Contact Us
NGCSU - The Military College of Georgia Cadet Recruitment Center
888.413.9366
706.867.2918 Direct
706.867.2805 Fax cadetrecruiting@ngcsu.edu
The North Georgia College & State University Shooting Sports Program is one of the most unusual and innovative programs in the country with its combination of military and intercollegiate competition teams. This multi-faceted program attracts quality recruits in a number of ways. It brings positive attention to the university and its military program from within the US Army, the competitive shooting community, and within college sports. A number of quality students, cadets and civilians alike, have remarked that they specifically were attracted to the university because of one or more aspects of the Shooting Sports Program.
Intercollegiate Competition
The intercollegiate portion of the North Georgia shooting program has a long and proud history, dating back to the founding of the university in 1873. In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, marksmanship skills were highly prized and major competitions created excitement comparable to today’s football or baseball playoffs and championships.
Intercollegiate shooting competitions evolved during the middle and end of the twentieth century to utilize equipment and courses of fire mirroring those used in the Summer Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Cup competitions. Many of our country’s Olympians come from the collegiate ranks. Intercollegiate shooting teams from all parts of the country compete fiercely for conference and national honors.
Intercollegiate Shooting
Beginning in the fall of 2006, the shooting program retained the services of JP O’Connor, a national level coach, who has volunteered his time and effort to take on the challenge of returning the intercollegiate shooting program to its earlier prominence. Intercollegiate shooting programs are important to the university as a recruiting vehicle and as an opportunity to compete with the other senior military colleges and other top universities from around the country.
Coach O’Connor is certified as an Advanced International Coach in both rifle and pistol, and is on the National Coach Development Staff in both rifle and pistol. Additionally, he is the Assistant National Coach for the US Paralympics Shooting Team, writes a regular series of high level coaching articles for USA Shooting, and teaches camps and clinics all over the country including at the US Army Marksmanship Unit and the US Olympic Training Center.
Coach O’Connor’s students include collegiate national champions in both rifle and pistol (both were freshman), open national champions in both rifle and pistol (both were junior athletes competing with the adults), multiple junior national champions and record holders, and a World Cup champion at the age of 19. He also works with members of the National Development Team, National Team, and US Shooting Team. His junior club is among some of the top clubs in the nation. Building upon those accomplishments, Coach O’Connor continuously strives to raise his capabilities as a coach and those of his student athletes in an environment that combines fun and fairness with lofty goals and hard work in a positive environment.
NCAA Rifle
Intercollegiate rifle programs generally strive to compete under the sanctioning of the NCAA, just as in football, basketball, and numerous additional sports. Starting in fall 2008, the NGCSU rifle team joins the ranks of NCAA rifle teams. With a core of returning shooters and the completion of a successful recruiting season, the 2008-2009 season is shaping up to build on the improvements of the past two seasons. The team competes in air rifle and smallbore (.22) rifle. Air rifle competitions are 60 shots in the standing position. Smallbore competitions consist of 20 shots each in prone, standing, and kneeling positions.
Intercollegiate Pistol
In fall 2007, Coach O’Connor started an intercollegiate pistol team to enhance the school’s presence in intercollegiate competition. The team competes in air pistol and several .22 pistol events. In all events, the athlete may hold the pistol with only one hand. Air pistol competitions consists of 60 shots. There are several .22 pistol events, ranging from the ultra -precise and demanding free pistol events to others consisting of several series of 5 shots each in short time limits. The annual intercollegiate pistol national championship is a hotly contested trophy. Top teams include the United States Military Academy (West Point), the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Ohio State University, Citadel, and others. NGCSU could easily become one of the top contenders within this group in two to three years, in both the ROTC and Open divisions. In only the first year of the team's existence they earned an invitation to the national championship and finished tenth in the nation.
