The Cadet. VMI Newspaper. November 22, 1963 - New Page 1 ...

Rat Marksmen Set Sights On A
National Rifle Championship
"I Don't look now, but a new inter-
Collegiate power may be growing
fcere at VMI. While King Football
tias been holding the spotlight,
fl Sgt. D. J. Palesky, coach of the!
rifle team has been quietly shaping
ten fourth classmen into what
"tcould be one of the finest varsity |
teams in VMI history by the time
next Fall rolls around.
j
As the fourth class received its i
Introduction to the U. S. Armyj
Trainfire Method on the 1000 inch
range ,one of the most interest e.l j
spectators was Sgt. Palesky. From
observations made on the range a^
number of rats were invited to the
normal team tryouts. !
With a very respectable 270
points set as the qualification
mark, tryouts began. Then it became
necessary to raise the mark
to 275, since it proved almost impossible
to narrow the field down
sufficiently. Finally, ten rats were
selected.
Now, after only eight weeks of
practice, the Rat Rifle Team is
firing a 1420. and the team average
is only 5 points behind this
year's varsity.
Sgt. Palesky. a one-time member
of the Army High-powered
rifle team, came to VMI from
Hawaii with some positive ideas
on how to mold a championship
rifle team.
Rifle marksmanship" he said,
"is highly dependent upon excellent
physical conditioning. It takes
superior muscle tone to hold a
good, steady firing position because
almost every position is
basically unnatural for the human
body to assume." With this in
mind, he has instituted a regime of
! physical training for evei-y member
of the team. Beginning with
holding exercises such as pushups,
he plans to graduate the
members to dynamic - tension exercises,
which are more on the
order of isometrics, and can be
performed even while the rifleman
sits studying in his room.
The Varsity team shot a 1412
total 'against the University of
Richmond last week, the same
score they shot at the Southern
Conference meet at the end of last
season. Sgt. Palesky feels that superior
muscle tone is responsible
for the high total so early in the
season.
But. back to the rats—armed
with both talent and desire, these
10 men hold the real key to the
future of VMI riflemanship. Firing
in a number of meets this
year, including encounters with
area prep schools and The West
Point Plebes, they should gain the
experience that will mold them into
next year's champs. As Sgt.
Palesky said, "we are not aiming
for the Southern Conference
Championship for next year. We
could put up a national championship
team."
Uniforms
Of Grid
Cause
Deaths
Thirteen deaths in high school
and college football since 1959 have
been attributed to heatstroke and
all of them could have been prevented,
according to the November
5th issue of Sports Illustrated.
The culprit, says the article, is the
football uniform. Well-designed to
protect the players from outside
violence, it can be disastrous heat
accumulator.
The essential research' into the
subject has been conducted at
Ohio State University. Dr. William
F. Ashe, one of the world's foremost
authorities on heat stress and
participating doctor in the study
at OSU, is quoted as saying: "Under
certain conditions, the uniform
can be a death trap."
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke,
to which football players are par
ticularly susceptible and which
have led to such fatal results in
the sport, can be brought on when
sweat is prevenaed from evaporat
Ing properly: instead of cooling
as it should, the body temperature
rises rapidly. When it reaches 106
degrees, the central nervous system
can not cope with the load.
The hazards of heat stress.
Sports Illustrated reports, can be
reduced in other ways. OSU experience
has shown that:
Players should be "acclimatized"
to the heat load to bom; • 3-6
program, for 90 per cent protection
is outlined.
Players should remove their helmets
in lulls during practice or
timeouts.
Players should be allowed to
drink water freely while working
out and playing, provided they
continue to take salt along
it.
with
Practice and game sessions
should be adapted to weather conditions.
There are various recommendations
here, but "when the
temperature turns between 90 degrees
and 100 degrees and the humidity
is at 70 per cent, practice
should be postponed or sharply
curtailed." " -
FACULTY SERVICE AT VMI — In the recent service awards presentations at
Virginia Military Institute, 15 faculty members were honored for a total of 2^0
years' service to the Institute. Top faculty service recognition went to Col. Stanton
F. Blain (center), professor of Spanish, shown receiving a 40 year service pin from
VMI superintendent Major General George R. E. Shell. Others who were present
for awards are, left to right. Maj. Daniel C. Brittigan. five years; Lt. Col. Oscar
W. Gupton, 10 years; Maj. Leon D. Carr, five years; C«i. Herbert Nash Dillard,
25 years; Brinton P. Thompson, five years; Col. Blain, General Shell; Lt. Col. John
H. Reeves, 10 years; Col. Leslie German:. 35 years; Lt. Col. Norman M. Rehg, 1»
years, and Capt. Stacy C. Harris, 5 years.