Harvard Shooting Team

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Welcome to the Harvard Shooting Team
Harvard Shooting Team 2012

Shooting sports are statistically among the safest sports, often ranked closely with curling, bowling, and thumb wrestling. The opportunity to use firearms for target sports in a responsible and safe manner, among friends, greatly benefits the members of the Harvard Shooting Team.

The Harvard Shooting Team takes that collegial benefit to new heights with the added aspect of competition. We have many goals, but we have one mission. Beat - nay, destroy - Yale. And then compete at Nationals.

About Us

Founded in 1883, the Harvard Shooting Club (HSC) was one of the oldest student organizations at Harvard and among the earliest collegiate organizations to provide students with the opportunity to participate safely and competitively in the shooting sports. In 2003, the HSC became inactive after the graduation of the leadership. For the next six years, no undergraduate student organization at Harvard provided any opportunities for firearm safety education and training in the shooting sports.

In the fall of 2009, a group of enthusiastic Harvard undergraduates revived the inactive Harvard Shooting Club. With help from the leadership at the Harvard Law School Target Shooting Club, the undergraduates organized an executive board, drafted a constitution and bylaws, successfully sought out two faculty advisers and a head coach, and set forth a concrete plan for reviving and expanding the presence of safe and competitive shooting sports at Harvard. Over the next academic year, the HSC and its officers worked with the university to obtain official recognition, applied for funding from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, publicized its presence on campus via a variety of media outlets, and organized numerous diverse events for both recreational and competitive shooting sports.

Today, the Harvard Shooting Club consists of nearly 400 affiliates from a variety of backgrounds. At its core is the Harvard Shooting Team (HST), with over 50 dues-paid members who regularly participate in team practices and state/national competitions. We host regular shotgun trap/skeet outings, as well as pistol/rifle target shooting events and the occasional recreational paintball brawl.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to promote and expand the collegiate shooting program at Harvard University. We aim to help establish various shooting sports as lifelong passions both recreationally and competitively. We seek to reach out to the entire student body and enable active participation for the largest possible number of students in a safe and informed setting. We strive to promote firearm responsibility and develop clubs and teams that will foster ongoing relationships within the college community and beyond.

The Team

Lila Nieves-Lee (Captain - Shotgun)
Balaji Pandian (Captain - Pistol)
Akili Tommasino
Alison Zhang
Alvin Siu
Catherine Katz
Cory Pletan
Dan McDermott
Gabriel Lloyd
Gregory Russell
Henry Klingenstein
Isabel Hebert
Jamie Muresanu
Jeff Molinari
Nathaniel Casey
Parker Clemans
Richard Rush
Spencer Friedman
Thomas Leith
Tucker Kelly
William Murphy
Wilson Kuhnel

How do I sign up for the mailing list?

You can sign up for the Harvard Shooting Club Open list by clicking HERE.

Do I need prior experience to join this team?

Although we highly recommend prior experience, it is not a requirement.

I'm not an undergraduate at Harvard, can I still join?

Absolutely. The Harvard Shooting team is open to anyone directly affiliated with University. However, certain competitions and tournaments are limited to undergraduates only.

How much does membership cost?

Membership costs have varied throughout the year, but generally falls in between $50 - $200 a year.

What does membership cover?

Shooting is a very expensive sport and we make it a point to subsidize transportation, ammo, guns, and registration fees for all members. Your membership fee helps recover some of these costs.

When and where do you practice?

We practice at Minute Man Sportsmans Club on Sunday afternoons.

Do I need to own a firearm to join?

No. Minute Man Sportsman Club allows us to borrow guns during practices. Please note that it is Harvard's policy that carrying any kind of firearm is strictly prohibited on campus.

What kind of disciplines do you shoot?

We primarily shoot trap and skeet, however, we occasionally shoot pistols and rifles as well.

What are the safety rules regarding shooting?

The most important thing we emphasize is the safety of our shooters and everyone else around. Violations of safety procedures are taken very seriously. In general, commen sense is the best rule to follow. If you'd like to see some of the safety rules and guidelines set by the organizations we shoot with, just click the link below:

Safety Regulations

Trap and Skeet Safety Rules

Loaded long-guns are not allowed on Club property except on the firing line or at the patterning board. No closed actions are allowed except on the firing line, at patterning board or when in gun racks.
Only legal firearms in the possession of properly licensed people are allowed on Club property.
Proper eye and ear protection shall be worn on the fields when anyone is shooting.
Shot size larger than 7½ or shells with a dram equivalent greater than 3¼ are not to be used on Club property.
All ammunition used on Club grounds is to be made available for inspection upon request by an officer or director. The use of any ammunition not conforming to Club rules or deemed to be a safety hazard must be discontinued immediately.
No unauthorized members or personnel are allowed in trap or skeet houses at any time. Authorized members shall include officers, directors or their designees and skeet, trap and sporting clay committee members.
Shooters and authorized individuals only are allowed on the firing line. All others shall remain behind the firing line or as posted.
All shooting shall stop immediately when adjacent trap houses are being serviced. Adjacent fields shall be notified when houses are serviced.
All firearms are to be unloaded and opened or racked during the repair and servicing of trap houses.
Any firearm which malfunctions must be unloaded on the firing line and serviced prior to being returned to use.
Any dud shell shall be kept in the possession of the member or their guest(s) and shall be disposed of properly. Duds shall not be left on the ground or thrown in the waste receptacles.
All ATA and NSSA rules relating to safety issues shall be observed, particularly those pertaining to squadding for handicap shooting. A 3 yard maximum differential shall be enforced; 2 yards for adjacent stations.
The maximum speed limit for any motor vehicle on Club property or roadway is fifteen miles per hour. Motor vehicle usage is to be kept to a minimum to avoid disrupting shooters.

