The Simpson Shooting Club is up and going again this year under new leadership from coach Daniel Martin.

Martin grew up in Illinois and went to school in the Quad Cities for teaching and coaching. Before Martin came to Simpson to be the Shooting Club coach, he worked for the National Wild Turkey Federation, a conservation group which teaches people about hunter’s safety.

The outlook for the year under coach Martin is going to focus heavily on recruiting.

“I want to make sure that everyone in the shooting community knows that Simpson didn’t die because the old coach left,” Martin said.

Martin said he wants to grow the program and get more student athletes aware of it.

“I’d love to make it to the point where I have to get a charter bus to take all the kids to go shoot,” he said.

There are two separate sections of the club. There is the competitive side, where the athletes travel all over the country to competitions and compete with some of the biggest schools in the U.S.

Being on the competitive team is optional; students can just be a part of the non-competitive side of the club.

“The club program is open to any Simpson students that are just interested in shooting and the joy of shooting,” Martin said.

The club side allows for students to be able to learn about shooting, as coach Martin and two other students are certified through the Scholastic Clay Target Program and the National Rifle Association.

Currently there are five students on the competitive side of the club and one student on the non-competitive side. Martin said interested students should speak to him.

“All they have to do is come in and talk to me and go through safety first,” he said.

The club tries to shoot every Friday at Izaak Walton, located outside of Indianola. Once the club meets, they go through safety and sign waivers. Students need to being hearing and eye protection to be able to shoot.

The club also welcomes students who are new to shooting or have little experience.

“We have a full indoor laser training facility,” Martin said.

This allows students to come in and practice shooting the firearm and for students new to shooting to become comfortable with firearms. Students can shoot on a simulator before shooting live rounds.

However, the goal for the shooting club isn’t only to educate students on the joys of shooting and competitive shooting.

“At the end of the day, we just want to make everyone a better person, and I think shooting is a good way to do that,” Martin said.

For students interested in the shooting club, coach Martin’s office is in the Campus Services building across from Gaumer.