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March 6th, 2019
“March Madness”, the annual NCAA college basketball tournament, is less than two weeks away — the 2019 Dates are March 19 through April 8. Here’s a clever guest article by Hap Rocketto that examines the game of B-Ball and explains why shooting targets is actually more difficult than shooting hoops. This story originally appeared in the Hap’s Corner section of Pronematch.com. Hap is a rare talent in the gun world — a serious shooter who also has unique insights, and a great sense of humor. We recommend you visit Pronematch.com to enjoy the many other interesting Hap’s Corner postings.
 by Hap Rocketto
I know shooting is tougher than basketball…. Come on, just how difficult is it for five tall guys to help each other toss a big ball into a basket? Granted basketball is more physically demanding than shooting a rifle, but I think that blasting a quarter-size group into the center of the target at 100 yards all by yourself is a far more difficult task than working as a team to dunk a ball.
Therefore, in the style of former Late Night talk show host David Letterman, I have constructed a list of ten reasons why rifle shooting is tougher than basketball.
| TOP TEN REASONS Why Rifle Shooting is Tougher Than Basketball
10. When you get tired in basketball the coach just calls time out and replaces you with someone fresh. Not so in shooting.
9. When’s the last time a basketball player had to make a shot with the sun in his eyes?
8. How often does a basketball player have a perfectly good shot blown out by the wind?
7. If a basketball player places a shot a little higher than intended, no problem. The backboard causes the ball to bounce into the basket. No such luck in shooting.
6. Rifle matches commonly run all day. When was the last time you saw a basketball game run more than an hour or so?
5. If you’re not making your shots in basketball, you can just pass the ball to someone who is hot. No such convenience in shooting.
4. Rifle bullets travel faster than the speed of sound (roughly 300 meters per second). Basketballs top out at around 15 meters per second.
3. A basketball player can shoot from anywhere on the court that is convenient and comfortable. All riflemen shoot from the same distance.
2. A basketball player may shoot as often as the opportunity arises and is not limited to the number of shots taken. A rifle match requires that each rifleman shoot the same number of record shots. If they shoot more than allowed, then a penalty follows.
1. And the Number One reason why shooting is tougher than basketball is that, if you miss a shot in basketball you, or a team mate, can just jump up, grab the ball, and try again. Try that in shooting.
The only real similarity between the two sports is that a competitor attempts to score points by shooting. In rifle it is through a hard-hold and easy squeeze in prone, sitting, kneeling and standing; while in basketball it is via hook shots, jump shots, lay-ups, or the dramatic, ever crowd-pleasing, slam dunk. |
 About the Author: Hap Rocketto is a Distinguished Rifleman with service and smallbore rifle, member of The Presidents Hundred, and the National Guard Chief’s 50. He is a National Smallbore Record holder, a member of the 1600 Club and the Connecticut Shooters’ Hall Of Fame. A historian of the shooting sports, his work appears in Shooting Sports USA, the late Precision Shooting Magazine, The Outdoor Message, the American Rifleman, the CMP website, and Pronematch.com.
Credit John Puol for finding this article and communicating with Hap Rocketto.
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March 24th, 2016
We are in the midst of “March Madness” — the annual NCAA college basketball tournament. Here’s a clever piece by Hap Rocketto that examines the game of B-Ball and explains why shooting targets is actually more difficult than shooting hoops. This story originally appeared in the Hap’s Corner section of Pronematch.com. Hap is a rare talent in the gun world — a serious shooter who also has unique insights, and a great sense of humor. We recommend you visit Pronematch.com to enjoy the many other interesting Hap’s Corner postings.
 by Hap Rocketto
I know shooting is tougher than basketball…. Come on, just how difficult is it for five tall guys to help each other toss a big ball into a basket? Granted basketball is more physically demanding than shooting a rifle, but I think that blasting a quarter-size group into the center of the target at 100 yards all by yourself is a far more difficult task than working as a team to dunk a ball.
