A photo of the picturesque campus. Nice Georgian style architecture.
The United States Coast Academy Rifle Team hosted a smallbore rifle tournament at its Chase Hall range complex in New London, Connecticut on the 7th and 8th of January. The threat of a heavy snow storm did not deter junior teams from Stratford, Connecticut to Newport Rhode Island, with the bulk of the competitors coming from local high school teams, from participating in the match at the picturesque waterfront campus.
Teams shot a half course three position match on electronic targets representing the NRA/USA Shooting 50 foot target. The real time action was displayed on monitors to an enthusiastic crowd of parents located outside of the range. The visitor gallery concept was new to the spectators and they responded appropriately as they observed their athletes punch holes at varying distances from the center.
The Coast Guard motto is Semper Paratus, Latin for Always Ready and the cadets who conducted the event were both ready and accommodating to the young shooters. They provided them with mats and shooting stands, if needed, as well as friendly advice on how to deal with the unfamiliar electronic system.
Teams were also given a tour of the Coast Guard Museum which displays artifacts from the 200 year history of the U.S. Coast Guard and its predecessors: the Life Saving Service, the Steamboat Inspection Service, the Lighthouse Establishment, and the Revenue Cutter Service. A presentation about the Academy’s mission and goals followed and each participant received a commemorative T shirt.
On display were plans for the Academy’s new range complex which is scheduled to be built in the near future. Complete with rifle, pistol, and air gun ranges it also contains team locker rooms, classrooms, gunsmith shop, office, and storage space. When complete it will rival West Point’s Tronsrue Marksmanship Center as the premier collegiate shooting facility in the northeast.
Under the direction of Coach James Pruett, Coast Guard Academy Rifle Team has begun to aggressively recruit talented shooters who wish to take advantage of a free prestigious higher education leading to a commission as a Coast Guard officer. The Coast Guard competes in the Middle Atlantic Conference, which consists of 23 schools from Vermont to Virginia.
Complete results can be downloaded here: 2011_ct_coast_guard_invite (Excel, 37KB)
