College-bound Shooters Advise Others on How To Take Rifle Competition to the Next Level

More than 3.5 million high school students participate in competition riflery throughout the United States each year. Air rifle made its appearance at the collegiate level in 1980. College rifle coaches are constantly in search of rifle shooters, even walk-ons.

To catch the attention of these coaches, some high school shooters transition from sporter to the precision class, since that is the type of rifle shooting done on most college teams. A switch in specialty and proven talent can be just enough for some shooters to get noticed, but that’s not all it takes to make it to the college level – just ask those who have been there.

The Ozark High School rifle team from Ozark, MO, recently won the JROTC National Championship precision class team title – the team’s second year of achieving the honor in its two-year existence. The traditionally sporter team decided to make the switch to precision after some of their talented shooters showed interest in shooting in college.

The team’s astonishing wins during the last few years have brought new attention to its shooters. Three seniors who helped the team reach the precision team title both years are now moving on to college, all receiving money to participate on rifle teams. Though the decision to shoot rifle in college was easy, the road to finding the right school that offered the sport of shooting was not.

Shelby Brummett didn’t have enough of her own money to travel to meet the rifle coach at Columbus State University who had contacted her about shooting for his team, but luckily she had the opportunity to speak with him over the phone. After having seen her shoot and being astounded by their impressive phone conversation, the coach offered to pay her way to meet in person.

“I just dazzled him with my personality,” said the Ozark shooter, jokingly. “He gave me a free trip to come down there to check things out, which was really cool. It was my first time on my own on a flight.”

Because of her skills, she also had the option to shoot at the University of Tennessee at Martin (UT-Martin). Ultimately, after much consideration, Brummett chose to accept the offer to shoot at Columbus State. Meeting with the coach gave her the extra perspective she needed to choose her future, along with the scholarship that came with the deal.

Her teammate Logan Hunt elected to go to UT-Martin. For Hunt, his decision wasn’t based on whom he met, but rather on whom he already knew. Asking others about a particular school can be a good way of learning just what a shooting team may have in store and what sort of incentives they present.

“The choice was a lot easier for me because my sister went to the University of Tennessee,” he said. “Because they offer college scholarships through shooting, it was a lot easier to go that route.”

Teammate Makennon Doran decided to sign a letter of intent with the Air Force Academy. Doran knew that was the school he wanted to attend and worked hard to achieve that goal.

“For me, the application process was about a year. It was a really long process,” said Makennon Doran.

Doran had to write a Congressman for a nomination and really work on his ACT score. Luckily for Doran, his hard work paid off when the Air Force Academy asked him to join their rifle team and even offered to pay for all of his college expenses.

All of the Ozark students agree that although being a talented shooter is essential, bookwork is even more important, especially when helping out with cost.

“Athletic scholarships don’t cover everything. It’s the other scholarships we’re going to have to get,” said Shelby Brummett. “Enjoy shooting, make it your passion, but grades come first.”

Doran agreed, by adding, “Be a good student, have good grades and have fun.”

The star shooters of Ozark also encourage those looking to move onto the college level to never settle for less than their highest dreams.

“Don’t let money affect where you want to go. If you want to go there, you make it happen. There are scholarships. Use anything you can get,” said Hunt.

“It’s supposed to be the best four years of your life. Go where your heart takes you,” Brummett added.

Over 30 colleges in the country currently offer rifle shooting. The Division 1 teams are allowed a total of 3.6 scholarships per year. The Division 3 teams are not allowed to provide scholarships. Fortunately, several private sponsors and donors provide high school shooters with generous college rifle scholarships. It’s never too early to begin researching scholarships available for passionate shooters. Just a few are listed here:

The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) offers $1000 one-year scholarships assistance to encourage and reward outstanding and deserving high school seniors on the basis of merit to selected high school seniors who are currently enrolled in a team or club that is participating in rifle or pistol marksmanship competitions. The CMP seeks applications from high school seniors who currently compete in marksmanship competitions.

Eligibility requirements for CMP scholarships are:
• Be a U.S. Citizen.
• Be of good moral character.
• Have achieved a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
• Be a high school senior.
• Demonstrate acceptance to a university, college or trade school leading to a diploma or trade certification.
• Qualified for CMP JROTC Service Championships.
OR
• Demonstrate rifle or pistol marksmanship competition experience.
Eligibility:
• Graduating Seniors who participated in marksmanship programs
• JROTC Service Championships

The Civilian Marksmanship Program is proud to provide this scholarship program for deserving high school seniors who excel in rifle or pistol marksmanship. If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Williams at 419-635-2141, ext. 1109, email kwilliams@thecmp.org or visit http://www.thecmp.org/Competitions/Scholarships.htm. 

National Rifle Association Scholarships

The National Rifle Association (NRA) offers The Grand Scholarship to high school attendees to the annual NRA Youth Education Summit (YES). Scholarship recipients can receive between $10,000 and $20,000.

State-Specific Rifle Scholarships

Maryland

High school juniors and seniors in the state of Maryland can try for the $1,000 Dave Ward Memorial Scholarship. This award is offered through the Monumental Rifle and Pistol Club, Inc. Applicants must write essays on "What Citizenship means to me"; however, they need not be a part of a rifle association to receive the scholarship.

New York

The Matthew J. Stoff Memorial Junior Scholarship is available to New York high school students who are part of a competitive shooting sports team. Recipients must be also be members of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. as well as accepted to attend any four-year university or college.

Ohio

Maintained by the Ohio Rifle and Pistol Association (ORPA), the Donna J. Deal Memorial Scholarship provides $500 to assist students who are planning to attend any accredited institute of higher education. Recipients must be ORPA members and must have competed for at least two years prior to receiving the scholarship monies. Students should also have maintained a GPA of at least 3.0 during their junior and senior years in high school.

Do you know of other Shooting Sports Scholarships available? Please send the information to Ashley Brugnone at abrugnone@thecmp.org and we’ll update the list above.

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