Soldier Named New Shotgun Coach

[USAS & USAMU]

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Staff Sgt. Mark L. Weeks, a shotgun shooter with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, was named as the new National Shotgun Team head coach by USA Shooting, the national governing body for Olympic shooting sports, March 31.

After more than 20 years of dedicated service to USA Shooting as the National Shotgun Coach, Lloyd Woodhouse will be retiring at the end of August. Weeks is scheduled to get out of the Army at that time so he will assume his new position Sept. 1 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Weeks began shooting with his father, Dan Weeks in 1992, but credits Woodhouse with showing him the intricacies of the sport. Weeks brings 21 years of shotgun shooting experience to USA Shooting and has pursued modern coaching and training techniques for the past two years.

"USA Shooting is very excited to add Mark to the coaching staff," said Wanda Jewell, USA Shooting director of operations. "His expertise both on the field and with young athletes will be a real asset for our competitive program."

A native of Clinton Township, Mich., Weeks graduated from Fraser High School of Fraser, Mich., in 1996, and then continued his education at Macomb Community College for a year. He currently attends Troy State University.

Twenty-nine year old Weeks was a resident athlete at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs from 1998 to 2000. He enlisted in the Army Sept. 5, 2000, and after he completed Basic and Infantry Training he was assigned to the Army Marksmanship Unit Shotgun Team Jan.
19, 2001.

"I am very excited to be the new national coach for shotgun,"
said Weeks. "Competition shooting has been my whole life and I now am looking forward to being on the coaching side and seeing our athletes excel in the sport and win medals. I feel that we have a very good
talent pool in shotgun and the future looks promising."

Weeks most recently finished in third place in Men's Skeet at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Shotgun Trials, narrowly missing a spot on the
2008 U.S. Olympic Team by just two targets. He and his wife, former USAMU international rifle shooter Spc. Mary K. Weeks, live in Phenix City, Ala.

USA Shooting, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, was chartered by the U.S. Olympic Committee as the national governing body for the sport of shooting in April 1995. It is USA Shooting's mission to prepare American athletes to win Olympic medals, promote the shooting sports throughout the United States and govern the conduct of international shooting in the country. The organization implements and manages development programs and sanctions events at the local, state, regional and national levels.

(Formed in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to raise the standards of marksmanship throughout the U.S. Army, the Army Marksmanship Unit is assigned to the Accessions Support Brigade of the U.S. Army Accessions Command. For more information on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, contact the Public Affairs Office at (706) 545-5436, Paula.Randall@usaac.army.mil or www.USAMU.com. USA Shooting is the national governing body for the Olympic and international shooting sports in the United States. For more information on USA Shooting, contact Public Relations Manager Mary Beth Vorwerk at (719) 866-4896, MaryBeth.Vorwerk@USAShooting.org or http://www.USAShooting.com.)

[Steve Swartz]

Anyone have any additional info (coaching/management/leadership etc.) on SSgt Weeks?

Assume he has all the Army "charm school" (PME) tickets punched etc. and that won't hurt.

He's going to have big shoes to fill . . . wish him the best of luck! Great opportunity for a talented young guy.

Steve Swartz