DOPEAF

Christian Fleming

Program Founder / Lead Instructor

Chris was an avid, amateur hunter as a young man. As a child, he enjoyed hunting squirrels and whitetail with his father. He joined the Marine Corps in 2000 where he was assigned to an Amphibious Assault Team at Camp Lejeune, NC as a 240G Machine Gun Team Leader, where he
participated in the invasion of Iraq as a member of Task Force Tarawa. Post deployment, he reenlisted and transferred to Virginia Beach working as a martial arts instructor for the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. As he began to advance as an instructor, it became apparent that teaching was his calling. Chris then transferred to an elite testing facility at Camp Pendleton, CA working as a black belt instructor, marksmanship instructor, and Platoon Sergeant. Chris separated from the Marine Corps in 2008 to pursue his passion for teaching as an Instructor
Trainer for the Navy’s Center for Security Forces. Teaching firearms and tactics domestically led to a position with Blackwater training Afghanistan Border Police on counter narcotics operations. While working in the Nangarhar Province, his vehicle was struck by an IED, resulting
in the loss of both legs below the knee.

Within a year, Chris was teaching advanced firearms skills to private and government agencies for US Training Center. Chris also competed at a national level in shooting competitions, from 3- Gun to Precision Rifle to Action Pistol, across the country. Chris left New England in 2018 to focus on philanthropy as a full-time volunteer for Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA). HAVA’s mission is to offer wounded and combat-returning
veterans a chance to experience the outdoors on the range, on the water, and in the blind. After ammunition became difficult to source for HAVA’s firearms classes, the charity supplemented with shooting traditional archery. This reignited Chris’s passion for the sport. In an effort to improve his technique and skills, he researched a hunting style archery course. Unable to find what he was looking for, he began to train himself. He created practical drills to
mimic conditions found in the field- shooting under par times to create a high stress environment, firing from compromised positions, and learning holdovers. After working through the techniques, friends began to ask for training. Shortly after, DOPE AF was created.
Data on Previous Engagement Archery Fundamentals was conceived from the ideas learned in dynamic firearms training. DOPE, a commonly used acronym in long range rifle shooting, is the art of collecting data on training sessions, allowing the marksman to be fully confident in their equipment under any circumstance. DOPE Archery Fundamentals gives professional enthusiasts and hunters the opportunity to get dialed in.

His vision is to create a place for archers to assemble, test their skills and collect data, offering them the best chance to win.

Holly Herzberg

DopeAF Instructor

Raised in a household where safety and respect for firearms were taught from a young age, Holly had an early appreciation for marksmanship and the patience that is required to achieve it. In her earlier years Holly was introduced to archery where she learned the fundamentals of shooting. This along with shooting with her father, lead to Holly beginning her first job in 2017 as an intern with Spector Tactical, a small firearms training company that focused on long range and short range precision bolt gun instruction. After leaving Spector Tactical Holly remained a part of the shooting community and is always improving her skills as a hobbyist.

In 2020 Holly was accepted to Keene State College to follow a degree in Psychology and Marketing. She used this time as well to work with multiple local businesses to address their social media and marketing needs. After receiving her diploma in 2023,

Holly made the transition to Connecticut where she connected with D.O.P.E. Holly is excited to see DOPE AF’s vision come to life and have fun in the outdoors at the same