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WHITEHORSE - For the second year in a row Fort Simpson will be represented at the national level for cadet marksmanship.

Two cadets from the 2860 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps of Fort Simpson were chosen for the team that will compete at the National Cadet Marksmanship Competition in Charlottetown, P.E.I., in May.

Cpl. Katelyn Harold, front left, and Master Cpl. Brandon Norris, front right, of 2860 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps in Fort Simpson won the honour of being part of the five-person team that will represent the territory at the National Cadet Marksmanship Championships. Other team members include, from left, back row: Master Cpl. Shannon Jennings, Master Warrant Officer Katharine Robinson and Sgt. Brendan Fleet, all from Yellowknife. - photo courtesy of Capt. Cheryl Major

Cpl. Katelyn Harold and Master Cpl. Brandon Norris were chosen for the five-person NWT team based on their performances at the Regional Cadet Marksmanship Competition that was held in Whitehorse on April 12.

Harold, who competed at the nationals last year, won four individual medals at the regional competition including first place in both the junior and open categories for the Western Arctic area.

Harold also came in first overall in the Northern region in the junior category and second in the open category where she was competing against 69 other cadets from across the Yukon, NWT and Nunavut.

Norris took second place in both the junior and open divisions of the Western Arctic area, which includes cadets from Whitehorse, Inuvik and Norman Wells.

Harold, 13, called her performance, "awesome." Out of a possible score of 400 Harold shot 377. She scored 97 on two of her scoring cards out of a possible 100, which means she only missed hitting tens twice in 10 shots. On her other two cards Harold shot 94 and 89.

Harold was struck by her achievement at the awards ceremony, where she found herself shaking. "I was happy and nervous at the same time," she said.

Norris, 14, was also pleased with his scores, the highest of which was 97.

"I really liked my personal performance," he said.

Norris said he's "really excited" about competing at the nationals in PEI, a province he's never been to before.

The two cadets weren't alone in their achievements. They were part of team of five Fort Simpson cadets who competed at the regionals.

The team, which also included Cpl. Jennifer Gast, Pte. Alicia Norris and Pte. Deidre Deneyoua, took first place in the Western Arctic area and second place in the Northern region with a score of 1,453 points out of a possible 1,600. Gast also won an individual award, placing third in the junior division in both the Western Arctic area and Northern region.

Getting high scores isn't easy. During the competition the cadets use Daisy air rifles to fire at targets 10 metres away while in the prone position. Each circular target is only 4.6 cm in diameter and the area the cadets need to hit to get 10 points is only 6 mm, almost the same diameter as the pellets they fire.

In order to succeed in marksmanship you have to control your breathing, said Norris.

Before each shot he takes two deep breaths and then half a breath and holds it for no more than 10 seconds before firing.

"The breathing really slows down your heart rate," he said, which helps keep the rifle steady. Everyone is very serious and no one is allowed to talk, he said.

Norris and Harold, who also acted as coaches for the rest of the team while they were on the line, had to write all their instructions on paper.

"It's quiet and kind of intense," said Harold.

The competition, however, was also a lot of fun, said Pte. Deidre Deneyoua.

Deneyoua, whose best score was 92 out of 100, said she enjoyed the event because it was something different.

The team's performance was celebrated in Fort Simpson.

"We're ecstatic," said 2nd Lieut. Steve Nicoll.

Cadets from the village do well in marksmanship because starting in the fall all of the cadets participate in the program, said Nicoll, who is one of the staff with the corps.

The corp also has a large number of well-trained and motivated staff who assist with the marksmanship program, he said.