On Tuesday, July 21, junior shooters at the 2026 NRA National Smallbore Championship in Marengo, Ohio, will once again step to the line for the Whistler Boy Team Match—a competition whose lineage stretches all the way back to 1931.
Sponsored by Ruger and held at the Cardinal Shooting Center, the match will run in two divisions: Light Rifle and Precision Rifle. First-place teams in each division will take home a Whistler Boy Trophy Plaque and a brand-new Ruger 10/22.
You don’t have to be registered for the NRA National Three-Position Championship to compete, though competitors are encouraged to do so and take advantage of the junior clinic running during that phase. Coaching is not permitted in the regular match, but it is allowed for the Whistler Boy event. A picnic with all competitors follows later that day.
Registration is open on the range any time before 12:00 p.m. on the day of the match. Full details and rules are published in the official 2026 NRA National Smallbore Rifle Championship Program.
The Light Rifle division is designed to invite shooters who may not yet have the experience or equipment of a Precision competitor—a rifle weighing less than 8½ pounds with a trigger pull of no less than two pounds. Light Rifle competitors are not eligible for a slot on the Drew Cup Team. In both divisions, metallic sights are required and coaching is allowed. Match officials are particularly interested in seeing JROTC, Adventurers, Royal Rangers, 4-H teams and similar youth organizations on the firing line.
Each team consists of two junior shooters. Pick-up teams (those not from the same club or state association) are welcome but are not eligible for National Records under NRA rule 17.4. Each team also has non-firing captain and coach slots that need not be filled by juniors—home-team coaches, assistants or parents are all eligible.
Entry is $30 per team, or $20 per team if both shooters are NRA members. Teams representing a State Association must use the state name in their team name; club names are reserved for teams representing junior clubs.
The 2026 course of fire calls for 20 shots from each of the three positions—Prone, Standing and Kneeling—fired with metallic sights on the NRA A-50 target. Each team is assigned two firing points and shoots the match straight through, with no breaks other than target changes.
Firearms authorized for the 2026 Smallbore Whistler Boy Championship must meet NRA rules 3.2 and 3.7a (all equipment must meet NRA Rules). There are no further restrictions on slings or hand stops. Any questionable equipment may be referred to the NRA National Championships Referee, and current rulebooks are available on the NRA Competitive Shooting website.
Come to the Cardinal Shooting Center this summer, join the fun and become part of a tradition that has carried on since 1931.
