USA Shooting's 2011 Athletes of the Year
USA Shooting is proud to announce Kim Rhode (El Monte, Calif.) and Eric Uptagrafft (Phenix City, Ala.) as the 2011 USAS Athletes of the Year. Both athletes have risen above the rest and have handfuls of hardware as a result of their impressive performances on the international and national scene in 2011. Uptagrafft (pictured below) and Rhode (pictured left) are the male and female "athletes of the year" for their respective disciplines. "I'm honored to be selected as USA Shooting's Female Athlete of the Year. I'm training hard and looking forward to the 2012 Olympic Games," said an elated Rhode. Uptagrafft was humbled by the nod as he said, “There are so many athletes that shot great this year and to be counted among them is quite an honor." Additional team members receiving recognition as USAS Discipline Athletes of the Year: Pistol: Emil Milev (Tampa, Fla.); Rifle: Jamie Beyerle (Lebanon, Pa.) & Uptagrafft; Shotgun: Rhode & Josh Richmond (Hillsgrove, Pa.); Paralympic: Eric Hollen (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Read more about these amazing athletes here.
U.S. Olympic Trials for Airgun Report
The first part of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Airgun concluded on Dec. 4. The match was held at the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s South Facility in Anniston, Ala. Sergeant First Class Daryl Szarenski (Seale, Ala.), a member of the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program, leads Men’s 10m Air Pistol field by over 18 points with a two day total of 1275.8 points. In the first day of competition, Szarenski (pictured right) shot a new national record of 590 match points. Jason Turner (Rochester, N.Y.) finished with 577 and 580 points for a two day total of 1257.5 points for the second position. Will Brown (Twins Falls, Ida.) is behind Turner by just six-tenths with 1256.9 points.
In Men’s 10m Air Rifle, Corporal Matt Rawlings (Wharton, Texas) of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) in is first place with 1297.2 aggregate points. Matt Emmons (Browns Mills, N.J.) is less than two points behind with an aggregate total of 1295.6 points. Jonathan Hall (Carrollton, Ga.) is keeping chase with 1293.3 aggregate points.
Sarah Scherer (Woburn, Mass.) and Emily Caruso (Fairfield, Conn.) are deadlocked at 898 aggregate points in Women’s 10m Air Rifle. Scherer fired 399 match points the second day and Caruso fired 395 points, while both scored a best final of 104 points. Jamie Gray (Lebanon, Pa.) is in third place with 896.2 aggregate points. Gray fired 397 points to stay in the race at only 1.8 points behind.
USA Shooting would like to thank the CMP South in Anniston, Ala., for the use of their facilities and our tireless volunteers for another successful event. The athletes will continue their quest for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team at the second part of the U.S Olympic Trials in Camp Perry, Ohio, Feb. 23-26, 2012. For all results, please visit the CMP website or the Match Results Page.
Gun Broker.com Official Internet Auction Site for USAS
GunBroker.com, the world’s largest Internet auction site for firearms and accessories, has been named the Official Internet Auction Site of USA Shooting and the USA Shooting Foundation in a partnership that will feature a special edition of firearms that will be available exclusively on the popular auction site. Among the new GunBroker.com-USA Shooting partnerships being planned is a special “Supporting Our Olympic Shooters in 2012” auction site on GunBroker.com where all the listed firearms will benefit USA Shooting. Plans call for a series of specially engraved guns produced in partnership with major firearms manufacturers. In addition, one special edition of 100 guns will be produced and made available exclusively on GunBroker.com.
Hollen Wins 2012 Paralympic Quota
U.S. Olympic Training Center Resident Athlete Eric Hollen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) is now the proud owner of two medals from the 2011 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Cup Sydney. More importantly, Hollen seized the day and secured the USA’s first Paralympic quota for the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Early in the match, Hollen also shined in Mixed 50m Free Pistol SH1 for a bronze medal, but the quota came from Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1. He fired 557 match points to tie Cevat Karagol of Turkey, who was also seeking a quota. Hollen started the final with a strong 10.2 point shot and finished with 98.1 points for a total of 655.1 points. His stellar performance was worthy of the silver medal and the quota. Another finals performance in Sydney came from American teammate Sergeant First Class Josh Olson (Spokane, Wash.) of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit. Olson finished sixth overall in Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 (R3). He fired 598 match points to tie six other shooters for only four spots in the final. With a shoot-off score of 52.4 points, he surged ahead with a strong final of 104.5 points for 702.5 total points.
USAS News
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