Rifle has long been recognized as a self-proclaimed backwoods type of sport, where things aren't always done the "way other sports do things."

The charge for the NCAA Men's and Women's Rifle Committee in recent years has been to improve that image of the sport and begin doing things "the NCAA way." One area the committee has devoted much time and energy to in the past year is the way the championship field is selected.

In the past, competitors for the championship were determined by scores compiled during a qualifying weekend that was scheduled at the beginning of the season. Some competitors preferred to travel, others to shoot at home; some teams compiled their qualifier early in the season, while others waited until the last allowable weekend. Scores were submitted, the participants were selected by the rifle committee according to those scores and the field of participants was determined.

However, that process made ripe for speculation that certain teams were adding a few points on targets here and there after hearing what another team scored the weekend before. Coupled with the strong desire for consistency and a level playing field, that has led to recent changes in the qualifying process that most people in the rifle community agree are necessary and beneficial.

"In the past, there has been concern expressed about what happened at other qualifying sites," said Thurston Banks, faculty athletics representative at Tennessee Technological University and the 2003 rifle championships statistical officer. "The rifle community is trying to alleviate problems and create consistency."

Committee members agree with Banks, and they are striving to make positive changes that help with the credibility of the sport.

"The rifle community has been doing things exactly the same for years. The goal is to make changes to improve our sport and level the playing field, allowing everyone to excel, while eliminating gossip about 'suspicious' teams at the championship," said rifle committee Chair Gary DeBoy, head rifle coach at Jacksonville State University. "Teams at the championships will be there because they truly are the best teams."

Establishing uniformity

Beginning with the 2002-03 season, all rifle teams will qualify for the championships during the same weekend, February 6-9, 2003, using the same target and the same scoring gauge. Other factors to the new rules include that fact that all targets used to qualify will be sent to one statistical officer immediately after competition, and student-athlete participants will not be allowed to score targets during qualifiers and the championships.

"Now, all teams will turn in their targets and have to be held accountable," DeBoy said. "All questionable situations and suspicions from the past will be eliminated -- you do your best, challenge the tight shots, and go home. The ones on top will advance to the championship."

The committee entertained the idea of multiple qualifying weekends, but decided on one uniform weekend. Maj. Ron Wigger, head rifle coach at the U.S. Military Academy, host for the 2003 championships, preferred the multiple weekend format. He said the change was inconvenient because his schedule already was determined before the decision was made to have one qualifying weekend.

"The problem with one match on a designated weekend is if you have a bad weekend, you are out," Wigger said. "In the future, I would like to see a system similar to gymnastics where you count the three highest scores, two of which are road matches."

On the other hand, Wigger thinks one predetermined weekend will make all things equal and provide the consistency the committee is seeking.

In addition to the consistency provided through one qualifying weekend, one standard target and a standard scoring gauge also have been selected. In March 2002 at the rifle coaches association meeting, the committee announced that a decision would be made regarding the standard use of one target and scoring gauge at the annual meeting in April.

After discussion at the annual meeting and the decision to provide consistency, the committee asked the rifle community what target and scoring gauge would be preferred. The responses were consolidated and the decision was made through a majority system. The committee will re-evaluate the target at its annual meeting in April 2003.

More hosting opportunities

In addition, the NCAA sent a memo in December to the directors of athletics and head coaches at all institutions that sponsor rifle outlining the target to be used, prices and a deadline to place orders for targets to ensure they are produced from the same run.

Each institution that hosts qualifying competition will be required to purchase the targets from the American Target Company; the same targets will be provided by the host and used for the championship.

A standard scoring gauge, the Neil Johnson plug, with a point 22 inward and point 22 outward, also has been identified. The committee hopes one gauge will eliminate confusion since many people feel gauges can score differently, thus providing a competitive advantage in some situations.

"I think this is a great decision," said Harry Mullins, head rifle coach at the University of Kentucky. "This will eliminate the question that certain targets provide an advantage. This isn't going to be a big deal for the student-athletes -- targets are still round and you shoot from the same distance. Our sport needs consistency."

Following the qualifiers, the host institution will submit all labeled targets to the designated statistical officer (Banks). He and DeBoy will review and spot-check targets for accuracy.

"Currently, no rules have been adopted about incorrect scoring," DeBoy said. "Human error or minor addition problems are natural and acceptable. If there is a huge discrepancy, the committee will have the power to act. The committee is hoping that having the host send the targets in will be a deterrent. No one wants their integrity questioned."

Aside from the addition of a statistical officer, student-athletes no longer will be allowed to score targets during the qualifying weekend, potentially creating problems for programs with a limited budget that cannot afford to hire an unbiased party to score.

Another concern is the lack of general knowledge about rifle that eliminates other possibilities. Currently, the majority of scorers come from the participants and fans, and sometimes even coaches.

"The problem is that it costs to pay a scorer, but our sport needs uniformity," Mullins said. "But at the same time, you can't have untrained and inexperienced people within a perfectionist's sport."

Mullins says that while this may be an inconvenience right now, down the road, it will be a sound decision.

For the future, Mullins would like the next step to be to formalize the process even more by allowing schools a limit of opportunities to shoot from home. He said this will provide a balance, allowing more people to get involved and provide more hosting opportunities.

"If we continue to ask the coaches what they want, we can move forward," DeBoy said. "We won't satisfy everyone, but we can come up with good ideas and try to make things better. The bottom line is, the sport is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. I think we are on the right track for the future."