Leave Your MarkNRA Collegiate Shooting Sports

NRA Collegiate &School Programs

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R I F L E • P I S T O L • S H O T G U N

Types of Collegiate ShootingNearly 300 colleges and universities in the United States offer some type of shooting program. Generally, collegiate shooting programs appear as educational courses, intramural/recreational programs, and intercollegiate competition.

Educational Course: The point of any firearms safety course is to prepare the student to handle guns safely, correctly and confidently. The most common shooting educational course is a physical education class or ROTC class on marksmanship offering one or two academic credits.

Intramural/Recreational Program: One of the easi-est ways to shoot as a college student is to join a marksmanship in-tramural program. Shooting is a coed sport and virtually all students on campus can take part. Intramurals are fun and can offer dorms and independent groups the chance to compete with each other and learn about the responsibility of using and/or owning a gun.

Intercollegiate Competition: At the center of most collegiate shooting programs is competition. Intercollegiate clubs or teams engage in postal or shoulder-to-shoulder matches with their opponents. Being part of a college shooting team introduces the student to the world of intercollegiate competition. Winning a championship is a goal of every athlete, and college competition is no different. Collegiate shooting championships are considered some of the most competitive of all college sports. NRA Intercollegiate Sectionals provide rifle and pistol shooters the op-portunity to compare their marksmanship skills against their peers nationwide.

The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Program: This program offers another means by which college students can participate in collegiate shooting programs. Many ROTC programs offer scholarships through an officer’s commissioning program in one of the military service branches. Depending on a school’s ROTC program, students may only complete marksmanship training but

other ROTC programs com-pete in rifle or pistol matches against other schools for official recognition.

Even if the school doesn’t have a shooting program, a student may still compete at the national level. The NRA Collegiate Program can provide more information on how to start a collegiate shooting program.

Intercollegiate Rifle andPistol SectionalsNRA Intercollegiate Rifle and Pistol Sectionals allow individuals and teams to compete with shooters from schools across the United States. The Collegiate Sectionals are NRA-registered indoor matches held at various locations throughout the United States. Sectional events include smallbore rifle, air rifle, standard pistol, air pistol, free pistol, women’s sport pistol, and women’s air pistol. A shooter is permitted to compete in only one sectional per year.

Once the sectional is complete, the scores are sent to the NRA where shooters are subsequently ranked among the nation’s collegiate shooters. When scores have been received from all of the sectional tournaments, the Collegiate & Schools Program creates a national results bulletin and sends a copy to each competitor who partici-pated.

Collegiate pistol sectional participation benefits shoot-ers in that it can lead to an invitation to compete in the annual NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championship. Collegiate rifle club sectional participation benefits shoot-ers in that it can lead to an invitation to compete in the annual NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championship.

Both NCAA Rifle and NRA Club Rifle competitors who participate in the NRA Inter-collegiate Rifle Sectionals vie for the opportunity to prevail with national sectional medals.

To be eligible for participa-tion in the NRA Intercol-legiate Rifle Club Championships a shooter must be a regularly enrolled undergraduate student who complies with the eligibility rules of his/her institution. An undergraduate is a student who has not received his/her bachelor’s degree. Qualifying teams and individuals will be selected based on scores fired in the current years’ NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Sectionals. See the NRA Interna-tional Rifle Rule 2.8.

All American HonorsTo be named an All-American is the pinnacle of athletic achievement. Consistent and exem-plary performance is a hallmark, perhaps the most evident characteristic, of the honor. All-Americans also embody intangible attributes such as integrity, respect, and responsibility. Therefore, these highly motivated men and women

distinguish themselves on another level. The NRA All-American Program stands out because of its commitment to recognize and honor collegians who have performed remark-able shooting feats through a shooting season.

The All-American award, created by the NRA in 1936 to honor top colle-

giate rifle shooters, has become an attainable, although elusive, goal for all three disciplines of college shooting sports.

The selection criteria for Rifle & Pistol All-American includes: full time undergraduate status with or without team affiliation, average score for the season, minimum number of shots fired, number of matches fired, specific matches required, recommendations from coaches and other school officials. NRA All-American Shotgun honors will be awarded to the top ten High Overall National Cham-pions at the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Intercollegiate Clay Target Championships.

To be an NRA All-American is to always accept the challenge of performing at optimal levels while demonstrating exceptional lead-ership and character.

NRA Intercollegiate RifleChampionshipIt is our privilege to sponsor the NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championship. This new championship will include NRA College Rifle Clubs, ROTC Teams, and independent shooters, for which there is currently no national championship. The purpose of this championship is to determine the National Collegiate Rifle Club Individual and Team Champions, and ROTC Individual and Team Champions.

The championship will feature Smallbore Rifle and Air Rifle com-petitions, Training Summits for all participants and coaches, and an

opportunity for coaches and shooters to meet others in the sport they may not normally see during the regular season.

Invitations are currently being extended to the top 10 teams in each discipline, as well as the top 30 individuals in each dis-cipline. Only one team per in-stitution per event may qualify. ROTC shooters and teams will qualify in the ROTC category based on the number of entries in the NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Sectional.

It is the hope of the NRA Collegiate Program that the NRA Inter-collegiate Rifle Club Championship will grow and strengthen the competitive rifle teams on campuses across the nation. We urge all rifle clubs across the nation to shoot in the Intercollegiate Sectionals in hopes of qualifying.

