Nice local boy shooting story

[Barry Markowitz]

Posted on: Wednesday, October 20, 2004

HOMEGROWN REPORT
Tanoue targets Beijing after missing Athens


By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Nevada senior Ryan Tanoue says he's satisfied with his U.S. Olympic Trials performance, even if he failed to qualify for the Athens Games — Scout's honor.


Saint Louis alum Ryan Tanoue missed the 2004 Olympics by 3 points out of a possible 1,800.
James S. Klund • University of Nevada

Tanoue, who will compete in next week's International Shooting Sports Federation World Cup Finals, started his air riflery career while trying to earn a merit badge as a Boy Scout.

The 2001 Saint Louis graduate, who became an Eagle Scout his junior year in high school, parlayed his air riflery skills into five All-America distinctions and a national championship while at Nevada.

He had a chance to qualify for the Olympics last summer, but missed by three points out of a possible 1800.

"It's hard for me to say I was happy with my performance because I didn't make it," Tanoue said. "I did the best I could — it wasn't my best performance, but I gave 100 percent."

Nevada coach Fred Harvey called Tanoue "a truly exceptional" shooter and said the only thing preventing Tanoue from qualifying for the Olympics was the number of berths (two) the United States received.

"If he had been shooting for anyone other than the U.S. or China, he would have been there," Harvey said. "And who knows, he may have won."

Tanoue defeated Matt Emmons of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, for the national championship as a freshman. Emmons went on to win gold at Athens this summer. Tanoue said he will try again for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The ISSF World Cup Finals, which Tanoue said ranks third in prestige behind the Olympics and World Championships, is an invitation-only tournament, bringing together the top 12 shooters in events such as air riflery, small bore prone (lying on the ground), kneeling and standing.

Tanoue received an invitation to the World Cup Finals, Oct. 25 to 31 in Bangkok, Thailand, by "doing really well" in a World Cup tournament last year, he said.

Tanoue has led Nevada to a 7-0 record this season, setting a record along the way. In the Horned Frog Invitational from Oct. 8 to 10, he set a school record with a 597 air score (out of 600), hitting three perfect targets in the process.

"When things don't go well — and rarely does a shooter come off a line and say things couldn't have gone any better — Ryan goes out there and gives it his best, and when it's done, it's done," Harvey said. "He can set it aside and move on. A lot of shooters can't do that; they shoot one bad shot and it occupies their attention.

"If you have any distractions, that takes away from your ability to deal with all your future shots. That's what sets him aside."

Tanoue, a team captain, is one of several Hawai'i shooters Harvey said lifted the Wolf Pack to top-5 status nationally.

Harvey said five years ago Jayde and Travis Look, of Hawai'i Baptist and Saint Louis, respectively, "helped us turn the corner."

This season's team also features Tanoue's younger brother, Michael, and freshman Eric Okamoto, both from Saint Louis, and senior Lauren Yoshida of Hilo.

Harvey said that with such a large number of skilled shooters from Hawai'i, he checks Hawai'i high school scores at least once a semester, and looks at their participation at the Junior Olympics.

"Ryan came here because he knew he would make the varsity right away, and he was exactly right," Harvey said. "He was the best shooter that ever decided to come here."

Harvey said Tanoue helps his less-skilled teammates.

"He's able to share his expertise, and he's able to do that without antagonizing his teammates," Harvey said. "Other people may be very good, but they're not able to share it without irritating people."

Tanoue said that comes from more than a decade of participating in the scouting program.

"I think it's more about teaching leadership and working with other people," he said. "The only way your group is going to be good is if everyone works together. I try to apply that to everything else, whether it is my team here, or anywhere else."

Harvey said he has seen Tanoue grow as both a person and shooter.

"The difference between his freshman year and this year, he was shooting 10s (bull's-eyes) his freshman year, but they were barely 10s, sort of on the border," Harvey said. "Now they're really solid. They are just dead center."