9.2

SPORTS

The Norwich Guidon
October 30, 2003

Rooks on rifle team struggle with demands of sport, studies

By Kevin Schieve
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Being a rook at Norwich University is not easy, but playing a varsity Division I sport in addition to that can be overwhelming, according to Norwich rifle team members.

An average day in the life of a rook starts at 4:45 a.m. Preparation for the day must be done by 5:30 a.m., when formation occurs. Rooks then complete a 45-minute training period, which ends at about 7 a.m. After bathing and dressing in the uniform of the day, it's time to quickly eat, go to classes, pick up any needed supplies, and continue cleaning the barracks. The day ends with homework and any further military responsibilities.

For rifle team members, squeezing in a three-hour practice, which includes preparing equipment, competing, team meetings and clean up, is tough.

This can be a "challenging routine because of the abundance of activities and lack of hours in the day," said Daniel Spagone, 18, a mechanical engineering major, from Virginia Beach, Va.

One of the sacrifices of being on the team is having to miss additional military training, which occurs at the same time the rifle team is at the range.

"We miss out on additional training, but we are gradually picking it up, because our roommates take notes for us, so we can learn secondhand," said Sean Wolf, 19, a mechanical engineering major, from Issaquah, Wash. "We're missing all the hands-on training that the rest of the platoon gets, and that's the hardest thing for me."

The team has been in full swing, practicing Monday through Friday, since the start of the fall semester. Every person must be fully devoted to improving their shooting under the watchful eye of coach Paul Mansfield.

"[Mansfield] expects you to be very dedicated to the team," Spagone said, adding that he "gives you pointers during practice, and expects each member to improve themselves."

Each member fires 60 shots of "precision shooting," Spagone said. "You have up to two minutes to take a single shot in the standing position." Do the math, and the three-hour practice gets filled up quickly with 14 team members using the range.

Both Wolf and Spagone have had at least five years of prior shooting experience in high school and outside groups, which have helped them establish themselves as quality shooters on the Norwich team.

"I was captain of my high school's rifle team and won first place in the Northwest Regional Junior ROTC competition," Wolf said. "I came to Norwich because it met the criteria for what I was looking for in a university with a well-established rifle team."

The Norwich Guidon is a twice-monthly student newspaper distributed at Norwich University. It provides laboratory experience for students in the Communications program. Claims asserted by letter writers, editorials and other articles do not represent the positions of Norwich University. The Norwich Guidon welcomes signed letters to the editor. They should be no longer than 300 words. Unsigned letters will not be printed, but names may be withheld upon worthy request. All letters are subject to editing for length and good taste. Mailing address: The Norwich Guidon, Communications Center, Norwich University, Northfield, VT 056632. www.norwich.edu/guidon. If you have any questions or comments about the paper, please contact Professor Ken Bush at kbush@norwich.edu.