In terms of sports, rifle is often thought of as one-of-a-kind. To the members of the rifle team, their sport is not only unique but a special part of who they are.
“I get a feeling [of] relaxation [when I shoot a rifle] because rifle [team] is a mental sport so you need to be relaxed,” said junior Bryce Collins, co-captain on the rifle team.
Recently, guns in the US have been a hot button topic, due to the high amount of school shootings and mass murders occurring across the country. As a result of these tragedies, a call for a nation-wide ban on guns and their respective activities has risen up. However, for the members of the rifle team, their understanding of guns is different from the world of hysterical politics.
“You don’t have to be nervous about guns if they are handled in a safe and responsible way,” said junior Sarah Fritzsche, a member of the rifle team.
Members of the rifle team have learned to properly respect and use firearms, and their example can help build a world where safety and guns can coexist.
“Rifle has taught me how to respect guns because I realized how safe [guns] can be when handled properly,” said senior Leah Han, captain of the rifle team.
Rifle team competitions occur at shooting ranges, and tend to be very fun for the participants. There are two teams for each school, the scoring team, made up of the more experienced players, and the shooters, who haven’t been on the team for very long. The goal is to get the most points by hitting the target, which is marked with several rings that have various point values. At the end of the competition, they give the teams with the most points gained and the players that did the best the awards.
“A win for the team is always really cool because it means that we put time and effort into [training] and we improved together and won… It’s rewarding to see yourself improve in a way that contributes to the team,” said Fritzsche.
This year, the rifle team placed fourth overall; but despite not breaking into the top three, they had the league’s best shooter, freshman Amity Ermarth.
Just like other sports, rifle team has its dangers. From an accidental discharge to a damaged gun, anything could happen. For this reason, responsibility is crucial. Shooters learn how to clean and manage a rifle, and how best to prevent accidents from happening.
“It’s important to keep it clean… [the team is] super careful when holding [a rifle] so they aren’t damaged, but even the slightest problems can affect a shot,” said Han.
The lessons learned with a rifle can also be applied to aspects of life. The responsibility learned from taking care of the gun can be used to develop organizational skills. By working as a team at the competitions, communication and listening skills can be fine-tuned. The team captains work hard to ensure the entire team feels valuable and respected, as well as show support to the coaches for the dedication they put into their jobs. These traits can help further on in life, from future jobs to family life. But most importantly, being on a Rifle Team is about having fun doing something you love.
“What I enjoy most is my teammates. Whether we’re competing in matches or having a team-bonding event, we all joke around and enjoy each other’s company. It’s really cool to be a part of that,” said Fritzsche.