''The world is changing; we're waking up,'' says Susan Posen, speaking of her battle to banish rifle teams from high schools. While New York State and Nassau County do recognize riflery as an interscholastic sport, the Great Neck public schools do not have any rifle teams.

Earlier this year, Ms. Posen, a longtime Great Neck resident, saw a photograph in the Great Neck Record picturing South High Principal Randolph Ross with students involved in riflery. ''When I saw this I was outraged. I couldn't understand this,'' she said, ''but I kept my anger pretty much to myself.''

She did, though, send a letter to the school district, to Robert Morrison, who is in charge of the district's physical education and recreation programs. Mr. Morrison responded, assuring Ms. Posen that the district ''has no plans for a rifle team and no funds for this purpose are included in the 1999-00 budget.''

In the letter, Mr. Morrison further explained that the state and county do recognize riflery as an interscholastic sport, but the school district is not obligated to field a team. However, if some children wish to participate in riflery, the district is obligated to allow those students to compete, as individual competitors, with another school district. The letter also noted that during the 1998-99 school year, only two students expressed such an interest, and that these students' interest ''... was generated by participation in groups outside the school setting.''

Mr. Morrison stated that ''There is no rifle training for our youngsters in physical education classes, intramural or interscholastic athletics.''

(In a recent interview with the Record, Mr. Morrison clarified the school district's position, stating that the district is obligated to provide an opportunity for individual competitors if there is a sport the district does not field. This can be done for a few students, but once the number goes over six, the district has to decide whether or not to field its own team. They are not obligated to field a team, and Mr. Morrison said that in a district such as Great Neck, where there are so many teams, more than in most districts, and enough opportunities for every student, such a new team probably would not be added. And he added that riflery, as a sport, has been dropping in numbers in the state, with few such teams.)

Following Mr. Morrison's letter, Ms. Posen almost dropped the subject...but then Columbine happened! And she had to do something!

Susan Posen sent a letter to the editor, which appeared in the May 6, 1999 issue of this newspaper. In view of the Colorado tragedy, she decided to go public with her feelings, promising to ''...write to any officials that have any influence in Albany to try to put a restriction on any rifle training in high schools anywhere in the state.''

''I wrote to everybody,'' she said.

And write, she did. Ms. Posen sent letters to Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Daniel P. Moynihan, U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman, U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, Governor George Pataki, State Education Department Commissioner Richard Mills, State Controller H. Carl McCall, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, State Senator Michael Balboni, State Assemblymember Thomas DiNapoli, County Supervisor Thomas Gulotta, County Legislator Lisanne Altmann, Town Supervisor May Newburger, NYS Public High School Athletic Association Executive Director Sandra Scott, Great Neck Board of Education President Judi Bosworth, Great Neck Superintendent of Schools William Shine, and the mayors of the nine Great Neck villages.

And she addressed the board of education this spring, stating, ''In my opinion a rifle is an instrument that was developed in order to maim or kill something or someone...How then can riflery be considered a sport?...''

Many responses to her letter writing campaign echoed her concern over guns, especially in light of the recent school tragedies. Dr. Scott, from the public high school athletic association, said that she would see if the association would support adding her request to the August agenda.

So far it has been pretty frustrating for Ms. Posen. ''Just because it (riflery) has been an interscholastic sport, is no reason to keep it,'' she said, ''Why is this necessary? Who needs it?''

At this point, she is hoping to organize a group of concerned citizens to work with her. She would like to put together a petition and begin lobbying. She is hopeful, that with a large enough petition, she may be heard before the NYS Public High School Athletic Association later this summer.

Anyone wishing to join Susan Posen in her fight to ban riflery as a New York State interscholastic sport can call her at noriflery@aol.com.

She plans to keep fighting!