38 Colleges Receive NSSF Grants To Build Target-Shooting Programs...

[spin]

December 24th, 2009
December 22, 2010

(GunReports.com) —The National Shooting Sports Foundation has awarded a record-setting 38 grants totaling $190,000 to help both new and existing collegiate target shooting programs flourish.

Only two years old, NSSF's Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative has helped establish competition and club shooting opportunities at colleges across the country—from Harvard to Clemson and the University of Vermont to Montana Tech. This latest round of grants will support programs in 36 schools.

***snip***

Following are several Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative success stories:

* The Clemson University Shotgun Club was founded four years ago by a small group that enjoyed getting together to target shoot. Today the club has more than 95 registered members and a website and puts on "fun shoots" and learn-about-us barbecues. Demand for shooting sports education at the school—Clemson offers for-credit "shotgun sports" classes—has led to construction of three world-class trap/skeet fields and a 100-yard rifle range. "I know that without support from the National Shooting Sports Foundation and an overwhelming sense of pride by the club's members, we would not be where we are today," said student organizer Wake Fickey, who as a high school student competed in the NSSF-developed Scholastic Clay Target Program and now has helped his university build a premier program.
* New England has become a hotbed of collegiate target shooting. There are growing programs at Harvard, Harvard Law, Tufts, Northeastern, MIT, Yale and Brown. The New England Collegiate Clay Target Championships are an exciting highlight to the season.
* New programs debuted this fall at Stetson College and Colby College. Formed with encouragement from the Flagler Gun Club plus the school's athletic director and several enthusiastic students, Stetson now has 40 students participating, about half on the varsity team and half at the club level. "We like having these young men and women at the club," said Tom Wolfe, a Flagler Gun Club official. "Our members, who are largely older, say these students have brought a terrific spirit to the club." Stetson, located in Deland, Fla., wasted no time hosting the area's first intercollegiate shoot with Jacksonville University, the University of North Florida and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. An eight-to-10-school competition is being planned for March. "This program is contagious, and NSSF is right there providing assistance and intelligent counsel," Wolfe added.
* Stetson's success is a good example of how gun clubs work with nearby colleges to support their target shooting programs. Flagler Gun Club even created a special low-cost student membership rate so that students could participate at this members-only facility.

NSSF has long supported youth shooting programs for the Boy Scouts of America and 4-H and through the Scholastic Clay Target Program. The Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative works to provide a seamless "next step" for those who want to continue participating in the shooting sports, just as student-athletes do in other sports.

"It's only natural than students who have enjoyed target shooting in junior high and high school will want to participate and introduce their new friends to the shooting sports at college," said Snow. "Whether it's competing in intercollegiate matches or spending an evening with friends at the range, students can enjoy the type of target shooting they're comfortable with and learn about firearm safety through these programs."
http://www.gunreports.com/news/news/NSSF-awards-collegiate-grants_2578-1.html

NSSF Donates $109,500 to 16 Collegiate Programs
December 24th, 2009

From Ivy League to smaller schools, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has provided 16 colleges and universities with early Christmas presents — grants to help more students get involved in the shooting sports. Among the grant recipients are Harvard University, Clemson University, the University of Vermont, and Hillsdale College. “NSSF is making these grants available in response to a growing interest in the shooting sports on campuses across the country,” said Zach Snow, NSSF’s senior shooting promotions coordinator. “Graduates of scholastic shooting programs like the NSSF-developed Scholastic Clay Target Program want to continue participating in their favorite sport when they go off to college, and once there, they’re eager to introduce new friends, classmates and faculty to this lifetime activity. At the same time, collegiate shooting programs help create a positive image for the shooting sports and firearms ownership.”
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/tag/college/

SIC shooting team finds success
By Les Winkeler, The Southern thesouthern.com | Posted: Friday, May 21, 2010 1:00 am


(COURTESY) Caleb Collins fires a shot at the College Unions International Clay Targets Championships in April. A student at Southeastern Illinois College; the shooting team is an extension of the college's game preserve management program.

Just three years ago Southeastern Illinois College's shooting team was an afterthought. Now, it's a contender for a national championship.

The SIC shooters finished second overall in the College Unions International Clay Targets Championships from April 21 to 25 in San Antonio. The team finished second in American skeet and sporting clays, third in five-stand sporting clays and third in international skeet.

The shooting team grew out of the college's game preserve management and shooing complex management program.

"I think it's an evolution," said Bruce Hering, founder and administrator of the shooting and game management programs. "Three years ago, a bunch of students said, ‘Why don't we shoot this?'"

With little preparation, the informal team finished 10th.

"I was calmly pleased," Hering said.
http://thesouthern.com/sports/outdoors/article_d1eb57c6-645c-11df-82fa-001cc4c002e0.html

COLLEGE RIFLE SCHOLARSHIPS AND RECRUITING

For the more than 3.5 million high school students participating in competition riflery, most of you would be shocked to realize that your sport as well, has opportunities to compete and earn college scholarships at the NCAA level. Last year alone, the National Rifle Association donated nearly a million dollars to more than 300 youth shooting programs across the United States with the goal of continuing the rapid growth of this increasingly popular sport. All of the emphasis now placed on high school shooting programs is attracting more and more attention from the NCAA level. Although the NCAA does not recognize all kinds of competition shooting, 42 NCAA programs now sponsor the sport of small bore (.22 caliber) riflery.

