In 2020, I was selected to be a member of the U.S. National Young Eagles Rifle Team. Being a Young Eagle has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life and it led me to competing in the Target Rifle World Long-Range Championships in Bloemfontein, South Africa, this past March (2024). Everyone involved has been looking forward to this competition, as it was delayed a year because of COVID-19. Even with the anticipation, the trip did not disappoint.

Shooting conditions in South Africa are much different from in America. For starters, in the U.S. we typically shoot prone slow fire with a scorekeeper. You have a designated amount of time to fire 15 to 20 shots, and you can shoot as fast or as slow as you like within the time limit. In South Africa, you shoot two or three shooters to a mound. Shooter one fires, shooter two gets ready, and shooter three scores for shooter one. After each shot, your duty changes (shooter three scores and so on). If you wait too long between shots, you can be thrown off the mound, and the rest of your shots won’t count. This is compounded by the fact that you must bring your gun up to the mound without its bolt. If you forget and bring it to the mound or leave with it in your possession, you could be disqualified from the entire event. Needless to say, you cannot exactly hobble up to the line, and as my teammates know, I am not the fastest guy in the world. Thankfully, I practiced, so it was never an issue.

Something I could not have prepared for was the wind. I was never amazing at wind calls when shooting the NRA National Championships in Camp Atterbury, Indiana, or the CMP National Matches in Camp Perry, Ohio, but the Gen De Wet range near Bloemfontein put those places to shame. Don’t get me wrong; I was not atrocious or anything, but I certainly was not the best wind caller on my shooting team. In South Africa, this was a whole different beast. There were wind conditions where you practically had to shoot at the target to your left and the target to your right within a minute. You must always watch the flags and mirage, and when you got on the gun, you had to shoot quickly so the wind would not change. I got my footing quickly and managed the unpredictable wind with fairly accurate wind calls that I was proud of. Sure, I was hugging the edges of the five-ring, but at least I was in there. Something else to note: the South African five-ring is equivalent to the 10-ring in the U.S.

Something I did not think I would enjoy as much as I did was meeting new people. I am friends with my fellow Young Eagles, and I have known the adults on the American teams (Palma, Veterans and Goodwill) for many years, so I did not expect to come away with new friends, but I did. The British Under-25 team were some of the coolest blokes and birds I’ve ever met, and Australia’s Under-25 team was not half-bad, either. While I had heard that some people could be standoffish, not one person I met wasn’t ready to help or just have a chat. While we were competing against each other, we were also competing with each other, and I am glad I got to meet so many cool people from around the world.

Meeting cool people was not exclusive to foreigners; the South Africans were really nice. Every person I met—besides some aggressive people at the airport—was down to earth, and they sure knew how to make good food. South African spices taste completely different from those you find in America, and it was a nice change of pace. I tried a lot of new dishes, like corn fufu and malva. Yet, I could not help but gravitate towards their steaks and escargot, as the two at a nice establishment like New York Restaurant or Margaritas Seafood and Steaks only cost about $10. While I gained a couple pounds, it was worth it to eat like a king.

During one of our few free days in Bloemfontein, our Team Adjutant, Sue Friguglietti, planned for us to go on a safari tour at Nature’s Pride Safari. Hats off to her because it an unforgettable part of the trip. My shooting team and I saw plenty of South African wildlife, from tiny meerkats to an enormous Nile crocodile. Highlights of the tour included a monkey perching on my shoulder, playing with a serval, cuddling with a cheetah and, of course, wrestling with some lion cubs. Never in my life did I think I would do that, and it was as awesome as it sounds. I also held their baby siblings, but saying I tussled with a lion is a lot cooler.

Traveling to South Africa was one of the notable experiences of my life and, like my dad, I can’t wait to go back. I want tothank all our sponsors—the NRA Foundation, the MidwayUSA Foundation, Sierra, the United States National Rifle Team, INC, and the many private foundations and individuals who have supported the U.S. National  Rifle Team Young Eagles.

– submitted by Max Mauer, member US Young Eagles Team, 2024 WLRC South Africa