Club sports at OSU: The Rifle Club

Not many people know what the second-oldest club on campus is.

In fact, many wouldn't even guess that it has been around since 1944.

The Oregon State Rifle Club has been around for 68 years, and is continuing to go strong.

They haven't lost a league match in five years, and have been dominant for the past seven.

"We have a very well-rounded team that continues to grow," said team president Nicholle Miller.

With 157 registered members, the team is able to have multiple people participate in matches.

"Whoever wants to come and shoot at matches can, as long as they have attended at least one practice," Miller said.

The team competes against other clubs across the Northwest in the Willamette Valley Rifle League.

Instead of regionals or nationals, they compete with clubs due to the fact that there aren't many close collegiate teams.

When they have matches, they take the top four or five participants' scores and add them up for the teams total.

If the team isn't able to make it to a match, they can pre-shoot, where they shoot at their own practice range, take the scores and send them into the league.

Many teams do this, even when some members are able to attend.

The team practices safety first.

"In all the years we have been a club, we have never had any incident happen, and we plan on keeping it that way," Miller said.

Before members can participate in shooting, they must attend one practice and go through the safety requirements.

Practices are held Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at the McAlexander Fieldhouse at the indoor target range.

At practice, members work on improving their target skills and are monitored by officers on the team to make sure that all safety requirements are being met.

"My favorite part about Rifle Club is being able to connect with other people," said vice president Kyle Rozman. "It is also a great place to go and relax after a long week."

One of the main reasons some people participate in Rifle Club is to relieve stress that college tends to bring.

Rifle Club isn't choosy when it comes to members. Whether you have no experience or have been shooting guns for years, they encourage everyone to come and try it out once.

"We are open to everyone and anyone. Our goal would be to have every student come out and try it at least once," Rozman said.

The mechanics of rifle shooting are different than that of any other gun you might shoot.

To be able to shoot, you have to know all the parts of the gun and concentrate before shooting.

Whether you have never shot before or want to just get a feel for what it's like to shoot, the Rifle Club would be more than happy to help you get your feet wet.  

Caitie Karcher, sports writer

Twitter: http://twitter.com/caitiekarcher

sports@dailybarometer.com