Day 2 Relay 3 Scorecards
Prom Theme
Celebration on the Serengeti
This year, AirNats Prom takes you on a safari-inspired adventure with Celebration on the Serengeti. Expect an evening of treats, music, dancing, and a little bit of wild fun as we celebrate another great AirNats Championship together. Animal Print attire is highly encouraged.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
An enormous thank you to all of our sponsors! Their generous support helps make AirNats possible and allows us to provide high school athletes with an opportunity to compete at a true national championship. We are incredibly grateful for their continued commitment to our athletes, teams, and the future of junior shooting sports.
