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A Season to Remember, as Narrated by World Champion Caitlin Connor
Posted By admin on December 26, 2018
By Kevin Neuendorf, USA Shooting
I would like to start off by stating that the Olympic journey is impossible without the help of our donors, friends, family and volunteers. Your unwavering support throughout the years leading up to the Olympic Games is greatly appreciated.
Our year started off with an anticipated and welcomed change when our new CEO Keith Enlow was hired. Mr. Enlow came to USA Shooting and provided something special to this organization. He gave the athletes something to believe in and something to work for. He created an atmosphere that is more inviting for sponsors, and more conducive for athletes to perform at their highest level. He also provided direction and leadership for the staff of USA Shooting, something that was needed more than anything. I believe that as our organization continues to grow under the direction of Mr. Enlow, we will prosper again.
Skeet athlete Caitlin Connor had a pretty special year in 2018 after being crowned World Champion while helping lead an historic podium sweep. She was one of the brightest shooting stars among a group of fantastic shooting sports ambassadors that compete for the USA Shooting Team. As we get set to take time with our family and friends this holiday season, we’re going to let Caitlin Connor narrate for you USA Shooting’s 2018 season to remember and how it sets up perfectly our 2020 Vision!
Our year started off with an anticipated and welcomed change when our new CEO Keith Enlow was hired. Mr. Enlow came to USA Shooting and provided something special to this organization. He gave the athletes something to believe in and something to work for. He created an atmosphere that is more inviting for sponsors, and more conducive for athletes to perform at their highest level. He also provided direction and leadership for the staff of USA Shooting, something that was needed more than anything. I believe that as our organization continues to grow under the direction of Mr. Enlow, we will prosper again.
I have seen a wave of pride and commitment in our athletes this year that has not occurred for a while. It is reflected in the performance that our Junior and Open athletes have demonstrated all year. Between myself and my teammates Amber English and Kim Rhode we were able to bring home 12 of 18 total individual medals, a historic podium sweep at World Championship, and two Olympic quotas. We rocked it this year — great job ladies!
Michael McPhail created a spark at the World Championships by taking the bronze medal and winning a quota spot in the Men’s Three-Position Rifle event. This spark ignited a flame for our Rifle and Pistol program leading into the Championships of the Americas. James Hall, Mindy Miles, Dempster Christenson, Lexi Lagan, Sarah Beard and George Norton all brought home quotas in their respective events. Hearing our National Anthem playing that many times made all of us proud. Frank Thompson claimed our second quota spot for Men’s Skeet while at the CAT Games equaling the finals World Record with a 59/60. Kayle Browning secured a quota spot for Women’s Trap at the CAT games while winning a gold medal. Earlier in the year, Kayle’s teammates Ashley Carroll and Aeriel Skinner set World Records in Guadalajara, Mexico while taking first and third, respectively. In Tucson, Arizona at our fourth World Cup, our mixed teams stole the show with Corey Cogdell-Unrein/Jake Wallace winning gold and Kayle Browning/Will Hinton taking the bronze. Vincent Hancock struck gold at every competition he went to this year, setting World Records left and right, missing a target here and there, claiming the top of the podium before he even stepped on the plane. The year was filled with countless other individual medals, team medals, mixed team medals and personal bests.
Our Paralympic athletes made some noise this last year with Taylor Farmer and John Joss winning medals at the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in Chateauroux, France. In addition, John secured a quota spot for the 2020 Olympics in the Mixed 50m Rifle Prone SH1 event. Paralympic Shotgun was a much anticipated and welcomed addition to our sport. Becky Noble represented the United States in the Para Trap World Championships in Lonato, Italy this year. Becky – I applaud you and look forward to your success in the years to come.
The strength of our Juniors across the board is something to take notice of. At the Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany rifle athletes William Shaner and Morgan Phillips claimed gold medals in the 50m Prone events. At the Junior Grand Prix in Porpetto, Italy our Junior shotgun athletes claimed some well-deserved hardware. Our Junior shotgun team raised the Star-Spangled Banner 7 of 10 times. Maddie Bernau, Dale Royer, and Austen Smith claimed individual gold medals in their events. At the World Championship, our Juniors continued to show their strength. William Shaner, Henry Leverett, Logan Lucas, Nic Moschetti, Katelyn Abeln and Austen Smith all claimed individual medals at the World Championship.
Here we have the present and the future of our organization kicking butt and taking names all over the world. We do our best every day to work harder and be better than we were yesterday. USA Shooting does their best to support their athletes, but often times it is not enough.
Coming into the 2018 season, we learned that the USOC was cutting back their support of USA Shooting. It started by the USOC cutting all funding to the Pistol program, followed by the elimination of our Resident Athlete Program at the Colorado Springs facility. The USOC effectively pulled the lifeline that USA Shooting could provide to athletes. All of the athletes feel the pain. Many athletes were displaced and forced to rely heavily on friends and family for housing arrangements. Many athletes that resided at the Colorado Springs facility had to take up other jobs in order to make ends meet after stipends were eliminated. This takes away from the necessary training time that is required to develop into a world-class athlete.
Even though we had a fantastic year and secured many quota spots, I still wonder how good it would have been if every athlete had the support they needed and deserves. It takes a determined athlete to accomplish the goals we set for ourselves. Our careers are filled with highs and lows; sometimes we win and sometimes we lose, but we never give up. We keep working despite any setback. Never underestimate the heart of a champion.
Bring on Tokyo – we’re ready!