NCAA Rifle ChampionshipTo be eligible for the NCAA Rifle Championships, an individual or team must represent a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) affiliated school, and rifle must be officially recognized as a championship sport at that institution. To qualify for the champi-onship, an individual or team must compete in an NCAA qualifier. Qualifying scores are compiled and invitations to the NCAA Rifle Championship are extended to teams and individuals. All NCAA Rifle competitions will follow current NCAA Rifle rules. The NRA Collegiate & Schools Program is a proud sponsor of the NCAA Rifle Championship.

NRA Intercollegiate Pistol ChampionshipThe NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championships determine the indi-vidual and team champions by attracting competitors and schools nationwide. Competitors participate in Free Pistol, Standard Pistol, Air Pistol, Women’s Sport Pistol, and Women’s Air Pistol events. The Intercollegiate Sectional scores determine qualifications for an invitation to the championships.

Invitations for open events are offered to the top 10 ranking teams and top 30 individuals in each event. Members of an ROTC program who fire on a standard pistol team may also be eligible for an invita-tion to the NRA Intercollegiate Pistol Championship. Invitations for women’s events are offered to the top 5 teams and top 15 women. Only one team per institution per event may qualify to compete.

ACUI Clay Target ChampionshipThe Association of College Unions International (ACUI) annually sponsors the National Intercollegiate Clay Target Championships. Open to full-time college students, the championships are the only national tournament in which shooters may compete in six different clay target games in the same program: American Trap, International Trap, American Skeet, International Skeet, Sporting Clays and Five Stand. The NRA sponsors and funds the international events in trap and skeet. Numerous firearm companies and shooting organizations also sponsor ACUI Clay target Championship.

Why Get Involved WithCollegiate Shooting?Exposure to the shooting sports fosters a respect for guns and a high regard for safety. More and more schools are drawn to the shooting sports because shooting programs are considerably less expensive than other types of programs. Shooting is exceptionally safe and helps develop sportsmanship, leadership, responsibility, and concentration. Competitive shooting also teaches self-discipline and team-work.

ATAThe Amateur Trapshooting Association is the world’s largest clay tar-get shooting organization. In addition to governing rules, the ATA sponsors junior events, and awards scholarships.

NSSAThe National Skeet Shooting Association is a non-profit organiza-tion that is run and operated by its members. The NSSA sponsors all AAU skeet events, sponsors junior events, coordinates junior scholarships, and hosts the World Skeet Championship.

NSSFThe National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports.

USA ShootingUSA Shooting is the National Governing Body for the Olympic Shooting Sports. USA Shooting offers junior shooting events, offers junior shooting scholarships, holds grassroots camps and clinics, trains and certifies coaches, and hosts Olympic shooting events.

ResourcesThe NRA has many resources available to potential collegiate shoot-ers. First and foremost, the top first priority a student should have in choosing a college is academics. Factors such as tuition, location, and admission standards may also be significant priorities. The best resource for finding collegiate shooting opportunities is the NRA Collegiate Shooting Sports Directory Online.

With hundreds of entries, NRA Collegiate Shooting Sports Direc-tory Online lists information concerning each shooting discipline offered by a particular college. Each section indicates more than just what disciplines are offered; it also includes information such as the school’s team status, ROTC programs, scholarships, shooting equipment, web addresses and more! It indicates what type of range facilities the school may have, school contact information, and vari-ous other details. This directory can be viewed online at http://www.

competitions.nra.org/collegiate-shooting-programs.aspx or email collegiate@nrahq.org if you have further questions.

The NRA Collegiate & Schools Program has published a new book called Developing A Scholastic Shooting Program. This new book is an updated version of what used to be called How To Organize A College Shooting Program. This book offers 10 chapters of useful information that will be helpful to colleges and universities develop-ing shooting programs. The chapters in this new book cover every-thing from choosing the right type of shooting program to creating a budget and writing the proposal. It also includes a brief history of collegiate shooting in the United States, NRA activities, and much more. This new book can be purchased for $5.00 by calling the NRA Program Materials Center at (800) 336-7402.

Contact Information for the Programs that Support You!

NRA11250 Waples Mill Road

Fairfax, VA. 22033Phone: (703) 267-1000

ACUIOne City Centre, Suite 200

120 W. Seventh StreetBloomington, IN. 47404Phone: (812) 245-2284

NCAA700 W. Washington Street

Indianapolis, IN. 46206Phone: (317) 917-6222

USA Shooting1 Olympic Plaza

Colorado Springs, CO. 80909Phone: (719) 886-4670

NSSA-NSCA5931 Roft Road

San Antonio, TX. 78253Phone: (210) 688-3371

ATA601 W. National RoadVandalia, OH. 45377

Phone: (937) 898-4638

NSSF11 Mile High Road

Newtown, CT. 06470Phone: (203) 426-1320

Collegiate Department …… (703) 267-1473 & (703) 267-1484

Competitive Shooting ……………………(877) NRA MATCH

Disabled Shooting ……………………………… (703) 267-1495

Education & Training…………………………… (703) 267-1500

Field/Operations ……………………………… (703) 267-1417

Friends of NRA ………………………………… (703) 267-1354

Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) ………… (800) 392-8683

Instructor/Coach ……………………………… (703) 267-1500

Membership …………………………………… (877) 672-2000

NRA Affiliated Clubs …………………………… (800) 672-2582

NRA Endorsed Insurance Programs …………… (877) 672-3006

Refuse to Be A Victim ………………………… (800) 861-1166

The NRA Foundation …………………………… (800) 423-6894

Women on Target® ……………………………… (800) 861-1166

Youth Programs ………………………………… (703) 267-1505