The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- December 6, 1999

An equitable shot

Rifle offers more than one way to level playing field

BY KERI POTTS
STAFF WRITER

With so many schools looking for ways to solve their gender-equity discrepancies, a viable solution may be just a bull's-eye away.

The bull's-eye, of course, is an integral part of the sport of rifle. And many believe that rifle may just be the sport schools should consider targeting in efforts to comply with Title IX.

The recently released 1997-98 NCAA Gender-Equity Report indicates slow progress for female sports participation and the financial resources allotted to female student-athletes. In six years, there has been just a 9 percent increase in women's participation.

But rifle has long enjoyed a gender-neutral history and has been promoted as such in recent years. According to Jim Thorp, head rifle coach at Virginia Military Institute, "It's the only NCAA sport where men and women go head-to-head."

Thorp said because of that, it's the only sport that affords women the opportunity to compete on a level playing field. The proof of that is in the records book. Kelly Mansfield from the University of Alaska Fairbanks won both the smallbore and air rifle events at the 1999 National Collegiate Men's and Women's Rifle Championships. The year before, two females, Karyn Juziuk of Xavier University and Emily Caruso of Norwich University, both beat out male competitors in the smallbore and air rifle competitions, respectively. Since 1980, women have claimed 14 of the 40 individual titles that have been awarded. No other NCAA sport can compare.

Mansfield said rifle offers females the chance to silence the whispers that usually surround female champions -- whispers such as, "Women aren't as exciting to watch as the men," and "No matter how good she is, there will always be a male who can beat her" -- because rifle is true, gender-blind competition.

As someone who has played on all-female and coed teams, Mansfield said having male teammates for rifle is refreshing.

"Guys bring a different perspective to the team," she said. Though she often winds up competing against those same male teammates for a win, she said, "As far as I've experienced, we're all very supportive, whether it's a man or woman. We may joke about it every now and then, but there isn't a tension between us."

Equity of opportunity

Where Title IX compliance is concerned, Alaska Fairbanks head coach Randy Pitney said, "Adding rifle as a sport can help close the gap."

Pitney said adding rifle can serve other interests as well. It can open the door to people who would otherwise be denied the opportunity to compete in an NCAA sport.

The often overlooked type of equity that rifle offers is equity of opportunity. Whereas most NCAA sports are stereotyped in terms of what kind of athlete is required -- basketball players need to be tall and quick, gymnasts need to be small and light, soccer players require exceptional speed -- rifle athletes need to be, well, a good shot, instead of physical specimens.

"It's a real interesting dynamic," said Karen Anthony, head coach at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. "There are certain stereotypes for sports that might prevent people from playing those sports. Rifle can appeal to a different type of person."

The type of person Anthony is referring to is the type that welcomes the mental challenges rifle presents. Exceptional concentration and discipline are hallmarks of the sport, not an athlete's specific size or weight.

"There are so many different shaped people I've seen shooting nationally and internationally," Mansfield said. "For rifle, it's how you use your bone structure; it doesn't matter if you're tall or short."

"Rifle is a very precise motor skills sport," said Marsha Beasley, head coach at the University of West Virginia. "There are a greater number of people who can succeed at it because it depends on the time and effort put in to training, not genetics."

While a greater variety of individuals can succeed, not just anyone can be good at rifle. Top shooters must possess a rare mixture of discipline, patience, precision and endurance. Shooting contests can last six hours.

Schools that are already in compliance with Title IX can view the addition of a rifle program as a way to offer students, especially those with physical disabilities, the chance to compete in an NCAA sport, represent their schools and become NCAA champions.

VMI's Thorp has met his share of physically challenged athletes. He has witnessed shooters with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, even a woman recovering from chemotherapy, who have competed in NCAA competition and done well. Alaska Fairbanks' 1999 title, in fact, was earned in part by the scores of Dan Jordan, a wheelchair-bound team member.

No matter if they're on crutches or in a wheelchair, Thorp said, "One of the things that I teach is that there are no prizes in shooting for speed, only for hitting the target."

Financially feasible

Sponsoring a rifle team can be an economically sound choice because the number of athletes rifle teams typically carry is relatively low, between 10 and 15. Thus, the operating costs for rifle are reduced. Because travel to and from competition usually requires only a van and most shooters own their own equipment, the majority of institutions with NCAA rifle programs report an annual budget for travel and equipment of less than $25,000. Many of the coaches are part-time.

Schools can add just one of the two shooting events in order to be recognized as sponsoring an additional NCAA sport. "For schools with no team in place or shooting range, the way to go is air rifle," Thorp said.

Air rifle can be contested on portable traps in a 40-foot classroom. West Virginia's Beasley said a classroom or old locker room can be converted into a shooting facility for practice and competition, and then back again.

For all of these reasons, schools can add a rifle program, keep costs down, stretch the money they do have and increase the number of female student-athletes or offer students another chance to be an NCAA athlete.

Currently, one in seven institutions in the U.S. has a shooting sports program whether through ROTC, athletics or physical education. Acquiring NCAA sponsorship does not require funding from the athletics department. The athletics department must simply indicate to the NCAA that it sponsors rifle and the rifle program must follow all NCAA rules and regulations. Another attractive feature is the fact that if an institution sponsors 14 or more sports it receives revenue-sharing funds from the NCAA for each sport over 14.

Nebraska added a women's rifle program in 1998. Part of that decision was based on the need to meet Title IX. Since that time, it has been given full support, "the best of any program in the country," according to Anthony. Currently, her team consists of five women, but Anthony said it will continue to grow with each recruiting class.

As programs such as Nebraska's grow, so too will the sport of rifle. Whether rifle enhances already compliant athletics departments or helps to rescue struggling ones, the sport's main proponents don't want rifle to be viewed as just a quick solution.

"Rifle has a long and proud tradition," said Beasley. "It's just a great sport to get involved in."