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Shooter Information
US Athletes Make Strong Showing at ISSF Shotgun World Cup Final in Qatar By Scott Engen and Lloyd Woodhouse
USA Shooting is recognized by the US Olympic Committee and the International Shooting Sport Federation as the national governing body for Olympic and international shooting in the United States. International shooting includes more than two-dozen different events for both men and women in four different disciplines: pistol rifle, shotgun and running target. 17 of these events are currently part of the Olympic shooting sports program. USA Shooting trains and selects the USA Shooting Team, which represents the United States throughout the year in numerous major international competitions worldwide including the Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan American Games, Championships of the Americas and at ISSF World Cups.The World Cup Final is the crowning event of each competition season. Participation is by invitation only as determined by an athlete's performances in that year's four world cups. American men made podium appearances in all three of the shotgun events. Leading off for the US athletes was junior shooter Glenn Eller of Katy, Texas, equaling the current world junior record with his gold medal performance in men's double trap. "Any time our people medal in these conditions they have done a superior job," said Lloyd Woodhouse, National Shotgun Coach. "Eller's performance certainly validates his selection as USA Shooting's Male Athlete of the Year." Dominic Grazioli of San Antonio, Texas, took the bronze medal in men's trap. Fellow American Brett Erickson finished the men's trap match in ninth place with a score of 113. A bronze medal awaited Joe Buffa of Columbus, Georgia in men's skeet. Shawn Dulohery, 2001 ISSF World Champion in men's skeet, finished the match in eighth position scoring a 117. On the women's side of the score sheet, America's Lauryn Ogilvie battled her way into a respectable sixth place finish overall. Kyndra Hogan, a resident athlete at USOTC, gave a solid effort ended the day in ninth position.
USA Shooting is the national governing body for the Olympic shooting sports and those governed by the International Sport Shooting Federation (ISSF). The organization is responsible for training and selecting the shooting teams to represent the United States at World Cups, World Shooting Championships, the Pan American Games, and the Olympic Games. In addition, USA Shooting manages development programs and sanctions events at the local, state, regional, and national levels, including the national shooting championships. USA Shooting was organized by the USOC in March 1994 and its board of directors was officially recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee in April 1995. The USA Shooting board of directors operates under the direction of Stevan Richards, president; Col Arch Arnold, vice-president; Richard Finkbeiner, treasurer; and Jerry Leeper, secretary; Bob Foth, Athlete Advisory Council Representive. USA Shooting is headquartered at the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo. Four national coaches and an administrative staff, led by Executive Director Robert Mitchell, provide support for the national and national development teams and opportunities for young shooters with Olympic dreams.
Before 1979, there was no year-round U.S. Shooting Team. Athletes trained independently and met once a year to try out for major events such as the Olympics and World Championships. Once the match was over, the team disbanded until the following year. Spurred by the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, the national governing body for Olympic shooting sports mandated the establishment of national teams and national development teams, a national coaching staff, year-round training programs, and a headquarters training site for Olympic shooting sports. Since 1979, the national team program has grown to include 84 national team members and 59 national development members. Many of those shooters train in hometowns across the country while holding down full-time jobs or attending school. Others are part of the resident athlete program at the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo. While most residents still juggle work and school, they willingly relocate to Colorado for the opportunity to train at one of the best shooting facilities in the world. The resident program include approximately 20 athletes in four shooting disciplines.
In 1985, a $2.7 million Olympic Shooting Center was completed at the OTC. Built largely through donations from the shooting community, it is now the home range for the national and national development teams. It is the largest indoor shooting facility in the western hemisphere. Three separate ranges provide twenty nine smallbore and pistol firing points, seventy two air gun points and three running target bays for training and competition. In addition, the building houses the USA Shooting administrative offices, a gunsmith room, and locker rooms for resident and visiting athletes. The shooting center annually hosts the National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships, camps and clinics for shooting, and training conferences for shooting coaches. The nearby USA Shooting International Shooting Park, with four skeet/trap/double trap fields, provides training facilities for our shotgun shooters. This facility has hosted several National Championships.
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