Grand View University currently has 11 men’s sports, 10 women’s sports and one co-ed sport, however, in fall 2016 that will change. Grand View Athletics will be adding shooting sports to the list.
The new sport will be co-ed and consist of competitive trap and skeet shooting and two types of competitive clay pigeon shooting. Troy Plummer, athletic director, believes that while the sport is a little unique and progressive, it is also a sport that seems to make sense given the campus location.
“There are somewhere between 7,000-8,000 current high school students that are participating in shooting sports,” Plummer said.
There is a handful of other NAIA schools and five or six junior colleges that are competing in shooting sports so Grand View is hopeful they will be able to get into a conference. Nearby schools such as Simpson College have a strong club team, but Grand View is unsure if they will be able to compete at the varsity level like the Vikings.
The athletic department is still trying to find the best shooting range facility for the athletes to use. They have not hired a head coach but are in the process of interviewing. Recruiting will begin once a coach has been hired.
Plummer said the athletic department is always looking at what sports might be a good fit for Grand View to add.
“It depends on the what other schools are doing, the facilities we have, location, cost associated with the sport, is there a recruiting base. Things like that come into play,” Plummer said.
While shooting sports is the only sport currently to be added, it is not to say that it will be the last sport. Initial research has been done on a women’s wrestling program, which is growing at the NAIA level.
“Any time we have a chance to add an opportunity for student athletics and increase enrollment, it’s kind of a win win,” Plummer said.
We asked students around campus their opinion on the new sport being added and what they believe should be added in the future. Here is what they said:
New Sports at Grand View
Uploaded by Viewfinder Media on 2016-01-30.
