Sports & Athletics
Riflery
- Category:
- Sports & Athletics
- Season:
- Fall into winter (practice from late July)
Riflery is on the GCPS list of spring sports, and GHSA runs it as three-position air rifle: athletes shoot at 10-meter targets from prone, standing and kneeling. Only some GCPS high schools field teams, and at some schools the team is tied to JROTC but open to other students. Ask before you plan around it.
What Riflery is
- A GHSA sport using precision air rifles with aperture sights, not hunting or tactical rifles.
- Three positions: prone, standing and kneeling, scored on 10-meter paper or electronic targets.
- A season that starts in summer and ends in March. GHSA's first practice was July 27, 2026, matches started Oct. 19, 2026, and the state championship is March 20, 2027.
- A high school sport only.
What Riflery is not
- Not hunting or firearms training.
- Not available at every GCPS high school.
- Not JROTC-only everywhere. At some schools, non-JROTC students may join; ask.
- Not loud or chaotic. It is quiet, precise and safety-first.
Who runs it
The rifle coach at the school, often a JROTC instructor, under the athletic director. GHSA sets dates, rules and the state championship. GCPS sets paperwork through Rank One.
Who coaches at your child's school is a school question. Ask the front office or the athletic director. GCPS Insider does not keep a live coach list and cannot tell you who the coach is. Please do not email us to find a coach, tryout date, practice time, fee, or roster.
Season at a glance (2026–27)
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| July 27, 2026 | GHSA first practice. |
| Oct. 19, 2026 | First matches. |
| Winter 2026–27 | Regular season and area matches. |
| March 20, 2027 | GHSA state championship at the Ware County Shooting Complex. |
By grade
- Middle: Riflery is not on the GCPS middle school sports list.
- High: Varsity and JV at schools that field teams.
Eligibility and paperwork (2026–27)
- Rank One first. GCPS uses Rank One for athletic paperwork. A student cannot condition, try out, practice or compete until the parent has signed the consent forms there and a current physical is uploaded. The student must be enrolled at that school. GCPS instructions
- Physical. GCPS uses a four-page physical form: the family fills in pages 1–2 (medical history), the doctor completes pages 3–4, and all four pages go into Rank One. GHSA By-Law 1.41 requires a physical every year by an MD, DO, nurse practitioner or physician assistant before any tryout or practice. A physical done on or after April 1, 2026 covers the full 2026–27 school year.
- Grades. Under GCPS rules, students entering 9th grade for the first time are eligible their first semester. After that, a student must have passed five of six classes the semester before and be on track to graduate. GHSA also counts credits: 5 units before 10th grade, 11 before 11th, and 17 before 12th. Eligibility is set on the first day of each semester.
- Attendance. GCPS says a student who is absent more than half the school day, or who serves in-school suspension, cannot practice or play that day.
- Eight semesters. GHSA allows eight consecutive semesters of high school eligibility, counted from the first time a student enters 9th grade.
- Transfers. GHSA By-Law 1.62 treats most students who change schools without a bona fide family move as ineligible for varsity for 365 days; they may still play sub-varsity. Talk to the athletic director at the new school before you move, not after.
- Theme and online programs. GCPS students at theme schools and online programs that do not field their own teams generally play for the school they would ordinarily attend. Ask the athletic director at that school how it works.
Rules are from the 2026–27 GHSA Constitution (ghsa.net) and GCPS athletics pages. If anything here conflicts with what the athletic director tells you, the athletic director wins.
Time and logistics
Practice after school at a school range. Matches can be long. Ask about safety training, equipment and travel.
Money
There is no single GCPS price for this sport, and we will not quote one. Ask what families cover: shoes or gear, practice wear, any booster or team fee, camps, travel and spirit packs. Ask what the school provides, and ask quietly about help if the cost is a barrier. Club and travel teams outside school are separate costs and separate commitments.
How Georgia scores it
GHSA scores three-position air rifle by total points. A resume line should give years, average score and any state result.
Who it tends to fit
- Good fit: a student who likes focus, precision and steady practice.
- Think twice: if the school does not field a team or the student cannot commit to the long season.
How kids get on Riflery
- Ask the athletic director whether the school has a rifle team.
- Ask whether non-JROTC students may join.
- Finish Rank One and the physical.
- Ask about safety training.
Riflery is offered at only some GCPS high schools, and availability changes. Confirm at your child's school before you plan around it.
Questions to ask the coach
- Does the school have a rifle team?
- Can non-JROTC students join?
- What equipment does the school provide?
- How do you teach safety?
- When and where do you practice?
- What does a match day look like?
- Is there any cost?
- How do shooters qualify for state?
Schools we have seen list Riflery
Still verifying. We have not published a school-by-school list for this sport and we will not invent one. Browse the schools directory and check a school's own athletics page, and tell us what your school offers — that link is for adding a school, not for asking who the coach is.
Who coaches at your child's school is a school question. Ask the front office or the athletic director. GCPS Insider does not keep a live coach list and cannot tell you who the coach is. Please do not email us to find a coach, tryout date, practice time, fee, or roster.
What to do this week
Ask the athletic director whether your school has a rifle team and how to join.