November 17, 2025
History and marksmanship converged on Friday, November 7, as Hampden-Sydney College formally devoted its new Hampden-Sydney Shooting Sports Academy, positioned at historic Slate Hill, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Slate Hill holds particular significance as the unique location of the College’s founding in 1775, significantly related throughout the establishment’s ongoing 250th anniversary celebrations.
The dedication marked an thrilling second for the College and its taking pictures sports activities lovers, celebrating a facility that’s already providing wonderful facilities and guarantees far more upon its full completion subsequent spring.
The facility at present affords two skeet and entice fields, two five-stands, a 3rd space with 16 taking pictures stations, and a lake.
The ceremony drew a dedicated group of attendees, together with Hampden-Sydney President Larry Stimpert and Dean of Students Richard Pantele ’13, who acknowledged the dedication of those that introduced the undertaking to fruition.
“This project at Hampden-Sydney Shooting Sports Academy has certainly been a passion for a lot of people, especially for many of our students and alumni. Through it, the College has developed a renewed passion for the shooting sports,” Pantele stated.
They had been joined by key figures Tom Allen ’60, former chairman of the board of trustees, and Ty Schoolar ’20, head coach of the taking pictures workforce, together with a beneficiant contingent of donors, relations, and taking pictures lovers whose help was instrumental in bringing the undertaking to life.
“I used to be a freshman once I heard rumors that we had been getting a brand new taking pictures facility,” stated Shooting Team Captain Wills Jannerbo ’26. “I never would have dreamed of something as cool as this!”
Wills, who additionally serves as chairman of the Student Senate, expressed optimism for his sport’s future on the College. “I can’t imagine what the teams that come after us will experience with the foundation you’ve laid for us here,” he stated, addressing the undertaking’s benefactors.
Once accomplished subsequent spring, Hampden-Sydney Shooting Sports Academy will likely be house to a lodge, a follow taking pictures vary, and an occasions corridor, amongst different facilities.
Associate Dean of Students for Student Conduct and Director of Greek Life Dwayne Bowyer ’92 stated that the Hampden-Sydney Shooting Team’s main performers frequently produce top-tier scores in competitors, including that “With coach Ty Schoolar and now with the new facility and support from our alumni, it’s only going to get better.”
The ribbon-cutting was adopted by demonstrations on each five-stand and entice fields, the place college students confirmed spectacular marksmanship, in addition to excursions of the third vary and remaining acreage.
The accomplished vary is ready to considerably improve the College’s potential to host aggressive occasions and provide top-tier leisure taking pictures alternatives.
Those involved about any potential results on the cemetery or the house at Slate Hill can relaxation assured that the brand new taking pictures vary will have an effect on neither, nor trigger any disruptions to archeological tasks on the website.
The Hampden-Sydney neighborhood appears ahead to the complete opening subsequent spring, anticipating a world-class facility that honors the lengthy historical past of taking pictures sports activities on the College whereas offering state-of-the-art assets for as we speak’s college students and alumni.