Therefore, in the style of Late Night talk show host David Letterman, I have constructed a list of ten reasons why rifle shooting is tougher than basketball.
| TOP TEN REASONS Why Rifle Shooting is Tougher Than Basketball
10. When you get tired in basketball the coach just calls time out and replaces you with someone fresh. Not so in shooting.
9. When’s the last time a basketball player had to make a shot with the sun in his eyes?
8. How often does a basketball player have a perfectly good shot blown out by the wind?
7. If a basketball player places a shot a little higher than intended, no problem. The backboard causes the ball to bounce into the basket. No such luck in shooting.
6. Rifle matches commonly run all day. When was the last time you saw a basketball game run more than an hour or so?
5. If you’re not making your shots in basketball, you can just pass the ball to someone who is hot. No such convenience in shooting.
4. Rifle bullets travel faster than the speed of sound (roughly 300 meters per second). Basketballs top out at around 15 meters per second.
3. A basketball player can shoot from anywhere on the court that is convenient and comfortable. All riflemen shoot from the same distance.
2. A basketball player may shoot as often as the opportunity arises and is not limited to the number of shots taken. A rifle match requires that each rifleman shoot the same number of record shots. If they shoot more than allowed, then a penalty follows.
1. And the Number One reason why shooting is tougher than basketball is that, if you miss a shot in basketball you, or a team mate, can just jump up, grab the ball, and try again. Try that in shooting.
The only real similarity between the two sports is that a competitor attempts to score points by shooting. In rifle it is through a hard-hold and easy squeeze in prone, sitting, kneeling and standing; while in basketball it is via hook shots, jump shots, lay-ups, or the dramatic, ever crowd-pleasing, slam dunk. |
About the Author: Hap Rocketto is a Distinguished Rifleman with service and smallbore rifle, member of The Presidents Hundred, and the National Guard’s Chief’s 50. He is a National Smallbore Record holder, a member of the 1600 Club and the Connecticut Shooters’ Hall Of Fame. A historian of the shooting sports, his work appears in Shooting Sports USA, the late Precision Shooting Magazine, The Outdoor Message, the American Rifleman, the CMP website, and Pronematch.com.
Credit John Puol for finding this article and communicating with Hap Rocketto.
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March 22nd, 2015
Just a week after securing a third straight NCAA Rifle Championship, the West Virginia University (WVU) Rifle team has notched another impressive team victory. At the 2015 NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championships, the Mountaineers just won the Smallbore Rifle competition, compiling an aggregate 2116 team score (out of a possible 2400). Now WVU hopes to win the combined Smallbore and Air Rifle events to secure the overall Championship.
After clenching the Smallbore Championship, the Mountaineers carry a 17-point lead into today’s Air Rifle competition at the USAMU’s facility at Fort Benning, Georgia. In second, with their eyes still on the Championship trophy, is Clemson University at 2099. Penn State rounds out the top three with 2084.
Photos courtesy NRA Competitive Shooting
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March 14th, 2015
Congratulations to the University of Nebraska’s Rachel Martin, the new 2015 NCAA Smallbore Rifle Individual Champion! Competing at an indoor range in Alaska, Rachel fired a Final score of 453.3 to edge runner-up Ryan Anderson of the Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks (452.6). The NCAA Championship Air Rifle matches will be held this weekend. You can view Live target images and results on the CMP Match Results Webpage.
 In an interview with NRABlog.com, Rachel gave credit to her Cornhusker team-mates for helping her secure the championship.
NRA Blog: Rachel Martin never wanted to learn how to shoot. But thanks to a little prodding from dad, she eventually found a passion for the sport. A passion that brought her the 2015 NCAA National Smallbore Rifle Championship.
“It’s a little overwhelming right now,” she said after winning the title.
Emerging from a crop of 48 shooters…this Nebraska sophomore blazed through the opening rounds to earn a spot in the coveted final round. It was there that she held steady until making her move for the win.