***snip***

With such a limited number of scholarships available and so many high school shooters in need of financial aid, you may be thinking that only the elite shooters are capable of competing at the NCAA level, this is simply not true. With the NCAA sport of riflery still in its infancy, the vast majority of high school shooters do not even know that their sport exists at the college level. For this reason, college rifle coaches are constantly on the lookout for high school shooters willing to compete at the NCAA level. Once you have made contact with a coach, the need for college shooters makes riflery one of the most accessible sports in the NCAA with hundreds of very lucrative walk-on positions. But with only 42 schools in the country offering college riflery, the process of searching for programs and contacting coaches can be difficult and confusing. This is where an athletic recruiting company such as athleticscholarships.net can be an invaluable resource. With our database of more than 12,000 college coaches, including more obscure sports such as riflery, we have the knowledge and resources to put you into contact with NCAA riflery coaches who would otherwise be extremely difficult to find. In the past nine years, our company has helped hundreds of high school athletes reach their dream of playing sports at the college level. Statistics indicate that only about 5% of high school athletes will play sports at the college level. With our hands on approach, 85% of our clients go on to play sports at the NCAA level.
http://www.athleticscholarships.net/rifle-scholarships.htm

[virgogal]

1. Well I'll be darned. I didn't know this type of program even existed.

[safeinOhio]

3. I took shooting instruction classes in

both high school and college back in the 60s

[virgogal]

4. Amazing. I really am out of the loop. eom

[safeinOhio]

2. I'm all for this.

Target shooting is a great sport. However, I would hope most universities that take part will also ban or discourage NRA political propaganda like "Obama has a secret 10 point plan to take away your guns". It seems that whenever one buys a gun or takes any shooting or safety class they are asked to join and receive one of two NRA magazines that have articles like the "secret 10 point plan" one. Take the politics out of shooting and more people might get involved.

[friendly_iconoclast]

6. Where have you been? More people *are* getting involved, per the article.

As of now, if you want to have a competitive shooting program, it's the NRA or nothing.


And frankly, your friends in the various gun control orgs have only themselves to blame, since they either:

a.) are militantly "abstinence only" when it comes to guns, or

b.) interact with extreme reluctance with actual gun owners, and do not have any gun safety programs.

[safeinOhio]

7. If you want to falsely attach me personally to

various gun control orgs that are militantly "abstinence only", I would like to point out some of your friends that take the anti-Obama propaganda of the NRA to heart and act on it.
http://registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/25697582-41/turnidge-joshua-bruce-police-death.csp

In a trial that spanned three months, prosecutors portrayed Bruce and Joshua Turnidge as bigoted men who hated authorities, were desperate for money and feared that newly elected President Obama would take away their guns.
The homemade bomb killed state police bomb technician William Hakim, who was trying to dismantle it, and Woodburn Police Capt. Tom Tennant, who was helping.
Prosecutors urged jurors to sentence the men to death to prevent them from endangering prison staff or preaching their hatred for authorities to young prisoners who will someday be released. As convicted cop killers, the Turnidges will be popular in prison, they said.


Seems your friends interact with extreme reluctance to a half Irish President.

[friendly_iconoclast]

10. I apologize for the "guilt by association" slur. But -what's with the desire for censorship?

To wit:

However, I would hope most universities that take part will also ban or discourage NRA political propaganda....

Doesn't seem too far a stretch from that to this:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=118&topic_id=203717

Professor Called Police After Student Presentation

[safeinOhio]

11. Bans for private schools as

the 1st only protects against the government from censorship and discouragement is just that, unless other points of views are presented.
.

As I said, I took shooting classes in college and high school in the 60s. No NRA involvement what so ever. When the NRA sticks to education and safety, I have no problem and would gladly support them. However, with those 10 point articles in their mag and Ted Nugent on the board along with Palin as spokes persons, screw them.

I accept your apology and offer mine for what I linked you to.

It is very hard to refrain from adding personal comments to responses, I try until I am hammered. The point to consider is empathy for every one, disagree or not. Ones personal views are just that. Chances are if we walked in that persons shoes for a life time, we might have the same view.

[spin]

5. I remember a lot of companies had shooting teams years ago ...

If my memory is correct my half brother was on the Baltimore Sun rifle team which used .22 cal Olympic style rifles in small bore competition. The time frame was in the 60s and 70s.

He published a small newsletter dealing with the competitions in his area.

[pipoman]

8. Wait a minute..Wait a minute

Wait...a...minute...This can't be! Guns only have one purpose! Kill'in!

[lawodevolution]

9. Not only is this awesome but anyone who is anti-gun is going to bust an aneurysm reading this