Garrett’s steady aim helped Raiders extend dynasty

Kaiserslautern freshman Kayla Garrett looks at the targets at the other end of the range during a March 10, 2026, practice at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Kayla Garrett’s plaques for winning the prone and best overall shooter at the 2026 DODEA JROTC European marksmanship championships have a curious neighbor in her bedroom: a small Spider-Man plushie.

It’s a part of a tradition she has with her father. The two have collected numerous stuffed prizes playing carnival shooting games over the years.

So, it’s just as important to her as any medal she has earned.

“He’s like my little motivational thing right next to my plaques,” Garrett said. “I love him so much. He’s so cute.”

Yet the sturdier hardware highlights how Stars and Stripes’ 2025-26 marksmanship Athlete of the Year has taken the DODEA-Europe’s JROTC shooting scene by storm.

Garrett rose through the ranks of the Raider shooting program, starting as a JV shooter before making varsity a couple of weeks in the season.

On Jan. 30-31 at Vilseck High School, Garrett topped the field with 1,159 out of 1,200 available points. The daughter of Richard and Michelle Garrett outearned teammates Analeiah Nieves and Joyce Truschinski by one point.

Garrett and her teammates cruised to Kaiserslautern’s third consecutive team title with a total of 4,626 points – a cushion of 54 points over second-place Ansbach.

Kaiserslautern freshman Kayla Garrett aims while in the prone position during a March 10, 2026, practice at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Garrett didn’t focus on the success of her first campaign at Kaiserslautern, though.

“I don’t really care about all the trophies we won,” she said. “I like the experience of traveling with my team and the team being proud of each other and themselves. I think that’s really what taught me that high school isn’t that scary.”

Prior to joining the Kaiserslautern dynasty, Garrett didn’t have much experience with air rifles.

Her father’s side of the family was more into pistols, which Garrett said she shot a few times when younger. She said Richard, a senior master sergeant in the Air Force, also went through numerous service marksmanship programs.

She said he was excited when Kayla showed an interest and aptitude in the carnival games, and that excitement grew when she expressed a desire to give the Raider marksmanship team a go.

“He’s one of those people that hates to take credit for anything,” Garrett said of her father.

Kayla Garrett praised her father for putting her on the right path for air rifles and taking her to train at the shooting club in Queidersbach – a community about 6 miles southeast of Kaiserslautern. She learned a lot, such as keeping her body locked down because even the slightest shake could throw off a shot.

That differs from the pistol, where arm stability is key.

Garrett also credited her teammates for aiding her adjustment, especially as she joined the varsity squad ahead of the European championships.

She said her coach, Bill Conley, told her that he could put in an alternate at Euros if the pressure proved to be too much for her.

But she said her teammates as well as her coach calmed any nerves. Garrett described how they made funny faces any time she looked back at them during competitions and how they pumped her up when off the range.

“I am a perfectionist on the inside. So, I shoot maybe a 9 here or an 8.9 there, and I completely lose it on the inside. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I need to get better, or the team’s going to fall apart.’ I put a lot of pressure on myself.

“So, when people around me are telling me that I’m doing good or just making funny faces and getting my mind off that, it really helps a lot.”

That experience left such a mark on Garrett that she said she wishes to pay it forward and help recreate the same atmosphere next season as she and the team try to defend their titles.

“I hope to really be the supporting person for anybody else but at the same time, I’m really excited to try to push myself further in the next couple of years and set higher targets for myself,” Garrett said.