This years high school rifle team:
Finally got some guidance on how the season is happening. Unlike other sports, we actually don't have to physically meet the other team so we are all shooting on our home ranges this year and the coaches are exchanging targets so they are scored by the same individual. This is not ideal as part of the High School experience is meeting your opponents and traveling to compete. But this is better than nothing. My school has been proactive in getting me additional equipment and supplies to get through the season. My local lumber yard has been supportive and provided me with four barriers so I can get more kids on the line at a time. It would have been three with social distancing, with the barriers I can get five, six is normal.
Team size is 15 which is very small for me. I usually have 24-28. I have 12 returning and 17 new that have to tryout for 3 slots. Normally, no where near the 17 actually show up but I'm still going to have to cut a lot of kids this year.
Prior to practice, they all have to sanitize their hands, they have to fill out a self certification which I have not seen yet but have been told there is a list of symptoms and if they have two or more they cannot practice. There is also a contact question which can also result in no practice and they must have a water bottle. Now in other sports, this makes sense, for me, not so much but we still have to adhere to it. My kids don't get dehydrated.
They must wear masks except when shooting, they must wipe down any shared equipment which for us is the rifles and the scopes. Everything else, jacket, glove, glasses, pellet box, sling and mat they each have their own. They are kept together with the exception of the mat inside the jacket and are hung on a hanger with a garbage bag over it all.
I'm the only one touching the targets this year from start to finish. Every day is going to be like a match day. I can't touch the kids or help them with their equipment which will make it difficult for some of the girls. Some always seem to have trouble with their slings, getting them tight and getting them on and off the rifle. I can hit them with a big stick, LOL, which isn't extremely helpful. Basically I have to figure out how to use the stick to get their elbows, knees and legs where they belong. Technically, the 12 already know this so I only have 3 to worry about. They will also have assigned times to shoot so only 5 are on the range at any given time.
I'm to space out the best shooters because if one is quarantined, probably all five in the group will be quarantined. If I am quarantined, the team is shut down until my return.
Should be a fun season.
