10

SPORTS

The Norwich Guidon
Feb. 26, 2004

Rifle team ends season falling short of NCAA Championship

By Phil Aucoin
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

So many of the big name sports at Norwich get all the attention. The football, basketball, and men's hockey programs receive the most fan support, headlines in the paper, along with great amounts of alumni support.

But there is a team at Norwich which takes their sport just as seriously as any other team, and they are quite good at it: the rifle team.

The 2004 rifle team is having one of its best seasons in recent years.

Led by captain Mark Basa, a senior psychology major from Waukegan, Ill., the team fell just five points short of qualifying for the upcoming NCAA championships.

"We didn't expect to do so well in the qualifying tournament," Basa said. "We just went in there and shot our best, and it happened to be our best match of the year. Even though we came up five points short, it is something we can definitely build on for next year."

The team has developed a friendship off the range that has helped them succeed in matches.

"Our team has gotten really close this year, and you can see the difference from last year compared to this year," said Derrick Sellew, a sophomore criminal justice major from Cromwell, Conn. "Our practices this year have been a little more intense, and as a result the team has gotten much better."

Practice time can often make or break a team, depending on how dedicated they are.

"We haven't been slacking off as much when we do practice, and it has really paid off," Basa said.

The team graduates a number of seniors at the end of this season, and it will look to the youth of the team to carry on the proud tradition that the team has established.

Crystal Comfort, a freshman nursing major from Middletown, N.Y., has been shooting for almost four years and will continue to shoot for the Cadets throughout her college career.

"Being a girl on the team, there really isn't that much difference from the guys," Comfort said. "I just get a room to myself when we travel on the road."

"I compete against the guys and the girls; it's a coed sport," Comfort said.

Some other young guns to watch for in the coming years include Shawn Wolf, who Basa said "has been a big surprise for us, he started off a bit rocky, but has recently been one of our top shooters and someone whom the team has relied on lately."

Brian Dickinson is another top notch shooter who Basa said will be one of the team captains next year and will help the team make the NCAAs in the coming years.

Despite having little fan support for their sport, the team hopes that the community will come and support them in the future.

"This year has definitely been one of the more supportive years when it comes to our fans. Obviously we like to get more, but this year was a good start," Sellew said.

The team has a home match Saturday, Feb. 28, against Akron before moving on to the league championships at MIT March 6.

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.