Washington High School's Air Force JROTC marksmanship team is so good it's taking its show on the road.

The unit's No. 1 rifle team is set to leave next week for the 2012 Air Force JROTC Service Championship Feb. 8-12 at Camp Perry, Ohio.

The competition will give JROTC units and individuals who earned the right to represent their schools an opportunity to meet the challenges of a major shoulder-to-shoulder competition.

The Air Force JROTC Championship is also the qualifying competition for the 2012 National JROTC Championship. Individual and team Air Force JROTC Championship awards will be presented and the top unit teams and at-large individuals will qualify for the National JROTC Championship March 22-24 at the CMP Marksmanship Center-South in Anniston, Ala.

The team of cadets Kurtis Howard, Cody Barnett, Dani Liztenorio, Francesca Pratt and Michelle Woods qualified for the championship by finishing seventh out of 45 teams that competed in a postal match in November.

"It's our first time, so it will be a learning experience," said Col. John Pardo, the unit's commander.

Team members are excited to participate in the competition and can't wait to take aim at the top competitors in the country.

"It's an outstanding achievement," said Howard, a junior and the team captain. "The hard work paid off this year."

Although marksmanship is very much an individual sport, cadets say the bonds they've forged with each other have helped make the team compete at a higher level.

"It's both mental and physical, and you're trying to improve yourself, but focusing on your goals will benefit the team," Howard said. "We have friendly competition amongst each other. We try and help each other as much as possible."

The farthest the team has traveled this season for competition is Oak Harbor, and members are excited to get out of Washington and experience a major competition.

"I'm excited and a little nervous," said Liztenorio, a senior.

Throughout the season, cadets have learned something about themselves through competing, something they all agree has made the team better.

"I'm definitely more patient," Pratt said.

Self-awareness is also something that she has learned.

"That can be applied to other things in life," Pratt added.

Team confidence is also at an all-time high.

"It's about being focused," said Barnett, a junior.

But most importantly it will be about consistency, Howard said.

"If you shoot at a consistent rate, your chances of placing is better," he said. "We all know about our own set of skills and what we're aiming for."

"It's going to be fun," Liztenorio added.

Photo caption: Washington High School Air Force JROTC cadets Cody Barnett, Francesca Pratt, Dani Liztenorio and Kurtis Howard, from left, qualified for the 2012 Air Force JROTC Service Championship Feb. 8-12 at Camp Perry, Ohio. Michelle Woods, not pictured, is also on the team.