Four U.S Olympic Team Slots to be Determined in Tucson
The nation’s best shotgun competitors will put years of hard work and training on the line May 17-20 in hopes of earning the right to represent the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Shotgun are coming to the Tucson Trap & Skeet Club (TTSC) outside Tucson, Ariz., and securing one of the four Olympic spots available will be as intense as the desert heat.
The Trials will feature action in all of shotgun’s respective disciplines including Trap (M/W), Skeet (M/W) and Men’s Double Trap. However, Olympic spots will only be available in women’s trap (1), men’s skeet (2) and men’s double trap (1).
The U.S. was unable to qualify for a men’s trap selection in London while the women’s skeet quota was secured long ago by Kim Rhode (El Monte, Calif.), a four-time Olympic medalist, who was the first U.S. athlete nominated to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team by virtue of the points she had earned in World Cup and World Championship events. Also earning the distinction of not having to compete at the upcoming Trials is Josh Richmond (USAMU/Hillsgrove, Pa.), who secured an Olympic nomination following his 2010 World Championships title in Men’s Double Trap.
Many of the competitors expected to participate will be familiar with the Tucson Trap and Skeet Club after competing there during the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup event March 25-31. The U.S. Team led all participating nations in winning five medals, including three gold.
The right to earn a coveted Olympic Team selection will draw the sport’s best and USA Shooting’s National Team Coach for Shotgun, Bret Erickson, a four-time Olympian in his own right, doesn’t expect the race for London to be determined until the last targets are thrown.
“The depth and abilities being showcased by this crop of shooters will make for some exciting displays of marksmanship,” Erickson acknowledges. “In order for an athlete to make the team, they’re going to have to demonstrate grit, determination, precision and focus on every single shot.”
Five Beijing Olympians will be competing in the Trials including: Men’s Skeet Olympic gold medalist Vincent Hancock (USAMU/Eatonton, Ga.); Sean McClelland (Mission, Texas), a skeet shooter who finished 11th in Beijing; Corey Cogdell (Eagle River, Alaska), a women’s trap bronze medalist from Beijing; Double Trap gold medalist Glenn Eller (USAMU/Katy, Texas) and Jeff Holguin (USAMU/Yorba Linda, Calif.), a fourth-place finisher in Men’s Double Trap.
USA Shooting will preview each of the disciplines in lead-up to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Shotgun over the next 10 days starting with Men’s Double Trap on Thursday, May 3. We’ll unveil the Skeet preview on Thursday, May 3, followed by the Trap outlook on Thursday, May 10.
2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Shotgun Competition Schedule:
Thursday, May 17 – Official Training (all disciplines) Friday, May 18 – Trap & Skeet (100 Targets), Double Trap (150 Targets) Saturday, May 19 – Trap & Skeet (100 Targets), Double Trap (150 Targets + FINAL) Sunday, May 20 – Trap & Skeet (50 Targets + FINAL)
The TTSC has served southern Arizona’s shooting sportsman since its original incorporation in 1948. The club has been in its present location, west of historic Tucson, since early 1976 when construction on the 80-acre site was completed. In preparation for the 2012 World Cup and its designated as a USA Shooting Certified Training Center, the club added 300 acres, five international bunker traps and seven new skeet fields.
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for all sports is a collaborative, three-way partnership between the U.S. Olympic Committee, the national governing bodies and the local organizing committees. All athletes nominated to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team must be approved by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
For more information, please contact Kevin Neuendorf at 719-866-4605 or by e-mail at kevin.neuendorf@usashooting.org.
Winchester Ammunition is a Proud Sponsor of the USA Shooting Shotgun Team: Winchester® Ammunition has been the exclusive ammunition sponsor and supplier of the USA Shooting Shotgun Team since 1999. Members of the 2008 shotgun team brought home four medals from Beijing using Winchester AA International Target loads. Winchester is an industry leader in advancing and supporting conservation, hunter education and our country’s proud shooting sports heritage. For more information about Winchester and its complete line of products, visit www.winchester.com. About USA Shooting:
USA Shooting, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, was chartered by the United States Olympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport of shooting in April 1995. USA Shooting’s mission is to prepare American athletes to win Olympic medals, promote the shooting sports throughout the U.S. and govern the conduct of international shooting in the country. Check us out on the web at www.usashooting.org and on Twitter at twitter.com/USAShooting.