“I was so nervous going in. Luckily I talked to my teammates and they told me I was here because God let me be here so have fun with it. That’s all I needed to hear.”
Alaska Wins Team Smallbore Event
In Team competition, the University of Alaska Nanooks won the 2015 smallbore rifle team championship. West Virginia University (WVU) finished second and University of Nebraska placed third. Full team results can be downloaded via this link. Currently, in Saturday’s Team Air Rifle Competition, the “home team” Nanooks are leading by a narrow 3-point margin over the WVU Mountaineers.
Rachel Martin poses with Nanook, University of Alaska’s mascot, at 2015 NCAA Rifle Championships.
It Was Wicked Cold in Alaska
Yes it was cold in Fairbanks. A member of the Jacksonville State University (JSU) rifle team snapped this image on Thursday. The caption said it all: “It’s just easier to make a sign out of ice than paper here I guess. It was -35° F when we got to the range this morning!
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June 2nd, 2012
 A two-time NCAA Champion from TCU, and member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Shooting Team, Sarah Scherer is profiled in the current USA Shooting News eZine. Her story makes compelling reading because Sarah had to overcome a family tragedy to achieve her goals in the shooting sports. Sarah’s older brother, Stephen, a member of the 2008 Olympic Shooting Team, took his own life in October, 2010. Brother and sister grew up shooting together. Early on, Stephen was her training partner and role model. Losing her brother was very tough, but she has not faltered in her drive to be the best, and honor Stephen’s memory.
Sarah’s coach, two-time World Champion Karen Monez, explains: “[Sarah] has the work ethic to accomplish just about anything she wants to. She doesn’t let adversity and the hardship she’s had define her. It really is more of an inspiration to others if you look at how humble she is with the success she has had, and what’s she’s had to deal with [after her brother’s death].”
READ Sarah Scherer Profile in USA Shooting News eZine
We will be following Sarah’s peformance in London this July, where she is one of the favorites in air rifle shooting. She has “risen to the challenge” at every stage of her shooting career so far. She has won five National Junior Olympics Shooting Medals and won gold in her first-ever World Cup Match. An All-American in both smallbore rifle and air rifle, Sarah captured the individual smallbore National Championship in 2010, and she was a member of TCU’s NCAA Championship-Winning Team in 2010 and 2012. This past winter, Sarah set a new National Record with a perfect score of 400 in the 10m Air Rifle event. We wish Sarah success, and hope she can continue her winning ways.
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March 11th, 2012
 The TCU rifle team used a dominating effort in air rifle to erase a five-point deficit to claim its second national championship in the last three seasons. TCU’s top-scoring Air Rifle shooter, Sarah Scherer, finished third in the air rifle individual finals, which was won by another lady shooter, West Virginia Mountaineer Petra Zublasing. Congrats to Petra!
In addition to the Team National Championship, the Frogs took home the air rifle title after firing a 2,353, topping West Virginia’s team score of 2,350. Kentucky finished the smallbore competition on day one in first place, but the KY Wildcats couldn’t hold off the TCU squad. TCU’s “Horned Frogs” fired a 2,353 in air rifle to record an impressive 4,676-4,661 overall victory over the defending champion Wildcats. Alaska-Fairbanks took third place overall in the team competition behind TCU and Kentucky.
Final NCAA Rifle Championship Team Rankings:
1. Texas Christian University (TCU)
2. Univ. of Kentucky
3. Univ. of Alaska – Fairbanks
4. U.S. Military Academy (West Point) |
5. Univ. of Texas El Paso (UTEP)
6. West Virginia Univ.
7. Jacksonville State Univ.
8. Univ. of Nevada – Reno |
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November 3rd, 2011
 The 2012 NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championships and NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championships will be held at Fort Benning, Georgia in March. These events run simultaneously. Dates are March 13-17 for the Pistol Championships and March 13-18 for the Rifle Championships. These Championship matches will be conducted as part of the U.S. Army’s Army Strong Collegiate Shooting Championships.
