The Rifle Team-Tarleton State University

ROTC Team had grown into a men’s service rifle team and a women’s small bore team. Over the years its membership boasted such luminaries as the late James ‘Jim’ Leatherwood, inventor of the Leatherwood ART scope used by snipers during the Vietnam War. During the 1980s, changing priorities led to the dissolution of both the men’s and women’s teams. In 1999, Dr. Michael Hawke, a professor of Education, pursuing the Tarleton tradition of marksmanship excellence, ‘reactivated’ the service rifle team as a co-educational student organization unaffiliated with the ROTC program. Under Dr. Hawke’s direction the team built a solid reputation for service rifle competition and attended the National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. In the spring of 2006, Dr. Hawke transferred responsibility for the team to Dr. George Eichenberg, of the Criminal Justice program, who has acted as team coach and faculty advisor since that time. As an extracurricular student organization, the Rifle Team receives no funding from the University or any other governmental source. The Team conducts fundraising rifle matches and receives grant money from the NRA foundation and the Stephenville Evening Lion’s Club in exchange for assisting these organizations. Students are assessed dues and are required to pay their own match fees and travel expenses. Because the Team receives no financial support from the University and because of our dues structure, we must rely on the help of our friends to operate as ammunition components, insurance, and equipment are expensive. Bill Davison, founder and owner of Tac Pro Shooting Center has allowed the Team to use his shooting facility for weekly practice, free of charge, since the team was reactivated in 1999. Davison also allows the team to use his facility for fundraising service rifle matches sanctioned by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). Not only do these matches raise funds (most of these match fees are used to pay the Team’s insurance premiums) but students gain valuable experience in match operations and management. Additionally, the Hornady Corporation donated a progressive reloading press and other reloading equipment to the Team. The NRA Foundation has been most supportive having awarded the Team several generous grants over the past few years and recently the Stephenville Evening Lion’s Club has helped the Team in meeting other expenses. The Team practices weekly at Tac Pro Shooting Center near Mingus, Texas, a short drive from the Tarleton campus in Stephenville. In addition to the weekly practice sessions, members are expected to attend special meetings, which include safety and technical instruction, as well as work days at Tac Pro or our other supporters. The Rifle Team is not a social club, fraternity/sorority, or political organization. Members must be available when needed for practices, matches, fundraising activities, and work days for the Team and/or Tac Pro Shooting Center. This requires a substantially commitment and students must maintain an acceptable grade point average and otherwise remain in good standing with the University; academics come before Team activities but poor planning/time management is not an acceptable excuse for missing a Team event. Members must be mature, self-disciplined, and willing to listen and learn. Arrogance, poor sportsmanship, and carelessness on or off the firing line cannot be tolerated. All Tarleton students in good standing with the University are eligible to apply for Team membership. Among other requirements, potential Team members must be of good moral character and under no legal restrictions to handle firearms. They must also have the proper attitude towards safety, learning, and a desire to pursue excellence as well as maturity and the ability to work as a team mate. Prospective members must pass an interview to determine their suitability for team membership based in the previously mentioned requirements. Applications are accepted only through the fourth week of each new semester. New members must successfully complete a semester long probationary period. The Team does not actively recruit, believing that students who have a sufficient interest in rifle marksmanship to be good teammates will seek us out. We generally begin each school year with 12-15 members and by the end of the school year we are left with a skilled cadre of 6-8 members who have the time and the self-discipline to be serious about the sport. In addition to other activities, students are expected to attend at least one local match per semester. We generally take 2-3 students to the CMP Oklahoma City Games held in April of each year; this is a privilege that must be earned through hard work and dedication to the team as a team member.