Iqaluit (May 09/05) - Young cadet sharpshooters from Nunavut took aim at an air rifle marksmanship competition held in Yellowknife in late April.

Karielle Mackey of Iqaluit holds her scope at the Northern Region cadet air rifle competition in Yellowknife recently.

Nathaniel Chouinard, 17, from Arctic Bay shot well enough to make the Northern regional team, which will travel to the nationals held in Quebec City later this month.

He credits a marksmanship camp he attended two summers ago in Ottawa for his sharp aim. He practises every weekend for six hours.

"It makes me calm, focused on things," he said. "And I feel good when I'm shooting."

For 13-year-old Pete Enoogoo from Pond Inlet, the trip was his first visit to Yellowknife and a chance to meet cadets from around the North.

He was so nervous his hands shook, but he pushed through and came out third in the group of five from Pond Inlet - not bad, considering he only joined cadets last September.

The two who placed ahead of him had several years more experience over him.

Afterwards he relaxed by bowling for his first time.

While the Pond cadets didn't make the nationals this year, civilian instructor Julie Lohnes said she could see them improve in front of her eyes. They're hopeful they'll reach that level next year.

"They improved over the weekend, so I feel if they stayed longer they would have done even better," said Lohnes.

During practice back home, the Pond Inlet cadets concentrated on forming a tight shooting pattern.

However, when they arrived in Yellowknife, they quickly realized that getting as many shots close to the bullseye is what counts.

That was but one lesson learned during the competition, Lohnes said, and their growth gave the cadets a taste of future victories to come.

"By the end, they didn't want to leave."