Participation by Invitation Only
Both the Pistol and Rifle Championships are invitation-only events — the Top 30 ranking individuals in each discipline and the Top Ten ranking team in each discipline are invited to attend. Learn more about these events by downloading the NRA’s 2012 Intercollegiate Championship Online Program, a PDF file. There you will find competition Schedules, Courses of Fire, Training Summits and more. Pistol event coverage starts on page 1 while Rifle information begins on page 17.
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March 20th, 2011
 From March 15-19, the NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championships were held at Ft. Benning, Georgia. The tournament determined the National Collegiate Individual and Team Champions in NTA Intercollegiate Free Pistol, Standard Pistol, Open Air Pistol, Women’s Air Pistol and Women’s Sport Pistol. Both men and women competed shoulder to shoulder in Free Pistol, Standard Pistol, and Open Air Pistol events, but there were separate Ladies’ Only matches for Air Pistol and Sport Pistol. Men and Women shooters competed in separate divisions.
Navy beats Army in Ladies’ Sport Pistol and Air Pistol
There was a strong rivalry among the military academy teams in the Women’s Pistol Matches at the USAMU’s 25 meter range. In Women’s Sport Pistol, the U.S. Naval Academy earned its second Women’s championship this year with a score of 1626, topping the West Pointers by 24 point. In the individual Sport Pistol finals, Kirsten Asdal of the U.S. States Naval Academy took the win with a 655.3 score, edging West Point’s Heather Deppe (653.9 score). The Lady Midshipmen (Midshipwomen?) also won the Women’s Air Pistol Championship with a final team score of 1086. Arch-rival West Point finished second with a 1073 team Air Pistol score.
U.S.M.A. (West Point) Win’s Standard Pistol Team Championship
USNA, USMA, Ohio St., Citadel, Oregon St., USCGA, MIT, Texas A&M, Yale and USMMA were all represented in the team championship by shilled shooter however after the third stage had been fired the United States Military Academy had emerged victorious with a total team score of 2121. Tallying up another championship under his belt this year, Nick Mowrer of Pikes Peak Community College shot a 569 to claim the Standard Pistol Individual title.
Below, courtesy The NRA Blog, is a slide show from the NRA Intercolllegiate Pistol Championships.
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March 13th, 2011
The 2011 NCAA Rifle Championships is history and two new individual Champions have been crowned. The Univ. of Kentucky’s Ethan Settlemires shoot superbly throughout the smallbore matches to beat West Virginia’s Nicco Campriani by just two points. But Campriani came right back to win the very competitive Air Rifle event, edging out his WV team-mate Petra Zublasing by 2.8 points.
Kentucky Wildcats Finally Win Team Championship
In team competition, the Univ. of Kentucky, lead by Heather Greathouse and Ethan Settlemires, won the overall team national title. This was Kentucky’s first NCAA Rifle team championship, though Kentucky had recorded 16 ‘Top-10′ finishes since 1994. After UK won the smallbore NCAA title on Friday in the first day of competition, the Wildcats held off West Virginia’s charge in air rifle on Saturday to secure the first national championship in program history, finishing with a 4,700 team total score.
You’ll find extensive coverage of both smallbore and air rifle competition on the NCAA sports website, including video highlights. CLICK HERE to visit the NCAA’s Rifle Championship web page.
Eathan Settlemires of Univ. of Kentucky Wins Smallbore Championship
The results for the smallbore portion of the 2011 NCAA Rifle Championship are in. With strong showings from the West Virginia University as well as Memphis and Texas Christian, it was the University of Kentucky’s Ethan Settlemires who came out on top.