Joining The Teams
Both the Intercollegiate Rifle and Intercollegiate Pistol teams consist of students representing the undergraduate student body as a whole - male and female, cadet and civilian - all are eligible to try out for the teams. Rifle candidates should already have experience in formal target shooting. Pistol team candidates are not required to have prior experience. Current NGCSU students are also eligible to try out. Potential team members or those interested in learning more about the teams are encouraged to email Coach O’Connor very early in their college selection process.
jpoconnor@ngcsu.edu
Service Rifle & Pistol
In NRA Conventional High-power Rifle Competition, shooters compete with either a "service rifle" or a "match rifle." The service rifle category is generally limited to either the unmodified M1, M14, M16, or their commercial equivalents. Match rifles typically are of custom make, conforming to the desires of the shooter. They are freer of regulations than are the service rifles. All shooting, with the exception of limited long range events, are done only with metallic aperture, or peep, sights. Shooting consists of either "across the course" or "long range" matches. Shooters competing "across the course" are required to fire at distances of 200, 300, and 600 yards. In a typical Regional, or 800 point aggregate match, the course of fire is a total of 88 shots. Twenty record shots are fired in each stage, plus two sighting shots. Each shot is worth a maximum of ten points, with the entire match being worth a total of 800 points.
The Service Rifle & Pistol Team
The shooting sports program created a strong service rifle & service pistol program beginning in the fall of 2003 with a generous contribution from the McClure family of Columbus, GA. SFC Paul Johnson founded the team as directed by the former Professor of Military Science, COL Billy Wells. The college is within 30 miles of River Bend Gun Club in Dawsonville, GA. It is one of the most comprehensive, privately owned shooting complexes in the country. Their high-power range enables the team to shoot sanctioned service rifle matches out to 600 yards. We are one of only two collegiate service rifle teams in the country and are outfitted with some of the best shooting equipment that money can buy:
Rock River Arms National Match AR-15’s
Engagement Skills Trainer (EST 2000) loaded with the most up to date software and CGI for safe and realistic rifle marksmanship training
DPMS .22 match practice upper receivers
Indoor shooting facility, built to accommondate training with everything from air rifles to pistol cartridges
Kowa 25 power spotter scopes with First Strike scope stands
First Strike deluxe shooting carts
Creedmore nylon shooting jackets
Training and technical support from the Army Marksmanship Unit stationed at Ft. Benning, GA
In the summer of 2005, SFC Eric Leid transferred from Camp Frank D. Merrill to North Georgia and took over as coach of the service rifle team. Although relatively new to service rifle competition, he is a long time shooting enthusiast and action shooting competitor. SFC Leid is an NRA Expert in service rifle competition and has earned Excellence in Competition rifle and pistol marksmanship badges. He is the 2006 Ft. Benning Combat Pistol and Ft. Benning Rifle Open champion, team champion, placed 3rd in the 2005 All Army Small Arms (Novice category), and won the Secretary of the Army match with his combined rifle and pistol scores.
The 2006 shooting season has been the fruition of Mr. McClure’s vision. With 9mm Berettas on loan from the Georgia National Guard, the Military Science Department handpicked a group of 22 cadets for pistol competition training. Four weeks of intense weekly practices paid off at the 2006 Ft. Benning Combat Pistol Matches in March of this year. The Combat Pistol Team won 3 of the 4 events, taking 1st, 3rd and 4th in the Novice class and 1st place Overall. The competition was against some of the Army’s best, such as, Drill Sergeants from the basic training units, active National Guard and Reserve Soldiers, and even members of the Army’s elite Ranger Regiment, just to name a few.
Two weeks later, the same team competed in the Ft. Benning Combat Rifle Matches. The matches were comprised of events shooting from 100, 300 and 500 yards in a variety of positions with the standard M16A2 service rifle. With minimal preparation, the team pulled off an impressive set of victories. The NGCSU Rifle Team took 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the Novice Division. They also took 1st and 3rd in the Team Competitions, and 3 students earned Excellence in Competition Badges.
