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Shooting Sports team at WSU creates lifelong memories

When Kaylee Tabbert ’22 moved from Wisconsin to Wichita in 2019, she was taking a complete shot in the dark on a new city and a new school. But shortly after transferring to Wichita State, she stumbled on a community that would make all the difference in her education: the Shooting Sports team. 

“I moved here on a whim, so I didn’t really know anybody when I got here,” Tabbert said. “But everyone on the team was so welcoming and supportive. It felt like I had found a second family here.” 

Tabbert balanced her responsibilities on the team, including a year as team captain, with her demands as a full-time student in Wichita State’s nursing program. 

“The Shooting Sports team taught me so much about the sport, about time management, about being a self-starter,” Tabbert said. “But it also showed me how valuable it is to find a community that supports and lifts you up.” 

These lessons are widespread within the program, and coach Bill Raymond says the growth and camaraderie the members develop showcases the value of working within a team – honing skills that most carry into their jobs after college.

“The discipline and structure that you get from a team environment, the camaraderie of learning from and helping each other – these are skills that we need at every stage of life,” he said.

While the Shooting Spors team isn’t widely known, Raymond says they’re working to get more exposure within the Wichita community, primarily through their annual Flint Oak Fundraiser.

“The fundraiser is a wonderful experience, because it gives us a chance to meet up with our families and supporters and introduce them to the team and the camaraderie within it,” said Raymond. “All my memories there are fantastic. The team puts on the event, they work the auction and then get out and shoot with all the families.”

When Tabbert looks back on her time as a student, it is her memories from the shooting sports team and the Flint Oak Fundraiser that she looks on most fondly.

“It was so humbling to see that people were willing to offer their time and resources to support our team,” she said. “And because of their generosity, lots of students get to do something that they really love with a team they really love.”  The ninth annual Flint Oak Fundraiser will be the weekend of May 31st at the Flint Oak Hunting Lodge. Learn more about the fundraiser.