Final scores for the top six Smallbore shooters are:
| 2011 NCAA Rifle Championship – Smallbore |
| Name |
School |
Results |
| Ethan Settlemires |
University of Kentucky |
691.0 |
| Nicco Campriani |
West Virginia University |
689.0 |
| Heather Greathouse |
University of Kentucky |
685.5 |
| Tom Santelli |
West Virginia University |
683.8 |
| Daniel Hermsmeier |
University of Memphis |
682.6 |
| Caitlin Morrissey |
Texas Christian University |
682.1 |
West Virginia’s Campriani wins 2011 NCAA Air Rifle Individual Title
Nicco Campriani of West Virginia University powered on through relay number three with an astounding score of 599. Though his teammate Petra Zublasing managed a higher score in the final round (105.2 to Campriani’s 102), it was enough to overtake Nicco’s initial run.
The top six shooters at the Air Rifle portion of the 2011 NCAA Rifle Championships (held in Columbus State University’s Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center) are:
| 2011 NCAA Rifle Championship – Air Rifle |
| Name |
School |
Results |
| Nicco Campriani |
West Virginia University |
701.0 |
| Petra Zublasing |
West Virginia University |
698.2 |
| Henri Junghanel |
University of Kentucky |
697.6 |
| Sarah Scherer |
Texas Christian University |
697.0 |
| Justin Pentz |
West Virginia University |
694.7 |
| Anna Hjelmevol |
Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks |
694.2 |
Report by KJillson courtesy the NRA Blog.
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March 11th, 2011
This weekend, Georgia’s Columbus State University will host the 2011 NCAA Rifle Championships. On Friday, March 11, the Smallbore competition will take place at Ft. Benning, GA and the match will conclude on Saturday, March 12, with the Air Rifle competition at Columbus State University.
Watch Live Match Video
On the NCAA.com website, you can watch live video of the 2011 Rifle Championships, together with select video feature stories. Live video of the NCAA Championships will begin at 8:00AM (EST) on Friday and Saturday at http://www.ncaa.com/sports/rifle/d1. CLICK HERE for current live webcast schedule.
CLICK HERE to watch LIVE VIDEO of shooting Championship.
 View Targets in Real Time
Technology is amazing. Because the NCAA competitors are shooting at electronically-scored targets, the scored target images can be exported to the web in real time. So, you can see the scored targets of the competitors, as soon as they have been shot. Each competitor’s shots are plotted and scored (see example, right). The CMP has created a webpage that hosts Match Results and Live Target Images for each Relay.
CLICK HERE to see live target images (also available in through linked page below)
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March 6th, 2011
 The NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championships will be hosted March 15-19 by the USAMU in Ft. Benning, Georgia. The event will determine the National Collegiate Individual and Team Champions for 2011 in the categories of Free Pistol, Standard Pistol, Open Air Pistol, Women’s Air Pistol and Women’s Sport Pistol. ROTC teams participating are invited only for Standard Pistol disciplines. To receive invitations to the Championships, shooters had to achieve qualifying scores in the annual NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Sectionals held throughout the U.S. in January and February. Visit the NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championships website to learn more about the 2011 Championships.
 Steel Challenge Demonstration at Ft. Benning
Prior to the Championships, on March 11-12, the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA) will conduct a free Scholastic Steel Challenge demonstration at Ft. Benning. This is the second demonstration event that the USAMU has hosted for the youth shooting program. The demonstration will feature two Steel Challenge stages: Smoke & Hope and Roundabout. The free shooting demonstration will take place from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on Friday and Saturday, March 11 and 12 on the Parks Range at Ft. Benning. Handguns and ammunition will be provided.
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June 30th, 2010
 The July digital edition of Shooting Sports USA is now available for free online. In this latest edition of the popular “e-zine”, Managing Editor Chip Lohman reports on recent major collegiate matches, including the first ever Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championship.
This July issue also features an excellent article by Scott Pilkington on Airgun Maintenance. This is an important topic which needs more coverage. Pilkington is a respected air rifle expert who served as the official gunsmith for the U.S. Olympic air gun squad at the Sydney Olympic games. He also runs his own Tennessee-based business, Pilkington Competition Equipment, www.pilkguns.com.
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