The rifle team is not nearly as talked about as it should be.
It is a sport that takes great concentration and skill. It is a
sport where men and women compete as equals. It is more competitive
than people think. A common misconception is that you must be in JROTC to join, but the rifle team is open to everyone.
Competition is broken down into two categories, precision rifle
and sporter rifle. Rifles are
cal .177 air rifles. The cost for the precision rifle is approximately
1,400 dollars to 2,400 dollars or more. Spoter rifles cost from
150 dollars to 800 dollars. To furnish each individual with all
the latest equipment can be very expensive. The Kentuckiana conference
which we are a part of, has 12 schools in it. There are ten from
Jefferson County, one from Indiana and one from Shelby County.
Competitions take place either here at Eastern or a one of the
other schools. Shooters are required to shoot in three positions
(standing, prone, and kneeling) for each match.
Being part of the team can be physically demanding. Shooters
should go without drinking any sodas, eating candy or items with
a lot of sugar and any caffeinated foods so they can give a 100
percent. Shooting also requires great mental concentration and
endurance, A safety class is required of each shooter and an examination
is given in which they must score a 100% on in order to shoot.
At the end of the regular season the team will compete in the
conference championship and then the State Tournament. This year's
tournament will be held in Henderson, KY. Also during the year
we compete in numerous postal matches and NRA matches.
It is a great sport to be a part of and anyone can do it that
has the desire and determination.
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