Steel Challenge Safety Rules

(from the SCSA Rule Book rev. 7/19/2011).

Section 8

Safety Rules and Disqualification

8.1 Disqualifications: General Principles: Persons who have been disqualified may not shoot during the remainder of the event. However, completed match scores will still count. (For example, if a person shoots a complete score in "Open Revolver" then disqualifies while shooting "Stock Revolver" that competitor's "Open Revolver" score still stands.)

8.2 Disqualifications: Safety violations: The following will be grounds for an automatic disqualification from the event.

8.2.1 Unsafe gun handling

8.2.1.1 Pointing a firearm up range (breaking the 180 degree line).

8.2.1.2 Dropping a firearm, whether loaded or unloaded, at any time during a course of fire.

8.2.1.3 Leaving the firing line with a loaded firearm, or possession of a loaded firearm anywhere other than on the firing line.

8.2.1.4 Retrieving a dropped firearm. Dropped firearms must always be retrieved by a Range Officer who will, after checking and/or clearing the firearm, place it directly into the competitor's gun case, gun bag or holster. Dropping an unloaded firearm or causing it to fall outside of a course of fire is not an infraction; however, a competitor who retrieves a dropped firearm will receive a match disqualification.

8.2.1.5 "Sweeping" or pointing the muzzle of a firearm at any part of any person's body.

8.2.1.6 "Moving" (taking more than one step) with finger inside of trigger guard.

8.2.2 Accidental discharge

8.2.2.1 Any discharge while loading/unloading/reloading or lowering the hammer.

8.2.2.2 Any shot fired outside of a timed string.

8.2.2.3 Any shot fired into the holster or into the ground within 10 feet of the contestant.

8.3 Disqualifications - Other Violations: The following will be grounds for an automatic disqualification from the match.

8.3.1 Prohibited Substance(s):

8.3.1.1 SCSA considers the abuse of alcohol, non-prescription and non-essential drugs, and the use of illegal or performance enhancing drugs, regardless of how they are taken or administered, to be an extremely serious offense.

8.3.1.2 Except when used for medicinal purposes, competitors and officials at Steel Challenge matches must not be affected by drugs (including alcohol) of any sort. Any person who, in the opinion of the Match Director, is visibly impaired or under the in?uence of any of the items described will be disqualified from the match and may be asked to leave the range.

8.3.2 Unsportsmanlike behavior:

8.3.2.1 Competitors will be disqualified from a match for conduct which a Range Officer deems to be unsportsmanlike. Examples of unsportsmanlike conduct include, but are not limited to, cheating, dishonesty, failing to comply with the reasonable directions of a Match Official, or any behavior likely to bring the sport into disrepute. The Range Master must be notified as soon as possible.

8.3.2.2 Other persons may be expelled from the range for conduct which a Range Officer deems to be unacceptable. Examples of unacceptable conduct include, but are not limited to, failing to comply with the reasonable directions of a Match Official, interference with the operation of a course of fire and/or a competitor's attempt thereof, and any other behavior likely to bring the sport into disrepute.

8.3.2.3 A competitor who is deemed by a Range Officer to have intentionally removed or caused the loss of eye or ear protection in order to gain a competitive advantage will be disqualified

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University Shooting Teams

Last updated: March 18, 2012
Brown Gun Club:
daniel_saenz@brown.edu
Cornell Target Shooting Club:
ajd3@cornell.edu
MIT Rifle:
Melissa Mulloy-Mecozzi
MIT Pistol:
Will Hart
Ohio State University Shooting Team:
Patrick Cherry (No Email)
Penn Shooting Club:
pennshootingclub@gmail.com
Princeton Rifle Club:
Joseph Sundra
US Coast Guard Academy:
LCDR Camilla Bosanquet - Assistant Coach (No Email)
United States Merchant Marine Academy:
Igor Zolotarev
U.S. Military Academy Pistol Team:
Colonel Saunders
University of Kentucky:
Mitch Barnhart - Athletics Director (No Email)
University of Vermont:
uvmshootclub@gmail.com
Yale Pistol and Rifle Team:
Colin Smith

HarvardShootingTeam

Trap ~ Skeet ~ SSC

Promoting Excellence, Sportsmanship, Responsibility, and Community.