HILLSDALE — Hillsdale College hosted a celebration of its partnership with USA Shooting recently.
Leaders of Hillsdale College and USA Shooting, along with members of the U.S. National and Hillsdale College shotgun teams, enjoyed a facilities tour, range time and a celebratory reception and dinner. The Hillsdale College John Anthony Halter Shooting Sports Education Center has been the official home of the U.S. National Shotgun Team since 2019.
“It was an honor to host our friends at USA Shooting, who have been our partners for five years” said Hillsdale College Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé. “We were very glad to celebrate with them.”
The event was also an opportunity for USA Shooting’s new CEO, Kelly Reisdorf, to see the Halter Center for the first time. Range Manager Matt Little gave a tour of the range’s facilities, which includes four international skeet fields, a 22-station sporting clays course, five international bunkers, a small arms range, an action shooting range, a covered and heated five-stand range, an international archery range, nine American Trap fields, an AcuSport lodge and grill, and four new cottages with 16 private bedrooms and amenities on a sprawling 113 acres. Over the next year, Hillsdale College will build a state-of-the-art indoor-outdoor rifle, pistol, and archery range.
“USA Shooting is thrilled to strengthen our partnership with Hillsdale College, a true champion of the shooting sports,” said Kelly Reisdorf, CEO of USA Shooting. “This collaboration not only provides our athletes with world-class facilities but also fosters an environment where excellence and sportsmanship thrive. We look forward to many more years of shared success and inspiring the next generation of shooters.”
“Over the last decade, our shooting sports facilities have grown substantially,” said Péwé. “Presently, we can accommodate world-class shotgun competitions and camps. When our new indoor-outdoor facility is completed, that will extend to rifle and pistol, as well. Hillsdale College is becoming a national and international hub for the shooting sports.”
Several members of the Hillsdale College staff and shotgun team are members of the U.S. National Team. Dale and Caitlin Connor Royer, who have both earned medals on the international stage, juggle their time managing programs and competitions at the Halter Center, coaching the Hillsdale College shotgun team, and training for and competing in competitions around the world. Aeriel Skinner, an instructor and clay target range operator at the Halter Center, recently earned a spot on the U.S. Women’s National Bunker Team for her performance at the 2024 Olympic Trials.
“The partnership has been great and has given the athletes of USA Shooting a world class facility to train at,” said Skinner. “I am excited to see what the future holds with Kelly as USA Shooting’s CEO.”
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“It is exciting to have the opportunity to work with such a prestigious organization as Hillsdale College,” said USA National Team member Derrick Mein. “The opportunities they offer will most certainly be a huge benefit to all USA Shooting and the athletes.” Mein represented the United States in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and will be doing so again in the upcoming Paris Olympic Games.
Four current Hillsdale College shotgun athletes — senior Josh Corbin, sophomore Madeline Corbin, sophomore Ava Downs, and junior Jordan Sapp — are members of the U.S. Junior National Team, and junior Sophia Bultema competes on the U.S. National Paralympic Team. Recent graduate Ida Brown, the first Hillsdale College shotgun athlete to secure a World Cup medal, spoke at the celebratory dinner.
“For me the partnership between Hillsdale and USA Shooting is what jumpstarted my career in bunker,” said Brown. “It has provided me with an incredible facility to train at and some of the best coaches in the world. Without it, I would never have started shooting bunker, and because of this, I have been given the incredible opportunity to travel the world while representing the U.S.”
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: College offers world class facilities in partnership with USA Shooting
