Rifle Team Weekly Happenings 2022-09-18
Hi Everyone!
For everyone that was able to stop by the range last week and try us out, it was great to meet you and we hope to see you again this week.
- About MTUCRT-L
- Our Situation
- Training Plan
- Membership Dues & Ammunition
- Rifle Events Happening This Week
- Rifle Events Happening In The Future
For everyone who is new to this list, a bit of housekeeping is in order.
- This list is called MTUCRT-L. The full address is mtucrt-l@mtu.edu The intention is for communications about the Competition Rifle Team including range happenings, upcoming events, and other related items.
- To cut down on the number of messages sent to the list we send out a weekly news digest at the start of the week titled "Rifle Team Weekly Happenings". It outlines what's going on with the team, deadlines, meetings, and most importantly - the general idea of what we will be doing at the range this week.
- If you have something to add to a news brief, please submit it to Andrew (artiedt@mtu.edu) or myself (zdsimpso@mtu.edu) no later than Sunday 2100 EST.
- Detailed notices regarding upcoming competitions, trips, and other important events will be sent separately from these messages.
- When sending a message to the list, or responding to messages from the list please do the following:
- Please learn the difference between "reply" and "reply to all".
- Verify that you intend to send a message to our list.
- Verify that the scope of the message is rifle team related, cannot be put into the news brief, and that it is an appropriate message for the list.
- Advertisements, Jokes, Threatening & Abusive Content, and Political content (rifle related or not) are NEVER appropriate.
- Before sending a message to the list, double check the scope of the message and re-verify that the message needs to goto all 550+ subscribers on our list and not just a few people.
- This list is a google group.
- Please don't email the entire list asking to be removed. You'll be messaging 550+ individuals who have no ability to assist you. There's only 7 people who can remove you from this ist. 1 - Yourself. 2-6 - A member of the Executive Board. 7 - Coaching Staff.
- To remove yourself from this list yourself simply goto http://groups.google.com, login, select this group, and click "Leave Group"
With the housekeeping being done, let's get down to business - Our Situation:
As I said last week at practice, due to issues with range access beyond our control, we are forced to start our season several weeks later than we should have and we have less range time than we require and non-ideal placement of the time we do have. This means a few things:
- If you're interested in joining the team - there's still time, and now is a great time to join as you haven't missed out on much.
- Between now and the end of October there will be a rush to get everyone up to speed on competition. After that we will slow down a bit and backfill on things we should have gone over before our first competition.
Our first competition is at the end of October. We need to cram 2 months of 2-3x per week instruction & practice into the next 8 practices. This is not an ideal situation; but the situation is what it is. We just need to deal with it the best we can. These next 4 weeks will probably feel overwhelming, don't get discouraged. I promise you this: As long as you regularly show up to practice and put in an honest effort; You will see improvement throughout the season. The amount and rate of improvement will vary from person to person and depend on the amount of time put in. With consistent practice; you will be shooting better at the end of the school year than you were at the start of it.
The best way to help you get up to speed and ready for our first competition is to show up to practice with the ability to stay for 2-3 hours. If you can't stay that long; that's fine. Just let me know and I'll work around your availability.
When we shoot our first competition you might not be as prepared for it as you should be; Don't worry about that or let it discourage you. A person's career isn't over because they did less than ideal their first time doing something. Everyone needs to start somewhere. A career, both at the range and in life is a long term game with lots of opportunity for growth and development. There will always be a few rough patches along the way. Your success depends on how you handle those rough patches. I've found that most of the success in life comes from just showing up with a positive attitude.
I firmly believe that with work both on and off the range, time, and practice anyone - regardless of background or previous experience - has the ability to perform on the world stage and win the gold medal.
Training Plan
- For everyone that's returning you will be getting reacquainted with Air Rifle for your first week back. Shake the rust out and whatnot. The next week you'll work on Smallbore. After that, meet with me and we'll come up with a training plan for the next few weeks.