Program Emphasis
Emphasis is placed on learning skills and techniques, and on the life long journey of learning and training – not just as an athlete, but also as a person. That emphasis produces young athletes who are capable, competent and who enjoy their work. Additionally, it produces winning athletes and teams much more effectively and reliably than does a traditional focus on just “winning”.
It does not matter what the coach knows or has accomplished if the athletes are not engaged and motivated. While it is the coach’s job to create and maintain a positive environment of learning and excellence, it ultimately depends on the athletes themselves. The shooting sports program athletes are highly motivated and are excited at the prospects for 2007 and beyond.
Scholarships
Rifle Team members are eligible for Army ROTC Scholarships upon application. These scholarships are quite competitive and additional scholarships may be provided for exceptional Rifle Team prospects. To learn more about Army ROTC scholarships, click here.
Additionally, the Rifle Team reserves five $1,100 private scholarships, which are allocated to the top shooters each year. These private scholarships are based on overall performance. For more information regarding these scholarships, contact the Cadet Recruitment Center at 1-888-413-9366.
Bottom Line: There are few colleges that can provide the shooting opportunities available here at North Georgia. Our reputation is, and always has been, to produce outstanding teams, members, and leaders.
Competition Results
10 Mar 2008
Novice Class champion:
Cadet Michael Smolucha NGCSU-ROTC
Awarded a CMP presentation grade M1 Garand
1st Place Cadet:
Cadet Michael Smolucha NGCSU-ROTC
Awarded a $2,000 CMP scholarship
Cadet wins Fort Benning Rifle Championship
23 Feb 2008
1st Place Novice
1st Place Open
1st Place Overall
1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Teams
From left to right: Christopher Lee, Michael Smolucha, Henry Markham, Ben Lynde.
The North Georgia College & State University Shooting Sports Program is one of the most unusual and innovative programs in the country with its combination of military and intercollegiate competition teams. This multi-faceted program attracts quality recruits in a number of ways. It brings positive attention to the university and its military program from within the US Army, the competitive shooting community, and within college sports. A number of quality students, cadets and civilians alike, have remarked that they specifically were attracted to the university because of one or more aspects of the Shooting Sports Program.
Beginning in the fall of 2006, the shooting program retained the services of JP O’Connor, a national level coach, who has volunteered his time and effort to take on the challenge of returning the intercollegiate shooting program to its earlier prominence. Intercollegiate shooting programs are important to the university as a recruiting vehicle and as an opportunity to compete with the other senior military colleges and other top universities from around the country.
In NRA Conventional High-power Rifle Competition, shooters compete with either a "service rifle" or a "match rifle." The service rifle category is generally limited to either the unmodified M1, M14, M16, or their commercial equivalents. Match rifles typically are of custom make, conforming to the desires of the shooter. They are freer of regulations than are the service rifles. All shooting, with the exception of limited long range events, are done only with metallic aperture, or peep, sights. Shooting consists of either "across the course" or "long range" matches. Shooters competing "across the course" are required to fire at distances of 200, 300, and 600 yards. In a typical Regional, or 800 point aggregate match, the course of fire is a total of 88 shots. Twenty record shots are fired in each stage, plus two sighting shots. Each shot is worth a maximum of ten points, with the entire match being worth a total of 800 points.
The 2006 shooting season has been the fruition of Mr. McClure’s vision. With 9mm Berettas on loan from the Georgia National Guard, the Military Science Department handpicked a group of 22 cadets for pistol competition training. Four weeks of intense weekly practices paid off at the 2006 Ft. Benning Combat Pistol Matches in March of this year. The Combat Pistol Team won 3 of the 4 events, taking 1st, 3rd and 4th in the Novice class and 1st place Overall. The competition was against some of the Army’s best, such as, Drill Sergeants from the basic training units, active National Guard and Reserve Soldiers, and even members of the Army’s elite Ranger Regiment, just to name a few.
