Taking His Best Shot: Army Veteran Joseph Grohs Leads on Action Shooting Team

Written by Monica VanDerWeide, ’95

Coming to Hillsdale after more than a decade of service in the U.S. Army, Joseph Grohs, ’26, wanted to be sure that his four years of college were well spent—that he would get “the most bang for [his] buck.” Now halfway through his college career, Grohs is grateful for his time spent as a student and as a member of the College’s action shooting team.

A native of rural Oregon, Grohs entered the Army right out of high school in 2009, serving as part of the 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington. He deployed to Afghanistan eight times, receiving a Purple Heart for injuries sustained during one of his deployments, and was also part of the sniper protection detail for President Trump’s visit to Afghanistan in 2019. Upon retiring from the Army in 2022, he applied to several colleges on the West Coast and, at a friend’s recommendation, Hillsdale College.

“I knew nothing about Hillsdale College prior to that,” Grohs recalled. He had begun competitive shooting the previous year, sponsored by Grey Ghost Precision. When Grohs learned that Hillsdale had an action shooting team, he contacted Head Coach Adam Burlew to set up a meeting when he came to visit campus.

Grohs was accepted to Hillsdale and, as a veteran, received a full scholarship and housing stipend. He was also offered a spot on the action shooting team. He quickly became a contributor to the team’s successes, which includes three consecutive national titles in the Scholastic Action Shooting Program College Nationals.

While Hillsdale has mostly competed in the steel challenge format, the team will move to the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) format of competition this year, a move that Grohs believes will be beneficial to the team.

“In the USPSA format, you take shots while on the move,” Grohs says. “It incorporates more technical skills and practical shooting than in the steel challenge format. It’s more professional and will give Hillsdale students more opportunities to compete.”

To that end, Hillsdale’s team has been working with the USPSA president to start a collegiate shooting category. “Hillsdale is the first college to try to do this,” Grohs said. “We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from other colleges and from the shooting industry.” To introduce shooters from other colleges and universities to this format, Hillsdale will host the inaugural USPSA Collegiate Championship, in conjunction with Springfield Armory, in September at the Ailes Action Shooting Range.

In addition to this format change, the team also restructured last year. Drawing on his military leadership, Grohs stepped up to delegate roles to each member of the team. “Coach Burlew was swamped with his responsibilities,” Grohs recalled. “By delegating smaller duties, such as social media and apparel, to members of the team, Coach Burlew can focus all his energy on coaching, and students get some leadership experience. It’s worked out really well for us.” As for his role, Grohs serves as team manager, acting as a liaison with faculty and the Athletic Department and assisting wherever he can to ensure that the team operates smoothly.

“It’s a large time commitment to participate on the team,” Grohs said, “but as a veteran, it’s been good to have a familiar area where I can re-center myself and relax with my teammates.”

Returning to the classroom after a 13-year absence was not so familiar for Grohs. “It was a little rough at first,” he said. “But all my classes have been great. I’m here to learn and enjoy myself. As an older student, I have confidence in my ability to perform at the level I need to and don’t put the stress on myself that I see younger students putting on themselves.”

A history major, Grohs is currently interning with the U.S. Marshals out of Grand Rapids, and he hopes either to join the U.S. Marshal’s Service or become a deputy U.S. Marshal after graduation. But until then, he looks forward to continued growth not only as a Hillsdale student, but also as a member of the action shooting team.

“I think our team will experience a lot of growth this year, not only in our capability within the USPSA realm, but also in our mental game,” he said. “It’s our goal to win the collegiate championship once again.”

Monica VanDerWeide is Director of Marketing Content for Hillsdale College. She graduated from Hillsdale in 1995 with a degree in English and German.

Published in August 2024