Falcon Rifle Team Prepares For 2002 Schedule
12/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Rifle
Dec. 17, 2001
The 2001-2002 season has been an exciting season so far for the USAFA rifle squad. The Falcons are a young team this season but are excited and eager to improve their ranking. Air Force is led by C1C (Sr.) Mike Granberry. As the team captain, Granberry will be working with a fast improving team. Joining Granberry and returning as seniors are Justin Lewis and Chris Carson.
Returning starters C2C (Jr.) Nick Breffitt, C2C Brian DeBruhl, and C3C (So.) Jason Waldow make up the core of our team along with Granberry. While the four cadets battle for the top spot, other returning team members and new walk-on members are vying for the remaining travel spots. Travel is something that the Falcon rifle team has done since 1992 for every single practice and competition. From 1992-2000, the team practiced and competed at the US Olympic Training Center in downtown Colorado Springs. No more.
In the spring of 2000 the Academy completed construction on a new indoor 50-foot firing range. The range has 12 shooting lanes and allows for the shooting of both .22 caliber rifle and air rifle at the same time. With an intermediate stop at 33 feet, shooters can practice both disciplines as needed. With a team size of 12-13 active shooters, the range is perfect for team training and easy access to the coaches. The addition of the new range has increased the time each cadet can train for competition by approximately two hours.
Second Lieutenant Kevin Mandrik has delayed his departure from the Academy to remain with the team and help coach what promises to be one of the most interesting years for the Academy rifle team in a long while. Being back at the Academy for all practices and home competitions will allow the team to practice more and practice more effectively than in the recent past.
The 2001-2002 tryouts yielded four new fourth-class (Fr.) cadets and one new third-class cadet, most of whom are shooting better than many second and third year shooters. All in all, the team this year has everything in place to once again make it to the NCAA Championships. On the way there, the team will compete against regional teams such as Wyoming and UT El Paso as well as other top 10 ranked teams. The team schedule is a balance of close competitions to gain match experience and competition with top ranked teams to work under pressure. The team is well on its way to double qualifying for the NCAA Championships in both air and smallbore .22 rifle.