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kevin Neuendorf kevin.neuendorf@usashooting.org |
My first impression was how big the barrel was. Unlike most rimfire shooters, I prefer a heavy barrel for stability, but this gun looked just a bit excessive. But, after picking it up, my thoughts changed gears. Yes, it is heavy, but balanced too. So, the heft isn’t as noticeable as it would appear to be. The barrel is six 
I have always had a nostalgic feeling for the M1 Carbine (United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1). A standard firearm for the U.S. Military during World War II, the Korean War, and well into the Vietnam War, its appeal to the civilian market for collectors is huge. The M1 Carbine is a semi-automatic firearm while the M2/M3 are selective fire. However, it is the M1 Carbine that is readily available and a lot of fun to shoot. New replicas from Inland Manufacturing are usually priced a little lower than originals. We tested one last year and were very impressed with it.
Juniors Get Safety!
Two dozen youth shooting teams and over 280 athletes from across the state converged on Ellis County Sportsman’s Club in Waxahachie, TX May 5-7 for the Scholastic Clay Target Program’s annual state shotgun championships. “Ellis County is one of the few venues around that can handle a tournament this size in a single weekend,” noted Coach Rich Keele. “If the participation continues growing at this rate, we may have to look at other options.” In fact, SCTP has already reserved a date for next year’s regional tournament to be held at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio.
Tayler: Once again, Seekins Precision put on another great competition. When shooting the Seekins match, you get to shoot in three man teams, making it uniquely fun and challenging. Every stage was well thought out and provided a series of obstacles. I had the opportunity to shoot with two great and very talented people who taught me the importance of working as a team to work towards a common goal.
Although I’ve admitted melee is my favorite, relay is just as much fun. Everyone starts at a different point, with only one person shooting at a time. When the first person is done shooting, they run and tag the next person. This results in the stage taking more time, but all in all it is equally thrilling.
CHANGWON, South Korea (September 3, 2018)
By Ken Jorgensen
While the RCSA is new, the people and the purpose are not. Current Board Members Ken Jorgensen and Michael Bane were part of the original group that founded Ruger Rimfire. The third member of the group, and the person credited with the concept of two-gun rimfire competition, was Nelson Dymond. Nelson passed away in early 2017 but not before he saw his idea come to fruition. 
RCSA participants compete using a .22 Long Rifle caliber rifle and handgun from any manufacturer. The targets are steel plates that are set in a course of fire that is no less than 5 and no more than 7 plates. The course of fire is designed to be completed using one 10-round magazine without the need to reload “on the clock.” Steel plates were chosen as the targets because they are easy to buy or build, and because this type of target provides the competitor with immediate visual and audio feedback. Each stage is engaged five times with the worst score thrown out. Final score is time plus penalties.
Rimfire competitors come from many other disciplines and new competitors often move on to other shooting sports. This creates a
For more information about the Rimfire Challenge Shooting Association, sponsors, the rulebook and more, visit the website at 
CAMP PERRY, Ohio – Patience and hard work paid off during the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) 2018 National Three-Position Air Rifle Championship, as Nation Ford High School from South Carolina finally earned a win after falling short every year since the competition began back in 2016. The National event, featuring both sporter and precision junior athletes from around the country, was held at the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center at Camp Perry, June 21-26.
“Going to Nationals, I had the goal to win, because if you go into a competition with any other goal than winning, you will doom yourself, mentally. This is specifically important in sporter because it is mostly a mental game,” he said.
In the precision event, Ryan Habeck, 18, of Dakota Sharpshooters in South Dakota, overtook the class with a score of 695.7 – just two-tenths of a point over last year’s champion and this year’s Junior Olympic winner, Katie Zaun, 15, of Buffalo Sharpshooters in North Dakota, who landed in second. Rounding out the Top 3 was Antonio Gross, 18, of Webster Junior Marksmen in New York, who earned his USA Shooting jacket back in 2016 during the National event as the top male competitor.
Saturday, April 15 2017 was a day that I would never forget. I was hunting with my dad and his friend, Brandon, in Garden Valley, Idaho. I had just gotten my hunting license and it was turkey season. We were just getting back to the truck from hiking when they started talking about turkey hunting. Brandon offered to go on a turkey hunt at his in-laws cabin. Brandon called his in-laws to see if we could stay a night at their cabin so we wouldn’t have to get up as early and scare the turkeys with the truck.
I filled out my tag and we zip tied it to the turkey’s foot after we confirmed it was dead. We had to tie the turkey in a tree so the coyotes wouldn’t get to it while we were gone. The rest of the hunt was miserable for me because we spent a hour trying to get another turkey for my dad’s friend. My whole body was numb from sitting in one place for so long. So, on the way back a group of turkeys crossed over the trail and a nice tom was in the group. It didn’t take long before there was a clear shot so he took it. The turkey dropped dead. And just like that the hunt was over.
The WOMA not only highlights ladies and offers a scholarship, we also host an annual event called She Never Quit, which is in its fourth year. This event is held at the Lazy J Ranch in Texas, the property of Melanie and Marcus Luttrell (Lone Survivor.) She Never Quit raises funds for amazing charities, personally selected by the Board, which have included Navy Seal widows, Foundation for Women Warriors, 100 Club Houston, etc. To find out more about this event, please go to sheneverquit.com. 
Simply fill out the application found on our Web site, thewoma.org, under the “scholarships” heading; be involved in hunting, fishing, shooting sports, or archery; write a short essay that includes the four requirements listed in the application; and be able to submit four articles with photos within the calendar year. Don’t wait to submit your application! Deadline is December 1, 2018. 
