By: Randy Gonzales<\/p>\n
HAYS, Kan. — The Fort Hays State University shooting team targeted another successful showing in a national competition last month, shooting its way to the program\u2019s third national title at the Scholastic Clay Target Program national tournament. The Tigers won the NCAA Division II title after three days of competition in Marengo, Ohio.<\/p>\n
It was the program\u2019s sixth top two national finish. The SCTP fall competition was in just its second year. The FHSU program also took first place in the spring of 2013 and 2014 at the Collegiate Clay Target Championships at the national competition of the Association of College Unions International (ACUI).<\/p>\n
\u201cI was happy for them,\u201d said coach Duane Shepherd, associate professor of health and human performance at FHSU, who has coached the team since it was formed in 2005. \u201cMy coaching philosophy is I expect you to perform at the highest level.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really apparent during this event that they were all extremely focused and extremely geared toward reaching this achievement,\u201d he added. \u201cThese kids are a great group of young people. They represent themselves and the university and the shooting team at a very, very high level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heather Gordon, a freshman nursing major from Pine Valley, Calif., was a member of last month\u2019s title team. The shooting team played an important role in her coming to FHSU.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the biggest reason,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cIt had a great nursing program. On top of that, I couldn\u2019t see myself not doing shooting throughout my college career. It\u2019s been such a big part of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gordon\u2019s father got her into competitive shooting when she was 6, using a .22 rifle. She later joined a scholastic trapshooting team. Her grandfather gave Gordon her first 12-gauge shotgun. And now, Gordon\u2019s family will travel to San Antonio in the spring to see her compete in the ACUI nationals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so excited for that one,\u201d Gordon said.<\/p>\n
Jerrod Lies, a junior agribusiness, and agronomy major from Minneola, was excited to be on the fall title team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was one of the greatest feelings I\u2019ve ever felt in my entire life,\u201d Lies said. \u201cI\u2019ve been chasing a championship title since high school. Just the feeling that we finally accomplished it — all the hard work paid off, all the long hours at the range.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like Gordon, Lies started competitive shooting at a young age. He received a hand-me-down .22 rifle when he was 7, and joined the local 4-H shooting team when he was 10. Lies knew what he was looking for in a college coming out of high school.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe shooting team was the reason I came to Fort Hays State,\u201d Lies said. \u201cWhen I started looking at colleges, I decided I would like to continue shooting in college. I found Fort Hays State, and that\u2019s what brought me here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also like Gordon, Lies is eagerly anticipating spring nationals in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very much looking forward to it,\u201d Lies said. \u201cComing off the (fall) title we proved to ourselves we can do it, we have what it takes. We\u2019re all excited to get down there and show everybody we\u2019re a team to be reckoned with.\u201d<\/p>\n
As important as having a shooting team is, Gordon and Lies said it\u2019s also nice to have a shooting club, which includes students, not on the competitive team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a lot of friends I hang out with I met through the shooting club,\u201d Lies said. \u201cThey just started coming out to shoot on club nights and we developed really good friendships.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also gratifying to have the support of the local community. Last month, just before the trip to nationals in Ohio, the shooting team received a $1,000 donation from supporters Wilmer and Lorena Kellogg of Hays and a $5,000 donation from the Elizabeth Colt Legacy Foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe support around here in Hays, that\u2019s what really drops my jaw,\u201d Gordon said.<\/p>\n
Shepherd said the donations were useful in helping pay expenses at the fall nationals in Ohio. He said it\u2019s important to represent FHSU well at tournaments.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always want to project a very positive image both in shooting sports as well as the university,\u201d Shepherd said. \u201cIt\u2019s not all shooting. It\u2019s how you act on the range, how you conduct yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lies said the students\u2019 success wouldn\u2019t be possible without Shepherd\u2019s dedication.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be where we\u2019re at without our coach, Dr. Shepherd,\u201d Lies said. \u201cHe\u2019s done so much for us, put us in a position to be successful.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has sacrificed a lot of his own time and money to see us succeed,\u201d he added. \u201cThat\u2019s something we\u2019ve always been thankful for.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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