Rifle Team
Small bore and air rifle target shooting is a national and Olympic sport with many accomplished marksman in the central Kansas area. Cadets on the St John's Rifle Team not only have the opportunity to test their skills locally, but also to compete nationally through postal matches hosted by organizations such as the National Rifle Association, the Civilian Marksmanship Program, the American Legion, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Postal matches are competitions fired on our home range with the fired targets mailed to the host organization. This allows our students to compete at the national level against many other schools and shooting clubs across the nation.
The rifle team competes in more than twenty-five matches a season that extends from the first of November through the first of April; everything culminates in the Kansas State three-position Championship. Other prestigious competitions in which each team member competes includes the NRA Sectionals, the Junior Olympic Qualifier, and the Kansas State Outdoor and Indoor Championships. In addition, the St John's Rifle Team is a member of the North Central Kansas Gallery League and competes on a weekly basis against teams from the north central Kansas area.
The rifle range in the basement of the Steven's Center utilizes twelve firing points and is considered to be a world class facility. This facility received praise from several Olympic hopefuls that include members from the Army's Marksmanship Unit. While competing on the range, one such shooter tied a national record in standing position.
Coach Tony Blair is a competitor himself and has coached the rifle team from 1989-1993, and then again from 1999 to the present day. He is an NRA/CMP certified coach and rifle instructor, President of the North Central Kansas Gallery League, and a Member-At-Large on the Kansas State Rifle Association's Board of Directors.
Joining the rifle team is difficult at St John's. Most Cadets, after hearing about the program, want to join but they need to try out for the few open positions each year. Normally, there are only three or four placements available.
The team practices two hours a day on four days a week when they are not actually competing in a match. They practice the self control of holding as perfectly still as they can and controlling their breathing. This is a difficult task even for an adult, requiring much self discipline and dedication.
2011/12 Rifle Team Schedule
DATE OPPONENT/EVENT WHERE TIME
- Oct 24 - Nov 4 Rifle Team Try Outs SJMS 1530
- 07 Nov 11 1stDay of Team Practice SJMS 1530
- 10 Nov 11 NCKGL Dinner Longford 1900
- 29 Nov 11 Army JROTC Air Rifle Postal SJMS 1530
- 01 Dec 11 NCKGL Match vs Delphos SJMS 1900
- 07 Dec 11 VFW Air Rifle Postal Match SJMS 1530
- 08 Dec 11 VFW Team Air Rifle Postal SJMS 1530
- 13 Dec 11 VFW .22 Cal Postal Match SJMS 1530
- 14 Dec 11 VFW Team .22 Cal Postal SJMS 1530
- 05 Jan 12 NCKGL Match vs Abilene SJMS 1900
- 12 Jan 12 NCKGL Match vs Wichita SJMS 1900
- 14 Jan 12 Jr Olympic Smallbore Qualifier SJMS 0900
- 17 Jan 12 VFW Team .22 Cal Postal SJMS 1530
- 19 Jan 12 NCKGL Match vs Manhattan SJMS 1900
- 24 Jan 12 Am. Leg. Air Rifle State/Reg. SJMS 1530
- 26 Jan 12 NCKGL Match vs Delphos SJMS 1900
- 31 Jan 12 VFW Team Air Rifle Postal SJMS 1530
- 02 Feb 12 NRA Nat. JROTC Air Rifle SJMS 1530
- 06 Feb 12 VFW Team Air Rifle Postal SJMS 1530
- 09 Feb 12 NCKGL Match vs Abilene SJMS 1900
- 11-12 Feb 12 NRA Junior and Open .22 Cal SJMS 0900
- 16 Feb 12 NCKGL Match vs Wichita SJMS 1900
- 21 Feb 12 VFW Team February .22 Cal SJMS 1530
- 23 Feb 12 NCKGL Match vs Manhattan SJMS 1900
- 27 Feb 12 VFW Team March Air Rifle SJMS 1530
- 28 Feb 12 NRA 3-position Air Rifle Postal SJMS 1530
- 01 Mar 12 VFW Team March .22 Cal SJMS 1530
- 3-4 Mar 12 KS State Indoor Prone Champ.SJMS 0900
- 8-10 Mar 12 KS State Indoor 3-pos. Champ.SJMS 0900
- 12 Apr 12 NCKGL Awards Banquet Longford 1900
Note: This schedule is a growing schedule. As opportunities arise they will be added to the schedule. All dates and times are subject to change, especially postal matches
