St. Thomas Academy's air rifle team aims high

Over 13 years, Paul Preblich has developed a recipe for building a winning rifle team. It's all written down on a one-page tip sheet that includes how to keep the right mind-set and the exact measurements for foot placement. And he's not sharing it.

"You could call it the secret process that we use, and it's not for public distribution," said Preblich, coach of St. Thomas Academy's air rifle team.

The development of a rigorous, consistent training routine is part of why St. Thomas Academy's air rifle team, which competes in indoor target shooting, has won three national championships in its category over four years and more than 20 state and sectional contests.

It's one of just a few school-based teams in Minnesota. The program has been successful thanks to strong coaching, a supportive school environment and lots of practice, made easier by having an indoor shooting range on site at the school's Mendota Heights campus.

This year, even with a young crop of marksmen, the team has taken first place at all four state competitions and will head to nationals for each. One shooter, Seth Olson, took first in all four and will compete nationally as an individual.

Rifle team, both an individual and team endeavor, is different from other sports, team members said.

"Rifle team is not as much an athletic sport as a mental sport," said Olson, a sophomore and the team captain. "The patience that you need is a skill set a lot of people aren't able to do."

The activity doesn't discriminate against anyone, said Larry Sawyer, former coach of the Centershots, a rifle team sponsored by the Anoka American Legion. Though the St. Thomas team is all-male, as the school is, women square off against men in competitions — there are women on the Centershots team — with strong results.

"You don't have to be big, you don't have to be strong … you don't have to be anything," Sawyer said. "It's very inclusive."

Preblich said he hopes the St. Thomas team provides a sense of community, especially for boys who don't have one. This year, 60 students in grades seven through 12 tried out, but just a dozen were chosen.

"I'd like for it to be for the person who doesn't have another sport, or doesn't have a winter sport," Preblich said.

At an air rifle competition, athletes compete individually and in teams of four. Each competitor shoots 10 rounds at a paper target 10 meters away and repeats the 10 shots a second time. There are three required positions to shoot from: standing, kneeling and prone, or lying on the stomach.

Consistency is everything, Preblich said, which is why his secret training regimen is helpful.

Competitors should get the same amount of sleep and eat similar foods on the day of each tournament, avoiding caffeine and sugar. When it's time to shoot, distances must be measured out each time, such as the space between a marksman's front and back feet. Even breathing patterns should be the same, Preblich said.

"You kind of develop your own techniques to shoot good scores," said Bo Marvin, a freshman who said he always uses the same breathing pattern.

Most rifle teams in Minnesota are sponsored by a private club or American Legion post. St. Thomas is an exception.

"[Having an air rifle team] just goes with the military aspect of the school," said Jonathan Sotamba, a junior.

Though Sotamba and teammate Olson said they're itching to win another national contest as a team, Preblich said he's not counting on it. He does have high hopes for Olson to win a national title.

But that's not why he coaches, he said.

"I love it because I really connect with my rifle team on a personal level," he said. "I love the gratification that comes with watching them grow up."

Erin Adler • 952-746-3283