- For everyone that's new to the team we will be working on getting started with Air Rifle, Smallbore and go over general competition concepts and skills. A training plan for everyone who started shooting last week can be found below:
- A bare-bones training plan for new team members who are starting this week and are only able to show up to one practice per week and stay for 3-4 hours is:
- Practice 1 - Paperwork, Safety, Equipment Locations, Air Rifle Safety & Handling, Supported Standing, Unsupported Standing
- Practice 2 - Goals and Journaling, Air Rifle Standing, Sighting & Breathing, Shooting Equipment Overview. Shooting Jacket.
- Practice 3 - Smallbore Safety & Handling. Smallbore Prone. Shooting Jacket
- Practice 4 - Smallbore Kneeling. Shooting Jacket. Smallbore Standing Overview.
- 10/18 - Match Targets Due (Air Rifle)
- 10/25 - Match Targets Due (Smallbore)
After our first set of match targets we will slow down, drop back and start backfilling. That is we will start working on developing skills and positions.
Membership Dues & Ammunition
I believe it was mentioned before, but I just wanted to touch on this for anyone who may have missed it. The Competition Rifle Team is partially subsidized by your student activity fees. However this subsidy does not cover all of our expenses. Because of this we need to charge a membership fee.
Being a member gives you access to team rifles and equipment, targeting and safety equipment. The cost is $30 for a school year (Fall + Spring semester) and includes a pair of reusable earplugs and safety glasses (Currently on order). Or $20 per semester and includes a pair of reusable earplugs.
For Air Rifle you will either need to bring your own .177 pellets, or you can purchase it from the team. We sell a tin of 500 pellets for $5.
For Smallbore you will need to either bring your own .22LR ammunition, or you can purchase it from the team. We sell Federal 711b: 50 rounds for $3, and 500 rounds for $23. (At the moment Federal 711b retails for about $80 per 500 rounds - If you can find it.)
- If you choose to bring your own ammunition: Please make sure that what you are bringing is a plain lead bullet (Does not have any type of jacketing), and check with a team officer or myself before using your ammunition in a team rifle. Our rifles are manufactured for precision competition, and are very different from your standard plinking rifle.
- The wrong ammunition through our rifles can quickly strip out the rifling, resulting in a very expensive trip back to Germany for repair.
- Because the team obtains our ammunition through special programs at extreme discounts; Any ammunition you purchased through the team must be stored in team storage and used exclusively for team related practice & competitions.
- Failure to comply with this puts the club at risk of being disqualified from future discount purchase programs.
Items this week:
- We will be at the SDC Rifle Range this week:
- Monday 6pm - 10pm
- Tuesday 6pm - 10pm
- Homework Assignment (5-10min):
- Please take 5 minutes, read this poem and just think about it for a few minutes, and write down what it means to you. I'm not looking for any type of deep multi-page analysis. Just high level; what your takeaway is.
- We will be briefly discussing it at the range, and digging deeper later on as we start a workshop on setting goals next month.
If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win, but you think you can't,
It is almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you've lost;
For out in this world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you're outclassed, you are;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win the prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But soon or late the person who wins
Is the one who thinks he can!- Walter D. Wintle
- For anyone who completed "This Is A Rifle", and "Intro to Standing":
- This week you will start working on Smallbore - Prone
- This will be an overview of the basic aspects of the position, as well as start of practice Smallbore rifle assembly and end of practice disassembly.
- For anyone who has completed "This Is A Rifle"
- This week you will be working on "Intro to Standing", as well as start of practice Air Rifle assembly and end of practice disassembly.
- For anyone who has not shot yet
- This week you will be working through a combined "This is A Rifle", "Intro to Standing" as well as start of practice Air Rifle assembly and end of practice disassembly.
- If you are interested in joining and are unsure, come down to the range and try us out! It's never too late to start!
Upcoming Items:
- Next week hopefully everyone will be shooting Smallbore
- If you shoot Prone this week, Next week you will be shooting Kneeling
- If you shoot Air Rifle this week, Next week you will be shooting Smallbore Prone
- We will be shooting our first competition in the last two weeks of October. An email going over the details will be sent out at the beginning of October.
- We will have some travel opportunities coming up in November & December. More details will be released when I finalize some plans with the other coaches.
Once again, I apologize for the length of this message. But there was a lot to cover. Thank you for your attention, and have a great week!
GO HUSKIES!
- Zach