Spring Break
Springtime shoot out
A&M Pistol Team's event welcomes students, serves as tryout
By: Megan Ryan
Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: Features
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"This event serves two purposes: they are our chance to reach out to the Texas A&M community and show people that guns don't have to be scary and they're a lot of fun to shoot in a safe environment," said Julia White, a junior nuclear engineering major and president of the team. "They're also our tryouts for the team. We invite those who post high enough scores to join."
The team will provide a .22 competition pistol, magazine, ammunition, targets, hearing protection, sight protection and instruction.
"Relays are filled on a first-come, first-served basis each night, because we only have enough space to have six people shooting at a time," White said.
"Before each relay, we give the participants a safety briefing. Each participant then puts 10 shots on each of four targets, three of which count towards a maximum score of 300."
White said the team has the chance to compete against some of the best teams in the nation. It also has two tournaments a semester and competes in four out of town tournaments.
"Nationals is our big tournament of the year," she said. "This is an invitational tournament for only the Top 10 teams nationwide, and we have been invited 27 years of the event's 29 year history. This year we did especially well. Our standard team placed third."
Zachary Nix, a sophomore general studies major and range officer, said third place is a big deal for the team.
"While this may seem like no big achievement, we looked back into the nationals record and saw that A&M has not medaled in many years," he said.
Many members of the team had never shot a pistol before entering in the shoot out.
"There are several people on the team who came to A&M and specifically looked for a pistol team," White said. "There are also a few of us, including me, who had never shot any type of weapon before they came to one of our open shoots. A friend in one of my classes talked me into going, and I absolutely loved it. Now, I'm the president of the team. That's one of the things I love about our club - the opportunity for people to join who have no experience."
The team has roughly 20 members, including nine first-timers.
"I have only shot pistol for three years, and the first time was when I tried out freshman year and qualified for the team," said Alison Gates, a junior renewable natural resources and marine biology major.
As a member of the Corps of Cadets, Gates said it is difficult to make practice on time and stay focused on the sport.
"I have taken this year off because you can only compete for four years and I will be here for five years," she said. "I figured when I am out of the Corps, I can focus more on practicing. I'm saving my last year for 2010."
Kristina Baldridge, a sophomore landscape architecture major, also joined the team after trying out a pistol at the Shoot Out.
"They taught me everything I needed to know and I had a lot of fun doing it," she said.
She said she joined the team because she was looking for something to get involved in at A&M.
"I wanted a fun and competitive activity where I could meet cool people and go on fun competition trips," she said.
Baldridge said the hardest part of the sport is not getting nervous before shooting and not getting frustrated after a shoot. White agreed.
"The hardest thing about pistol is staying relaxed," White said. "Pistol is a very mental sport. It's great for relieving stress on a bad day, but to do well you have to be very focused."
Despite the challenges, Baldridge said the reward is "telling people that you're a member of a Texas A&M Pistol Team and watching them getting scared."
Shoot out info
When: Through April 24 - Weeknights at 5:30, 6:15, 7 and 7:45 p.m.
Where: Basement of the Trigon, or Military Science building
Cost: $10 for first three relays, $5 for other relays during shoot out
For more information, contact Julia White at tamupistol@gmail.com
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