CAMP BUTNER - Hanah Goetz was flat on her belly -- prone position -- with her AR-15 rifle pointed at a target 200 yards downrange. A Marine Corps non-commissioned officer acted as a rangemaster, barking instructions to the 30 or so shooters on the line. But this wasn't Camp Lejeune, and Goetz wasn't a Marine. She was one of 62 youths -- and one of 13 girls -- competing in the Eastern U.S. Junior Highpower Clinic and Championship. The first event at Camp Butner in 2006 had six girls among its 34 junior competitors.

During the six-day event, competitors received instruction from the U.S. Marine Corps Rifle Team, shot for scores, recorded scores for fellow shooters and pulled targets in the pits (worked the mechanically controlled targets behind an earthen berm downrange).

The competition and clinic was a six-day camp sponsored by the Civilian Marksmanship Program and the Sir Walter Gun Club of Creedmore. Among the competitors were the female shooters (self-dubbed Team Estrogen, complete with pink T-shirts for those who complete the week), who shot as well as many of the male competitors.

They shot AR-15 rifles (the semi-automatic civilian version of the military M-16) with iron sights and chambered in .223, at targets that ranged from 200 to 600 yards, and they shot accurately.

"It's empowering," said Goetz, a rising senior at Cary High. "Kind of being a minority, it's empowering to shoot a good score against some of the guys."

Goetz said she started shooting trap at age 12 and has been shooting highpower for roughly a year and a half.

"It's a little more faster paced compared to other shooting sports," she said.

She showed why. It was her turn at "sitting rapid fire," where she fired 10 rounds within 60 seconds at the tiny black dot 200 yards away. Her score was seven 10s and two 9s. She collected her brass casings and moved her equipment on a wheeled shooting cart to the 300-yard station, where the shooters would shoot their third of four stages that day, prone rapid fire (10 shots in 70 seconds). Staff Sgt. Memo Sandoval, a member of the Marine Corps Rifle Team from Quantico, Va., nodded his approval.

"For the most part, they are toe-to-toe with boys," he said. "Gender has nothing to do with it."

Rachel Jones, 18, of Raleigh was not scared, just hot. The 97-degree heat made it tough on the competitors, most of whom wore military BDU (Battle Dress Uniform) pants and often donned sweatshirts under heavy leather shooting jackets to reduce chafing and mute pulse beats.

Jones set up to shoot as Marine Cpl. Sean Harris told the shooters within earshot to "watch that wind -- the funny thing about this range is the wind can change in 30 seconds."

He proved prophetic. Jones shot a 174 with 3 X's and was not satisfied.

"No, the wind was shifting on me," she said while sporting a faded cap with N.C. State, her destination in the fall, on it.

Her scoring partner, Pierre LeClair, 20, was impressed, though. When asked about shooting with the girls, the Penn State sophomore said, "My impression is that girls shoot awesome. Her standing [position score] was awesome. She kicked my butt. Today was not my day."

Bob Hughes, a junior coach for Sir Walter Gun Club, watched Jones shoot.

"She's been a spectacular example of what a program like this can do for development in a kid," he said. "In five years, she's come to make her own decisions on the range."

Nearby, Jim Neri of Atlanta watched son Jake, 16 shoot. He gave insight into a parent's approval of competitive shooting.

"In this age of instant gratification, the goals and steps you have to take to be a good shooter are life lessons," he said.

After the first group shot, the competitors ate lunch, and the target pullers came to shoot their stage.

Elizabeth Herrman, 18, and Chase Johnson, 19, both from Cary, unloaded Herrman's gear. Johnson, an N.C. State sophomore, had a cast on her wrist from a recent surgery, so she not competing. The girls, lifelong friends, had an interesting start to their shooting careers.

"It started because we want to get into law enforcement," Johnson said, "and highpower is cool."

So the girls did a Google search for shooting clubs in North Carolina.

"We stumbled upon Sir Walter [Gun Club] and looked at match schedules and drove up one Saturday and asked about high-power shooting," Herrman said.

The person they asked was Hughes, who promptly called their parents to make sure they were aware of the girls' interest. They were. Hughes said the girls "mixed right in, did everything they were asked and shot well."

The girls sat in folding camp chairs as Herrman scored for a another competitor, waiting her turn to shoot. They answered questions in hushed tones.

Team Estrogen? Johnson said, "It's definitely brought the girls closer together."

As far as trying to beat the boys? Herrman looked up from her spotting scope and said, "We shoot for ourselves."